Sticking with our theme for the next couple of weeks with our exercise videos, I’m going to take some time right now to go over a couple of extra squat tips and tricks that may help improve your mobility, flexibility, and overall strength all at the same time!
If you read any fitness magazine out there, chances are somewhere throughout those pages, they comment on how deep your squat should be. Most places always say “the deeper the better”, but my first question is always “better for who?”. You need to realize that those articles are written with EVERYONE in mind, which as a result, ends up being helpful for NO ONE! Our structural make up varies with every individual and the amount of motion that you have available to you at this given time is going to be different from every other person around you. So to brush everyone with the same stroke seems counter productive, especially when you are trying to improve on YOUR strength, not Joe Smith down the street.
There are a multitude of ways to set up a squat to ensure that it is the most effective way to execute that exercise for you. You need to take into consideration leg length (and that includes separating the femur length from the tibia length) as well as torso length and how you are loading a squat. Ankle motion (dorsiflexion/plantarflexion) needs to be taken into account to ensure proper mobility at that point which could alter the entire squat, just from your feet. These are all considerations that need to be taken into account PRIOR to performing your squat.
If all of this is sounding like jibberish to you, then give us a call and we can help break down the best way to go about this exercise for you. And if you are interested in doing some research on your own time, I’d highly recommend watching this video by Tom Purvis who breaks down the mechanics of a squat.
Make sure to stay tuned for the next couple of weeks as we break down this movement more!
