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Back Squat: The Staple Lift The back squat is the staple lift in any sports training program. It is a total body lift that requires a strong core to maintain posture, in addition to strong glutes, quads, hamstrings, abductors, and adductors. When done correctly, I believe no other lift can have as dramatic effect on strength, power, and flexibility as the back squat.
Walk into any gym or weight room and you will find most people doing a back squat incorrectly. When done improperly, this leaves the athlete susceptible to lower back and knee injuries that could have been avoided. Even if acute injury doesn’t occur during training, risk of injury in competition is increased due to the muscular imbalances that are developed, as well as the tightness that occurs in the pelvic region which could lead to any number of issues including low back pain and pulled hamstrings. It is especially important for female athletes to mind form due to the fact that they are eight times as likely to sustain a knee injury (ACL tear specifically) than male athletes.
To begin with, you should learn to do a perfect squat while facing a wall with your toes touching the surface of that wall. The squat should be done with your hips as the major mover, while not allowing your knees to float over your toes at all. This is called gliding. If you allow your knees to glide forward, most of the lift will be performed using mainly your quads and the muscles in the lower back. Any number of things may occur in this mechanically unsound position, including patellar tendon strains and tears, meniscus damage, as well as acute damage to the hyperextensors in the lower back.
A significant amount of flexibility in the hips are required to achieve perfect form as explained above, so it is to be noted that a consistent flexibility program should be performed to enhance your ability to squat correctly. The perfect squat at the apex of the lift leaves the trunk at about 30 degrees of flexion, with the knees directly over the ankles. When you begin your ascent, generate force upwards feeling most of the pressure in your heels. It will take lots of practice to find your center of gravity during this movement without weight on your back, so be sure to practice without using weight before using a barbell loaded with plates.
Another sound piece of advice, do not worry about how much you squat, be concerned with how you squat. If you follow this guideline, you are well on your way to making big strides while minimizing the risk of injuries.
In conclusion, if you learn to squat with proper form, you will minimize your risk of getting hurt, both in training and in competition. You will also be well on your way to developing a level of strength and flexibility that will enable you to become faster, more powerful, and ultimately, a better athlete.
Train hard, play harder! |