How to Squat with Proper Technique without Injuring Yourself - Steroids Source Talk

Iwant2grow · #1 (**permalink**) 06-22-2010, 07:36 PM

If you would only do one strength training exercise, it would be the Squat. No exercise works your body as one piece the way Squats do.
However the Squat is probably the trickiest exercise to learn to do with proper technique. This article will teach you how to squat with proper technique.

What’s a Squat? Bend through your knees with the bar on your back until your hips come lower than parallel. That is until your hip joint comes lower than your knee joint when looking from the side. Come back up. That’s a Squat.

Some of the most popular variations of the Squat include:

* Olympic Squat. High bar position, close stance & deep.
* Front Squat. Barbell rests on your front shoulders.
* Overhead Squat. Squats while holding the bar overhead.

This article deals with the low bar Squat described in Starting Strength. Here’s a video by Jim Wendler of the Squat this post is about. Don’t worry about the weight Jim lifts in the Squat video, you’ll start light.

How to Squat with Proper Technique without Injuring Yourself

Oct 1st, 2007 by Mehdi Posted in Squat | Print

Squat
Image credit: Dehwang

If you would only do one strength training exercise, it would be the Squat. No exercise works your body as one piece the way Squats do. Key to StrongLifts 5×5 program is the Squat exercise which is done 3x/week.

However the Squat is probably the trickiest exercise to learn to do with proper technique. This article will teach you how to squat with proper technique.

What’s a Squat? Bend through your knees with the bar on your back until your hips come lower than parallel. That is until your hip joint comes lower than your knee joint when looking from the side. Come back up. That’s a Squat.

Some of the most popular variations of the Squat include:

* Olympic Squat. High bar position, close stance & deep.
* Front Squat. Barbell rests on your front shoulders.
* Overhead Squat. Squats while holding the bar overhead.

This article deals with the low bar Squat described in Starting Strength. Here’s a video by Jim Wendler of the Squat this post is about. Don’t worry about the weight Jim lifts in the Squat video, you’ll start light.

Benefits of The Squat. Every muscle works when you Squat: legs move the weight, abs & lower back stabilize, upper-back stays tight, arms squeeze the bar, etc. The Squat is a full body exercise.

* Builds Muscle. You can use heavy weight when doing the Squat. Heavy weight means more stress. This stress causes a hormonal response: increased testosterone levels. Meaning more muscle.
* Leg Strength. Squats strengthen your legs by working them through a full range of motion. This helps all sports but also daily activities. No more bending over to pick up an object, you can just Squat.
* Hip Flexibility. While you need hip flexibility for Squats, once you have this flexibility, doing Squats maintains it.
* Knee Stability. Squats done with proper technique, with the bar coming below parallel, strengthen your knees.

Squats & Knees. “Squatting deep is bad for your knees”. That’s a myth you’ll hear a lot. Some will advise you to do Partial Squats, staying above parallel, to avoid knee injury. This is wrong info. Wrong.

Your knee joint is strongest in a fully flexed or full extended position, not the positions in-between. Partial Squats only strengthen your knees & quads, not your glutes & hamstrings. This causes muscle imbalances & thus injuries.

Millions of competitive weightlifters Squat deeper than described in this article. If you have knee pain from Squats, you’re using bad technique or you lack ankle/hip mobility. Squatting deep is never the cause.

Squat & Safety. Squat in a Power Rack. Set the safety pins at the height the bar gets in the bottom Squat position. Check the video above for an example. Start light, build up the weight gradually. Safety depends on technique.

^Squat Stretch: chest up, knees out, weight on heels

Before You Start. Lack of hip flexibility makes it impossible to Squat with proper technique. Do the Squat stretch – picture above – 4 sets of 30 seconds. Chest forward, knees out & curled toes. The Squat stretch increases hip flexibility.

Unracking The Bar. Set the bar in the Power Rack at about mid-chest level. Position your feet directly under the bar. Squat under the bar & put it on your back. Tighten everything & Squat up to unrack the bar.

One step back with one leg, one step back with the other leg. Squat. Check the video above for an example of how to unrack the bar properly on the Squat.

^Low bar position on the Squat. Tight upper-back, elbows back & wrists straight.

Squat Setup. You’ll have to think about a lot of things at first. Study the tips below, start with an empty barbell, focus on your technique.

* Chest Up. Keeping your chest up makes lower back rounding impossible & tightening of your upper-back easier.
* Forward Look. Look down & your back will bend. Look at the ceiling & your neck will hurt. Look forward.
* Bar Position. Put the bar low, on the muscles of your back shoulders. Below the bone at the top of your shoulder-blades.
* Grip Width. Narrow grip makes it easier to tighten your upper-back. Do lots of shoulder dislocations if this position feels uncomfortable.
* Thumbless Grip. Put your thumbs on top of the bar, next to your fingers. You’ll be able to keep your wrists inline with your forearms.
* Straight Wrists. Your back supports the weight, not your hands. Keep your wrists inline with your forearm, never bend them.
* Tight Upper-back. Bring your shoulder-blades together. Tightening the upper-back gives the bar a solid base to rest on.
* Elbows Back. Don’t let them come forward during the Squat. Pushing your elbows back prevents elbows injuries.
* Foot Stance. A narrow stance doesn’t work for the low bar Squat. Heels should be shoulder-width apart.
* Toes Out. Point your toes out at about 30 degrees. Your toes must always follow your knees.
* Weight on The Heels. Curl your toes up if needed. Never get on your toes. Push from the heels.

Squatting Down. You have unracked the bar correctly. All muscles are tight & ready to Squat. Key to the low bar Squats are the hips.

* Hips Back. Think sitting on your toilet. Hips go back first, way back. If you can’t, you probably have tight hamstrings. Do the Squat Stretch.
* Knees Over Toes. Don’t let your knees travel forward in the bottom Squat position. Knees over the toes, not further.
* Knees Out. Never allow your knees to buckle in. It can cause knee injury. Push your knees out.
* Hit Parallel. Your hip joint must come lower than your knee joint. Ask someone to judge your depth or tape yourself. No Partial Squats.

Squatting Up. Your hip muscles are stretched when you hit parallel. Use that stretch to bounce from the bottom. DO NOT relax your hip muscles & DO NOT bounce off your knees. Keep your hip muscles tensed.

* Hips Up. If your hips come forward, your knees will also come forward. Drive your hips up straight out of the bottom.
* Squeeze Your Glutes. Power comes from the glutes. Squeeze your glutes as hard as you can while driving your hips up.
* Push From The Heels. Curl your toes up if needed. Don’t let your heels come off the floor. Push from the heels.
* Knees Out. Same as for the way down: don’t let your knees buckle in. Push your knees out.

Common Squat Problems. If you have someone to help you improve your Squat technique, great. Otherwise tape yourself and use the following tips or Starting Strength to improve your Squat technique.

* Lower Back Rounds. Keep your chest up & do the Squat Stretch. Read why your lower back rounds during Squats & how to fix it.
* Leaning Forward. Happens when your hips go up faster than your shoulders. Read how to avoid leaning forward on Squats.
* Bent Wrists. Will cause wrist pain once the bar gets heavy. Support the weight with your back muscles, not with your wrists.
* Knees In. You have weak and/or tight hip muscles. Do the Squat Stretch & actively push your knees out on every rep.
* Knees Forward. Move from the hips: hips back when Squatting down, hips up – not forward – when Squatting up.
* Heels Off The Floor. Puts stress on your knees & impairs stability. Curl your toes up and push from the heels.

* taken from stronglifts.com