Mastering The Squat
Last week we worked on mastering the hip hinge and discussed all the hidden benefits from doing so. This week we are going to talk about the squat. We are going to focus on range of motion pre-requisites for the squat, how to use the squat for rehab, and how to make sure we are addressing the entire body to optimize it for the squat. Follow the Instagram account for progressions to fully understand and master the squat. This week, we become squat experts!
The squat is broadly a movement of hip flexion, knee flexion, and ankle dorsiflexion. These motions also require femur external and internal rotation (more external) and tibial rotation. Don’t forget about the pelvis, which needs to be able to flex and extend as the sacrum nutates and counter-nutates. That being said, we also need strength in the core to create stability for the lower extremity to move. So, there is a lot going on!
Let me simplify things for you. What we need to squat is relative motion capabilities in the pelvis, access to internal and external rotation in the lower extremity, and strength and stability in the spine.
Due to these complexities, we are often lacking ability in one or more of these elements, which is leading to injury and performance deficit. It is also due to the great complexities in the squat that makes it an ideal movement to use to influence some of these components for their improvement in rehab and performance! We just need to understand how to use constraints to not overload our capabilities.
So, follow along on Instagram to build your squat from the ground up and ensure you’re working on all the components to limit injury and boost your performance! Take it one day at a time and work alongside me!
Follow the instagram page @integrated.rehab.performance
Addressing range of motion pre-requisites (Mondays post)
It is vital that we check for and address any deficiencies in range of motion at the hip, knee, ankle, and foot if we are going to prevent injury and perform at our best. By training or playing hard without access to the required range of motion in any given joint, we are going to create compensations elsewhere to help get us into the positions we are trying to get into. Even worse, in training or during activity we are under tremendous load and forces that will make the effects of these compensations even greater. Check out Monday’s post for some key tests and a few mobility drills and exercises we like to do for the lower extremity.
Using the squat in rehab (Wednesdays post)
We use the squat in rehab to strategically load the lower extremity while re-building our movement variability in the lower extremity. We can use the squat to improve the squat! Check out the squat variations in Wednesdays post to work on improving hip mobility with the squat.
Warming up for the squat (Fridays post)
Warming up for the squat should include movements that get the blood flowing and tissue warm while priming the musculature and nervous system for producing and absorbing high forces. Friday’s post will walk through a warmup for athletes or lifters that will prepare them for the session.
CLOSING:
The squat is an excellent exercise for building strength in the lower extremity. Further, we can strategically use the squat and its variations to improve mobility, tissue capacity and tolerance, and performance while rehabbing injuries. With that, it is essential to address all the pre-requisites of the squat to keep us at peak health and performing to our very best in the gym and on the field.
If you have any questions or have pain that is holding you back, reply to this email or call us! We are happy to help.
