It doesn't count unless you're ASS TO GRASS!

 

It’s no secret that there is an ever growing epidemic of those who skip leg day. If you don’t know me, or haven’t been following this blog for very long, I’ll tell you right now that legs are my favorite muscle group to train. It completely boggles my mind when people just skip leg day completely. I’m sorry, are your legs not a part of your body? Please tell me again how you “go hard” at the gym when you don’t squat or deadlift. Your legs represent the largest muscles in your body and are an integral source of power….SO WHY THE HELL AREN’T YOU TRAINING THEM?!

What completely confounds me even more is when people train them incorrectly. When did quarter squats become sufficient? I didn’t realize that the laws of bodybuilding had suddenly changed and now half squats produce significant gains. Perhaps I’m being a little harsh, because I understand that compound exercises likes squats and dead lifts are difficult to master to a novice of sorts. However, it’s common sense to research proper technique a few times before you try performing the exercise. So let’s say you actually have research the exercise, but are still unsure how to do it. If you’re a member of a gym, which I’m going to assume yes because most people…particularly beginners…don’t have a squat rack in their home, chances are you have a lot of resources (like personal trainers) at your disposal. Ask. Feel stupid asking for help? I can understand that, but you’re going to feel a lot stupider when you blow out your knees mid squat and need medical assistance to be escorted out of the building.

So, on that note, let me help you perform the perfect squat. Before I get into proper technique, I’m going to tell you right now to leave your ego at the door. You think because you can throw up 250lbs on the bench doesn’t mean you can squat the same amount of weight…especially when you never train legs in the first place. So quit trying to be some macho meathead and pick a weight that is suitable for you. It’s smarter to train with less weight, but proper form and a full range of motion, than it is to rack a bunch of plates on the bar. Ok, now that that’s out of the way….

STANCE:

Before you actually squat, you want to pay attention to your stance, foot and toe placement. This sets the tone for the rest of your set, and if this is thrown off, your squats are going to be shit. Use an athletic stance, which means your knees are slightly bent, feet are firmly planted and your toes are slightly pointed outwards. In terms of how narrow or wide your feet are apart, is entirely up to you. The wider your stance, your glutes and hamstrings will be worked more. However, with a narrower stance, your quadriceps's are going to be emphasized more.


HIP HINGE:

Your hip hinge is probably one of the most important aspects to a proper squat form. As you lower down into a squat, you want to hinge your hips so that your butt moves backward. Don’t think you’re doing it right? Check your knee and toe alignment. If your knees are over your toes, you’re not hinging back far enough. When your knees protrude further than your toes, you’re putting all the stress of the squat onto your knees and not even working the leg muscles at all, and that’s the whole point isn’t it? Furthermore, make sure that the pressure is on your heels and not on your toes. This way, you will be able to get more depth in your squat. If you can only squat a few inches down, it doesn’t count. Unload the weight until you’re able to go AT LEAST parallel…although preferably slightly below. ASS TO GRASS!

SPINAL ALIGNMENT:

One mistake I often see is people rounding their necks. This throws your spinal alignment completely off and can make you prone to numerous injuries. Keep your head up and eyes straight. In addition to this, rounding your chest and shoulders will also affect your spinal alignment. By keeping your chest out and shoulders back, your lower back is more likely to have the most natural curve; preventing lower back strain. Speaking of lower back…DO NOT ARCH IT! The squat can be an extremely dangerous exercise, and when you’re lifting heavy weight it puts a ton of stress on your lower back, so you have to pay extra attention to this. Keep your lower back as flat as possible. By hyperextending by arching or rounding too much, you could rupture a disk. Trust me, that’s the absolute last thing you want to do.

BREATHING:

Lastly, focus on your breathing. Squatting is an intense exercise and I imagine you don’t want to feel lightheaded, nauseous or possibly black out simply because you haven’t controlled your breathing. It’s fairly simple actually. As you lower, breathe in. As you push back up, breathe out with force. If you need to take an extra breath before you perform your next rep, do so.

So there you have it, how to perform the perfect squat. Now, go lift something.