The Squat
Can you squat with perfect form?
Did you know that being able to squat is a fundamental human movement?
Let us give you some insight into the squat.
Do you ever think to yourself, “Why can my 1 year old grandchild squat perfectly and I can barely get down there?” The truth is, the majority of babies have “perfect” muscle pull on each of their joints. As we grow up and have injuries, gravity weighing down on us, and begin to move imperfectly due to overactivity of bigger “stronger” muscles (ex: traps, lats, quads), we start to lose that perfect muscle pull. Therefore, our bodies compensate. Our body takes the hit and sometimes we cannot in fact get down there with the little ones anymore with ease.
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There are 3 main areas where we can be lacking in mobility in the squat. First is ankle dorsiflexion (the ability to flex your ankles up towards your head), next is hip flexion, and lastly is thoracic extension. In this video I show you an ideal squat position from the front and from the side. Note a few things: In the bottom of the squat, the back should be parallel with the shins. I then show you 3 not so ideal squat positions - they are different compensation patterns for if you don’t have enough thoracic extension, not enough ankle dorsiflexion, or not enough hip flexion.
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Note a few things on these squat compensation patterns: Without enough thoracic extension, as you descend into the squat, the back will not be able to stay upright - in the bottom of the squat your back will not be parallel with your shins (like it should be). Instead, the back is more parallel with the floor due to a lack of mid to upper back mobility. Without enough ankle dorsiflexion, many things can happen - but what is shown in the video is how it can cause you to lean forward and put your weight on your toes (when in reality we should try to stay back on our heels with equal weight distribution on all parts of the foot). Without enough hip flexion, we overuse the quad muscles - our knees tend to dip way more forward than they should to compensate.
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So if you find that your squat may look like one of the compensation patterns in the video, it can be fixed! (Unless it’s something anatomically/structurally stopping you from having any more range of motion). If you find that one or more of these areas are lacking, read on for ways to improve each range of motion! I give you 1 passive stretch to help improve the given range of motion, but more importantly I also give you 1 exercise to help strengthen the muscles involved in getting you into that range of motion. Long term fixes come from strengthening the muscles that are weak. A tight muscle is a weak muscle, therefore, we must strengthen it!
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Normal thoracic extension is around 25 degrees. To test it, stand up and lean as far back as you can. Another way to test it is when you squat down, your back should remain upright and be parallel with the shins when you are in the bottom of your squat.
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To improve thoracic extension, the first stretch is to take a foam roller and extend your upper back over it. Roll up and down slowly, stopping at areas of tightness. Next is an exercise called Bruegger’s - using a band (like the video shows) makes it just a little bit harder. How to perform Bruegger’s: either stand or sit upright with good posture. Then lift your shoulders, put them back sticking your chest out, and finally put them down - your traps should not be tense at all in the final position. Now, keep your elbow pinned to your sides and pull the band apart with your palms facing each other, holding for about 10 seconds at the end. You should feel the muscles of your upper back working hard! We can perform this about 5-10 times, holding for 10 seconds each.
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Normal ankle dorsiflexion is about 20 degrees. To test it, go on the floor and take a knee, then drive your knee as far forward as you can over your toes (*without lifting your heel off the ground!). Another way to test it is when you squat down, you should not lean forward onto your toes and/or you should not see the outside of your feet lift up (it’s way easier to test this when squatting barefoot).
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To improve ankle dorsiflexion, the first stretch is to take a seat and take each foot into circles going both ways multiple times. Next is to take a knee on the ground and lean forward into 3 different directions - at about 10 o’clock, 12 o’clock, and 2 o’clock (it’s the same movement you did when testing out how much ankle dorsiflexion you have). To increase the load, take a kettlebell or any weight and do the exact same thing.
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Normal hip flexion should be about 90 degrees. Sometimes hamstring tightness prevents us from getting that far up. To test it, go on your back and lift your leg into the air, keeping it straight the entire time. Another way to test it is when you squat down, your knees should not drive forward way past your toes.
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To improve hip flexion, the first stretch is getting into a standing lunge position and stretch into 3 planes of motion. The hip flexor being stretched is the one on the side of your back leg. To stretch in 3 planes of motion while in the lunge, lean backwards slowly and hold; twist left and right slowly and hold; lean down to your left and right slowly and hold. Next is an exercise called the ‘psoas march.’ Using a circlular band (I simply tied a Theraband in a knot), put it around both feet at the mid foot. Lay on your back with your feet shoulder width apart, and lift your hips into the air, squeezing your butt at the top. With you hips lifted in the air, lift 1 leg into the air at a time (with you knee still bent to 90 degrees) and hold for a few seconds at the top. Slowly bring your leg down and repeat back and forth with each leg.
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These are some easy take-home exercises to start chipping away at where your mobility deficiency is. In office we assess very in depth to see exactly what areas need worked on. We also do a lot of different types of strengthening in office that were not shown in the video. In the end, it will take a lot of repetition to start improving your squat - but it can be done! Keep with it so you can become proficient in one of the most important fundamental human movements!
