To Squat or Not To Squat?

To Squat or Not To Squat?

There are a lot of great articles out there on why you should and why you should not squat but before placing that bar on your back there is a lot more to consider than you might realise.

Think about these questions:
How far down can you sink into your squat without your pelvis tilting under? What are your ankles doing when you squat? Are they feeling tight? Which way are your knees turning?

To most people, it is normal for your pelvis to tilt under when you squat and I have seen so many “fitness experts/trainers” post videos of them-self or their clients demonstrating a squat with this still happening! With the pelvis tilting under, it shows a tightness in your hip-flexors or weakness in your lower abdominals. Fixing these two thing will benefit your squats greatly!

In addition to that, ankle mobility restriction is one of the main limitations to a squat and this is due to tightness in the solus muscle. It causes you to push your weight distribution to the balls of your feet instead of your heels, which then causes you to lean forward concluding in you overusing your back.

Picture this, you place the bar on your back, go down for a squat and end up losing balance slightly and have to take a step forward. Chances are your coach may say something generic like “Squeeze your abs!” or “Chest up!” – WRONG!!
By your ankles being so restricted and your weight being on the balls of your feet, you’re not allowing your stabilising muscles (the hamstrings and glutes) to do the work!

Check out Ido Portal to help fix these squat issues, he has some great videos on squat movements to both improve your ankle mobility and hip tightness. Another quick tip is to try squatting without shoes on to prevent any further restrictions!

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