Squats

Some people think I’m a fool for giving out free fitness information in my monthly newsletters, wondering why I would disclose my nutrition secrets, let alone proper exercise techniques, at no cost.

However, the way I figure it, what we offer our clients here at Fitness Together goes far beyond teaching exercise technique alone. After all, we offer a lot more than information.

Therefore, this is the first installment in a new series of newsletters entitled: “Exercise of the Month”. This month’s focus in on what is, perhaps, the single most important exercise of all: the squat. If you listen to the dogma, (20 years out of date dogma), squats will kill your knees, hurt your lower back, and are only done by big brutes attempting to bulk up.

Fortunately, those of us who are up to date on current research, as well as practical application, know that squats are the king all of exercises. Perhaps no other exercise works quite as many muscles in such a supremely functional manor. Think about it. What could be a more realistic and functional way of utilizing the human body than to use your legs and core muscles to lower and raise the upper body?

Hard core exercise gurus have a saying: “If you’re not squatting, you ain’t doing squat”. Silly, yes, but true. Although there are many other exercises that work the same muscles in smaller groups, no other exercise hits so many muscles so well. When done properly, squats do not hurt the lower back (Scientists have determined that the load on the actual vertebrae of the human spine is, in fact, less during a proper squat than they are when you improperly bend over to pick up a 10lb bag of groceries).

Squats are also much better for the knees than other more common exercises such as leg extensions. In fact, I religiously recommend squats for my clients who are amateur athletes dealing with knee problems. As long as there is no existing structural issue that needs a surgeon’s attention, the strengthening effect of squats on ALL the muscles that support the knee will almost always result in improvement and pain reduction.

On several occasions, I’ve worked with amateur athletes with knee problems. Other “experts” had told them to stop squatting; nevertheless, their knee problems persisted over the years. On the contrary, after getting these same clients back “under the bar” for a few months, their knee problems vanished.

The squat is also more than just a single exercise. By varying the stance and bar location, this single exercise can work the quadriceps, hamstrings, abductors, adductors, glutes, lower back muscles, abs, and many other muscles too numerous to mention. Jump squats, box squat, band squats, back squats, front squats, etc., however you utilize them, squats should be the core of your leg workouts!

By using a wide stance (much wider than shoulder width) the hamstrings take over much of the work the quads would normally perform, and the abductors get hit hard. I’ll go as wide as the edge of the rack to really hit the hams and abductors.

By narrowing the stance, the quads dominate and you really feel it in the adductors. Some people find it hard to go low enough with a narrow stance, while others will go as narrow as a couple inches apart.

By varying the stance from wide to medium to narrow from workout to workout, you can completely change the function of this exercise and you’ll really feel it in different parts of your legs. I won’t get into the various bar position options, as they quickly overcomplicate this topic.

Here’s the big problem: If not done properly, you can hurt yourself VERY quickly. Form is of utmost importance. What is most concerning is that outside of Fitness Together and certain hardcore powerlifting gyms, I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve seen actually performing this exercise correctly.

The following hints will help you to get started, but I would highly recommend seeking additional assistance from someone who knows what they’re doing, and can personally instruct you on proper form.

First, start off without any weight at all. Your feet should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart. and your toes may point slightly outward if this is more comfortable for you. Concentrate on sitting down, not bending forward.

You should be able to do a deep knee bend to where your hips are below your knees. Make sure you can do 20 of these without pain before moving on to a weighted squat. Your heels should stay on the ground. If you can’t seem to keep your heels on the ground all the way down, you may need to stretch the Soleus muscles in the back of your legs. You can do this by performing any standard calve stretch with your knees bent.

If you have trouble with the unweighted deep knee bends because your knees are particularly bad, it may be helpful to start off by leaning against a stability ball between your back and a wall.

Next, move on to dumbbells. Maybe just some 5pounders to start. Move up when you can do 15 reps at this weight. Your back should stay flat. Watch this in a mirror from the side. Never let your back round! When the muscles that support your core are holding your back flat (spine neutral), there is almost no load on the spine itself. As soon as you round your back, the load on your spine increases dramatically. (See photo for an example of proper form)

Once you move up to 15 or 20lbs in each hand, you may find it much more comfortable to switch over to working with a barbell. Position an empty bar on the rack at a height that allows you to lift it off the rack without standing on your toes. Squat under the bar with your feet firmly under the bar. The bar should be positioned comfortably on the muscles of your shoulder, not resting against your spine. A Manta Ray may help with this!

Lift the bar from the rack and step slowly always from the supports. Make sure your feet are the proper width apart and your toes pointed forward or slightly to the side. Tense your midsection (don’t suck it in). This will form a natural weight belt and properly support your spine. DON’T use a real weight belt. Yes, it may help support your lower back, and in the process rob you of a valuable core workout. The squat is one of the best core exercises you can do since it utilizes the muscles of the midsection and posterior chain the way they were supposed to be used (to stabilize the spine under load). Don’t sacrifice this by using a belt.

Now squat down. Concentrate on sitting down and lowering your rear end, not lowering the bar. The bar will come down naturally. If you watch yourself in a mirror, your hips should come down to at least even with your knees. The tops of your thighs should be parallel with the ground. If you can’t come down that far, decrease the weight. This isn’t an ego contest. It doesn’t matter how much weight you can use.

Now it’s time to dispel a myth: “Never let your knees pass over your toes”. While it’s true that the further your knees extend over your toes the higher the load on this joint, the increase in load with proper form is not significant. For the vast majority of people, keeping their toes behind their knees will result in an improper arch of the lower back, causing the load on the spine to massively increase. Powerlifters can keep their knees behind their toes because of the huge amounts of weight they are lifting, (several times their own body weight), allows them to balance this way. This won’t be the case for most of you. Many of us have known for years that squats are safe for the knees even if the knees pass over the toes, but recently a very convincing study was done to confirm it.

Now that you are at the bottom of the lift you really need to concentrate on coming up properly. Your back should never round, and your knees should stay in line (not bow in). Keep your eyes focused in front of you (don’t look down), and push up with your shoulders first (don’t let your rear end raise first as that will result in rounding of the lower back).

When you have finished the set, rack the weight carefully, and you’re done with the most productive exercise you’ll ever do. Remember, the proceeding instructions are just some things to think about. They should NOT be used as a substitution for receiving proper instruction from a trained professional. Remember, if you don’t use perfect form, you will eventually hurt yourself!