Tips of a Great Squat
One of my favourite exercises is the squat. I love it because it works several large and important muscle groups (making it an excellent exercise for those wanting to lose weight) and is easily adapted to varying levels of fitness or experience. It is also excellent as an exercise for those worried about developing osteoporosis as it strengthens muscles around the hip joint while improving flexibility and balance (helping to prevent potentially serious falls).
The types of squats you can do range from simple body weight squats, to squatting with weight (front or back, barbell or dumbbell), to jump squats to single leg squats. The speed of your squat can also be changed to either increase or decrease the difficulty of the exercise.
The following are six tips for the perfect squat technique. I have demonstrated it here using the bodyweight squat but the same principles apply no matter the type of squat that you do.
Starting position
Standing tall with your feet just outside shoulder width apart with your toes pointing slightly outwards.
Brace abdominals
It is crucial that the abdominal muscles are activated before commencing any squat as this helps to lock the trunk in place, preventing it from flexing and also ensuring that the spine remains in the proper neutral position throughout.
First movement
I recommend the first movement being to break at the hips, sticking your bottom out and back, just as if you are going to sit on a seat behind you. This helps ensure that we properly target the glute and hamstring muscles at the back of our legs and around our bottoms when undertaking the squat.
Keep your chin and chest up
As you lower your bottom straight down towards the floor. This ensures that the spine remains in the correct position throughout the exercise (essentially the back should not alter its position at all through the exercise).
Ensure your knees point in the same direction as your toes
This is necessary to ensure we do not put undue load in the wrong direction through the knee joint.
Push back up evenly through both feet
If anything, you want your weight slightly positioned towards the heels of your feet. However, if you do this make sure the balls of your feet stay in contact with the ground throughout the squat.
