Are You Ready To Squat?

So lets talk squats. I’m going to lay my cards on the table early doors and go on the record and state that I love squats. They are a big part of my training and, when done correctly, there is no better exercise and demonstration of strength.

So everybody should be doing them right? Well, maybe not.

Do you know squat?

The perfect squat, one where your hips go below parallel, your weight remains on your heels, your chest is up and you can keep the natural lordotic curve in your lower back is very demanding. Not only in terms of strength but also in terms of mobility. The perfect squat requires good mobility of the ankle, hip and thoracic spine whilst testing the strength of the legs, abdominals and spinal erectors. If you are lacking mobility or strength in any of these areas then this will be highlighted in your technique. You may not be able to get the required depth due to tight hips, you might fail to keep your chest up due to lack of thoracic mobility or your lack of mobility may have led you to struggle to recruit the required muscles to keep perfect form. Whatever the issue might be an ugly looking squat turns arguably the greatest of all exercises into a potentially harmful one.

Perfect mess

So if your squat is uglier than Luke Chadwick and Steffi Graff’s love child then I beg you to remove it from your program and work on gaining the mobility necessary to perform them safely and with perfect form.

So in answer to the question are squats for everyone? The answer is yes, but maybe not yet. It should be everyone’s goal to be able to perform a perfect squat so if you cant then work on your mobility until you can and then get some weight on your back and get strong!

Correct Squat Technique

Squat Technique: Part 1

Squat Technique: Part 2

If you have any questions on the above or would like some advice on how we could help you with your fitness goal, don’t hesitate, visit our Kensington personal training gym and try one of our personal training sessions.

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