Squatting

Squating is one of the more intimidating lifts in the gym. The coordination and thinking involved in compound movements are significatnly higher than isolation exercises. There are so many different moving parts and variables. It is important to learn the basics and work your way up to a barbell squat. Initially I would work on getting my body weight squat to a point that is sufficient for adding weight. I would do this by squat to a chair or something slightly higher, get the basics of the movement and remove the fear of falling. Once the individual is confident I would work on the standing up from the chair without any assitstance from the hands. After this is complete doing a full body squat where the induvial holds their hands out in front of them and squat to above parallel and stands back up. If you are reading this you may say that is not a squat! I am getting there, we want to build up strength periodically throughout the movement. It does not help with confidence and safety if you jump straight into squatting to depth. For some you could and that is amazing but I am thinking about those who have never squatted before. Confidence and consistency is key. 

Getting to the fun stuff. If when doing a body weight squat you are unable to keep your chest upright or parallel with the wall in front of you then it may be time to assess ankle and hip mobility. If there are previous injuries or lack of mobility it is best to see a professional before moving forward. Last thing we want to do is to push it and injure ourselves. This blog is about self growth and our fitness journeys. It will grind to a stop with an injury. Once this is looked at and our heels are leaving the floor while squatting we need to add a small weight or wedge to our heels. This will reduce the range of motion our ankles will need to go through to squat to an adequate depth without our heels leaving the floor. Once we are able to do this we can begin to add weight to our squats. 

Adding weight to the squat or any exercise for that matter is exciting, but how? Initially we want to load it lightly keeping the weight as close to our center of gravity as possible. This is where the goblet squat comes into play. A goblet squat has the weight held with both hands on the top end of a dumbbell in a cupping orientation or holding onto the bottom of a kettle bell the same way. That weight will be chest height and resting against our bodies or just slightly off. We then can perform the squat we were so diligently working on. Once you are able to perform this squat confidently and in control it is time to move up in weight until you reach 45 pounds or more. Once this occurs we can move onto different variations of squats. 

The front squat is personally the most challenging. The bar sits across you front delts with your elbows pointed to the sky. This squat tends to want to pull your upper body forward so you need to work on creating a strong core and have good bracing. This form of squat does how ever allow for great range of motion for depth. I find I can use the weight to help me sit down and into my squat more effectively than a back squat does. The squat tends to have slightly more narrow stance and you grab the bar just outside shoulder width. You do not hold onto the bar firmly but loosely in your fingers and allow your front delt to handle most of the weight. 

The high bar back squat is a close variation to the front squat and tends to be the most popular inside commercial gyms. This variation has the bar resting across your traps and you will grab the bar firmly one hand width outside of shoulder width. Based on shoulder mobility and comfort this can change. Your feet will be in the stance that you would do a standing long jump and you proceed to squat. This is the first time weight will have been on your back for a squat if you have followed along until now. It is going to feel weird. Take your time and be patient. The goal is to still maintain an upright torso and lower yourself in control. 

Lastly the low bar back squat. This is where things change ever so slightly. Lifters who are in low bar need good shoulder mobility and external rotation. The bar sits across a shelf made of your rear delts. The chest of someone lifting in the low bar position is going to be more forward. We are no longer looking to be parallel with the front wall but more focused on bracing. Bracing is what holds everything together and in the low bar position bracing is the key. The stance is going to be slightly wider, reducing the shin angle and the torso is going to look as though it is at a 45 degree angle. Play around with this variation but do not load heavy until confident in your form and bracing. Lastly some things to remember. Squating is one means of growing strength and power. It is not the be all and end all. It is a phenominal compound lift that can skyrocket progress if done correctly. The down side is that there are inherint risks as there are with any lift but especially with compound movements. Please inform yourself with form and see a professional if anything is sore or you are unsure about previous injuries. 

Here is a more in-depth look at my low bar back squat as a powerlifter.