I believe the squat exercise should be a cornerstone exercise in every workout regimen. The squat is not only essential for your exercise program, but it also directly relates to many of the functional activities we perform every day.

If you’re new to exercising or back from a hiatus my recommendation would be to start with the Air squat or weightless squat before advancing to more challenging resisted squat exercises. This will allow you time to learn safety and efficacy in the basic movements of the squat. To master the squat, one must master both technique and performance.

No matter what age or stage you are in, developing a better squat can improve your functional abilities and sense of empowerment.

Before we get started, I would like to mention that there can be variabilities in the make-up of an individual’s anatomy, such as bone or joint formation, that may affect their squatting form. Ultimately, there is no one perfect squatting form but there are strategies one can take to improve performance and reduce the risks of injury.

Okay, Let’s get in the execution of the squat:

• First, your feet should be approximately shoulder-width apart. A nice base of support will assure better control during the movement.

• Now let’s discuss the direction in which your feet should be directed. To find this position, start with your feet at shoulder width apart. Then raise up on the balls of your feet and then lift your forefoot or toes off the ground. Once this is done, your feet are now in the proper position. You should not purposely attempt to point in either direction as you may cause excessive rotational forces on your knees or hips.

• Next, you want to descend down and back in your hips until your hips are in-line or slightly below your hip joints.

Now, I’m often asked ‘what’s the appropriate depth of the squat? Or should I avoid squatting too deep due to the risk of injury?’ I believe there truly is a happy medium that takes into consideration several things;

• Most importantly, the anatomy of the individual and how much motion is available in their joints will ultimately determine just how low they can go.

• Secondly, squatting too deep may increase shearing forces in the lower back. In some individuals, you may see a lumbar flexion moment at the bottom of the squat which I feel over time could lead to excessive movement and pain in the lumbar spine. You may hear this described as the ‘butt wink’. I believe this occurs when all of the available hip motion is exceeded and in order to descend lower the individual will bend from their lower back.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have individuals that don’t squat low enough. If you’re not low enough during your squat, you may not be effectively targeting the posterior chain which is where we generate most of our power.

- Fix: simply give yourself a target to squat to touch. For example, squat down and when you feel your bottom touch the box return to an upright position.

Next, if you notice your knees moving too far forward, for example, knees out in front of your toes, this would be a knee extension muscle strategy vs. a hip strategy.

-Fix: This can be corrected by standing facing a box your feet approximately 6 inches or less away. As you move into the squat position your knees will impact the box which will encourage you to move down in your hips.

Next, if you struggle with maintaining your balance during the descending portion of your squat:

-Fix: you may hold your hands in front of your chest and reach both arms forward as you descend into your squat. Stretching your arms forward will counterbalance your weight and improve your balance.

Next, during the descending portion of the squat make sure you maintain the lumbar curve. In other words, you should not allow an increase in the lumbar curvature or allow for a “butt wink”.

Next, your knees should remain in line approximately over your second toes. You should avoid allowing your knees to move inward or “collapse” as you descend into your squat.

-Fix: you might imagine pushing your knees outward or spreading the ground apart with your feet as your move down into your squat.

Next, your heels should stay down during the entire squat process.

-Fix: if you’re having a difficult time maintaining your heels on the ground during the squat you should lift your toes off the ground as you descend into your squat. If this doesn’t work you may have a limitation in ankle or foot mobility.

Lastly, you should complete the squat at full hip and knee extension.

Again, these are some of the basic principles of performing a squat. Once you’re able to achieve a great squat you can progress to adding resistance or moving weight overhead during the squat. Progressing the squat by adding resistance should only be done if you truly feel that you have mastered the air squat and are ready for an additional challenge.

You shouldn’t be in a hurry to progressively load your squat before achieving all the milestones that I’ve mentioned earlier.

You can accomplish an excellent workout by successfully managing good form and technique without adding resistance by increasing repetitions or adding overhead motions.

Hopefully, this short tutorial helps you master your squat. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at Kenneth@fittomovept.com