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Red Deer Life - August 30, 2006Out of all the exercises known to me and through all the years dealing with people there is one exercise that still reigns king over all. I'm reluctant to even mention it as you may stop reading immediately but without a doubt the single most important exercise anyone can learn is the Squat. I only need but mention squats to strike fear into the minds of my clients on a daily basis but the value of squats towers far over many other exercises combined.Most people don't like squats because they are hard and I'm sorry to say there really is no magic secret to make them easier. Perhaps if you understand them better you will however be able to perform the more comfortable and effectively. The squat unlike any other exercise I know has the ability to recruit more than 233 different muscles in our body. It's the primary lower body developer and provides excellent core and functional strength by recruiting many stabilizing muscles throughout the torso. When you consider variations such as front squats, over head squats and squat presses the squat can easily become a full body workout. The keys to an effective squat are depth and stance. Too often I see people squatting too shallow with too much weight and in a stance that is notorious for producing comments like, "I don't squat low because it hurts my knees." First thing, the depth, you should be looking to squat deep enough that the bone of the upper thigh, your femur, is parallel to the floor. Not the leg but the actual bone. This is best accomplished as follows: Considering a rear barbell squat begin by setting up under the bar so that it is positioned comfortably below the protruding vertebrae on the back of your neck. Grip the bar with your hands as close to your shoulders as is comfortable, this will usually be about 20-30 cm from the shoulder. This is important in order to allow the muscles of the upper back to support and balance the weight correctly. For some this will also present the first problem, the flexibility required to grip the bar correctly may require some stretching of the pecs, biceps and shoulders. The next step will be your foot position, as you step away from the rack set your feet about 20-30 cm wider than shoulder width. It is very important to have a nice wide base of support so you will not feel unbalanced as you descend into the bottom position of the squat. A narrow stance pushes your knees out of the toes and places the knee joint in a vulnerable position. As you descend into the squat it should begin with the hips, a feeling like you are sticking the butt and chest out a little as the hips bend and then the knees. Descending down concentrate on where your body weight is distributed. You should feel it firmly flat over the foot or slightly towards the heels. At the bottom of the exercise look for the femur to be parallel to the floor and an extra tip would be to have someone watch you to see if the pelvis tucks under as you hit the bottom of the exercise. If so you may want to reduce your depth slightly to minimize this shift of the pelvis. If you've setup as above and still find the depth awkward it's not
uncommon to see a few flexibility issues get in the way. If you feel
your weight moving forward and your heels are light or lifting try adding
a 1-2 cm rise under your heels and make a point to stretch your calves
over the next few weeks. For a photographed and further written exercise
explanation please visit my website or email me if you have other questions. |
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