Before I begin my rant about how to solve your problems with your squat, the first thing I must do is differentiate the two different types of back squats. The first type of back squat is called the high bar back squat and the second backsquat is called a low bar squat. The difference is sort of what it sounds like. The high bar squat will have the barbell placed higher on your back, on your traps. On the other hand, the low bar back squat will have the barbell placed lower on your back and it will cause you to lean forward more with the barbell in order to maintain your balance.
The first squat I will talk about is the high bar squat and I am going to help you fix that ugly squat that you have. With the high bar squat, you are going to be standing more upright than in a low bar squat. Before unracking the barbell from the squat rack, make sure that your entire body is tight. Squeeze the bar as hard as you can and stand up straight. Wait for the barbell to stop bouncing on your body, then you can take two steps back to begin your squatting. In the high bar squat, you want to focus on sitting straight down. You can allow your knees to travel forward in this type of squat.
The key is to make the barbell move in a perfectly straight line, you do not want to squat down and have the barbell fall forward. If this does end up happening, a few things can be happening. The first and foremost would be a lack of flexibility. If you are not flexible, you will not be able to do this type of squat period. It is important to stretch before starting your squats, and by stretching I mean dynamic stretching. You do not want to start your workout doing static stretching, as this could actually induce an injury during your training. You want to add dynamic warm ups to get your blood flowing and to improve your range of motion. The next problem could be a variety of things once flexibility is taken out of the picture. The goal of a squat is to stay tight, keep your chest up, and keep your knees out. If your knees are caving in, this could lead to injury and it will cause the mechanics of the squat to come out of line.
All people have different bone structure and different flexibility limits. An easy way to get more depth in the high bar squat is to invest in weight lifting shoes. Weight lifting shoes are higher in the back of the shoe than in the front, so it acts as if you have something under your heel while lifting weights. This takes out ankle flexibility limits and it could instantly make your squat look great. Many people think that squats have a lot to do with hamstring flexibility, but the main determinant of depth actually comes from your ankle flexibility.
The next type of squat is the low bar squat. People may use the low bar squat to lift more weight, since the barbell is lower on your back, and you won't be squatting straight up and down with it. This means that you are able to "cheat" and use more of your back, rather than squatting straight up and down. The key to the back squat is to squat back, rather than to squat straight down. The mechanics of the low bar squat only allows you to squat to parallel, and if you were to go any lower you would get something called "butt wink," which means that your lower back would start to curve at the bottom of the squat. This could cause many problems and it could actually cause a disc to slip in your back. A way to prevent this is to just squat to parallel, and then come right back up. The cues in the high bar and low bar squat are fairly similar. In the low bar squat, you will want to be sitting back more to keep the barbell over your midfoot/center of gravity. You will still want to keep your core embraced, chest up, and knees out. These cues will give you a perfect squat.
So in conclusion, the problem with your squat could be a variety of things. First, flexibility could be your limiting factor. Try to squat with a small 5 lb plate under your heel, and see if you can get greater depth. If you can, you may want to invest in some powerlifting shoes because flexibility could be your limiting factor and due to your genetics it may never change. Another problem could be that you are simply not performing the movement correctly. This could be because you are trying to squat too low in a low bar squat, or you are trying to sit back in a high bar squat. It is important to research the type of squat you are doing, and make sure to always keep the barbell over your midfoot. You should never have any rounding in your lower back. This could end up resulting in an injury, and this is the one thing that should be avoided at all times. Practice perfecting your form. Make sure to keep your chest up, knees out, head neutral, and weight on your mid foot. If you are able to follow this, soon you will be squatting well over 300 pounds.
Its one thing to have good squat form, it's a completely other thing to look good while squatting. Order a tank top from Everyday Fitness today! You won't regret it, and you'll be able to show off your muscles to everyone at the gym so they know you're not messing around with your squats.
No comments:
Post a Comment