Squat For Pedal Power Part 1

The Squat, much maligned, frequently avoided and all too often poorly executed.

At the Elite Physique training facility we are blessed with some fine squatting aficionados, who regularly get under the bar.  Most perform the various squat techniques reasonably well, thanks in large part to the expert advice from staff and other experienced gym members.

There are a few however, who for reasons best known to themselves choose to execute their squat drills with form so horrendous that gym goers stop and stare, like a train wreck waiting to happen!

Partial movements, overinflated bar-weight and precarious spotting technique to name a few, are recipe for orthopaedic stress and damaged connective tissue.

What is more frustrating is the unwillingness of the squatting tragics to take on board the advice from experienced lifters, who have genuine concern for their wellbeing.

Aside from the rounded backs and cushioned pad on the bar, the biggest contributor to a poorly executed squat is the partial squat. This is when the knee bend is such that the crease in the hip is above the knee...similar to the knee depth encountered at the start of a deadlift.

While there may at times be reason to perform a partial squat, the science and more importantly anecdotal under-the-bar experience reveals, a shortened volunteered eccentric terminated knee-bend can be hazardous to knee joint health, especially under severe loading. Scientists call this shear force.

In a partial squat, which fails to engage the posterior chain or provide adequate stretch for the hamstrings, most of the force against the tibia (shin bone) occurs upward and forward. This originates from the quadriceps and their attachment to the front of the tibia below the knee.

This produces an anterior shear, a forward-directed sliding force, on the knee, with the tibia being pulled forward from the patellar tendon without a balancing rearward pull from the hamstrings.  This is NOT good knee mechanics, especially under severe loading.

This shearing force, resulting with unbalanced strain on the patellar ligaments and tendons is the biggest concern with partial squats. Many spectacular cases of tendinitis and ruptured ligaments have been produced this way, with squats getting the blame.  It’s not the exercise, but poor execution of the drill that is to blame!

Think about this...if you jump from a 20cm height, knee bend would be minimal.  If you jumped from a 200cm height knee bend would be extreme and in all likelihood a forward roll would be performed to reduce knee stress, unless of course you’re an Olympic gymnast, but that’s another article.

Now imagine unracking a very heavy barbell, which is akin to the 2m depth jump and deliberately stopping at an angle where shear force is greatest...the partial squat position...with no assistance from glutes or hammies!  Not only is there tremendous shear force acting upon the knees, but the lower back is compromised because in most cases the barbell will be in front of the middle of the foot.  When Deadlifting and Squatting regardless of the racked-bar position, it is important that barbell force is delivered in a vertical line originating from the middle of the foot.  There are exceptions to this rule in advanced applications, but they are beyond the scope of this article.  Needless to say, most who have gone to war with the bar will agree that middle foot force is where it’s at!

Interestingly, many fitness enthusiasts espouse to full range of motion exercise performance, but how many actually perform full anything, in particular squats.

What is ideal squat depth?  From a safety perspective and advanced sporting applications aside, ideal squat depth occurs when the bottom of the hamstrings touch the top of the calf and the bottom part of the abs touch the top of the thighs.  This does two things: it creates virtual tissue leverage and encourages abdominal expansion.

Virtual Tissue Leverage - witness a heavyweight athlete squat and their ability to utilise oversized calves and a big belly to “push off” allows bigger weights to be lifted with better mechanics due to superior leverages.  For the average person or lean athlete there is a need to artificially create this leverage. Pushing the hamstrings into the calves and the stomach into the thighs at the bottom of the squat simulates this leverage advantage.  Obviously this can only be achieved if the hips are below the level of the knee.  The leaner the athlete the lower the squat…unfair…I hear you say! When was sport or life in general fair!

Abdominal Expansion - contrary to popular gym lore, sucking the abdominal wall inwards is a bad idea.  When lifting heavy objects or applying high rates of force the more robust the “lifting platform”, read core stability, the safer and more powerful will be the lift.  Is a pyramid large or small at its base?  Abdominal bracing (breath holding in conjunction with stomach expansion) provides stability and artificially enlarges the body’s base of support. This technique will assist abdominal tension, increase internal compression and stabilize the spine.  This is why serious strength athletes use belts for loads greater than 90% RM on their primary lifts. The belt actually makes the abdominals contract OUT with more force, making them STRONGER!

Not everyone will have the flexibility to perform full barbell back squats in the manner described above; however there are several options to this lack of squat flexibility dilemma.

Performing Sumo stance body weight bench squats is a good starting point.  Straddle a typical gym bench with a Sumo stance, arms extended in front and sit back, NOT down.  Lead with the tailbone and keep pushing backwards as if attempting to sit back on a chair that is slightly out of reach. The torso will bend forward; this is fine as long as the spine is extended, not rounded (flexed).  That’s a squat.  If you can’t perform this movement, least to say your digestive health is at risk!

Progressions from there are numerous.  If you don’t know how to perform the following progressions seek a strength professional.

Goblet Squat

Kettlebell Deadlift

Romanian Deadlift

Weighted Low Windmill

Kettlebell Good Morning

Side Lunge (under a bar)

Bodyweight Box Squat (Westside style)

 

The Green Light of Squat Technique

Below is a great example of excellent below parallel squat technique.

Note: neutral head - hammies into calves and stomach into thighs - breath held

How to squat safe & get strong!

 

Red Light...stop...enter at own risk!

Below is a an example of how NOT to squat.

Note: hyperextended kneck - no tissue leverage - partial movement due to overinflated weight

 

 

How to pop your patella tendon!