Squatting tips

[Popatar]

Post them here

[*]Spread the floor with your feet. Push the feet into the ground and spread it apart.
[*]Keep the knees OUT and apart when squatting. This activates the hips more.
[*]The back must be tight, the tighter the better. This allows you to stay upright more.
[*]Look slightly up when squatting, never down.

[racechick79]

Good reminders! I think I have the hardest time sometimes with not looking down. Squats have always been my first exercise after I had my children. They were something I could do in the few spare minutes I had in the shower or even while I was holding the baby. They are amazing exercises and you can do them almost anywhere. I love that I can usually see the results pretty quickly as well!

[shaun]

Good tips. Everyone will squat slightly differently because we all have different biomechanics, but there are some basic guidelines we should all stick to.

[Jeremy Green]

Post them here

[*]Spread the floor with your feet. Push the feet into the ground and spread it apart.
[*]Keep the knees OUT and apart when squatting. This activates the hips more.
[*]The back must be tight, the tighter the better. This allows you to stay upright more.
[*]Look slightly up when squatting, never down.

Thanks for the share! I have been looking for a a step by step process of doing the perfect squat. I will try this out immediately.

[racechick79]

I just had to mention that because I read this post I started doing squats this morning while I was drying my hair! I was blow drying it and thought "oh yeah, I haven't been doing squats lately, I have a few seconds now!" I felt it right away, too - which is great!

[shaun]

How to Squat Down.
You have unracked the bar correctly. All your muscles are tight and ready to Squat. The key to the Squatting correctly with a low bar position are your hips: you must have tension in your hamstrings at the bottom.

Knees Out.
Never allow your knees to buckle in unless you want to injure them. Push your knees out as you Squat down.

Hit Parallel.
Your hip joint must come lower than your knee joint. Ask someone to judge your depth or tape yourself. No Partial Squats.


How to Squat Up.
Your hip muscles will be stretched when in the bottom position if you Squat correctly. Use that stretch to bounce out of the hole. If you Squat this way, you'll be lift a lot more weight while keeping your knees safe.

Push Your Knees Out.
Same as for the way down: don't let your knees buckle in. Push your knees out as you Squat up.

Squeeze Your glutes At The Top.
Power comes from the glutes. Squeeze them hard as you lockout the weight. It will also keep your lower back safe.

Always use free weights for Squats. Machines are not only less effective for muscle and strength gains because they balance the weight for you, they also force you into fixed/unnatural movement patterns. Check Strong Lifts 5x5 for a Squat focused training program that results in fast muscle and strength gains.

I used to squat parallel, but I decided to squat deep about a year ago. It is bad for the ego because you will need to drop your load significantly. I went from lifting 150kg to 70kg, but the deeper squats have taken my leg development to a new level, and it is safer for the knees.

[NauticNeighbors]

Thank you for the tips, but how do you keep your hamstrings from hurting so badly.
Also in most times that I have performed this exercise I have often experienced a weakening of the knees. They tend to wobble and feel all weird. Is this normal?

[Popatar]

Thank you for the tips, but how do you keep your hamstrings from hurting so badly.
Also in most times that I have performed this exercise I have often experienced a weakening of the knees. They tend to wobble and feel all weird. Is this normal?

When does it hurt? While doing the exercise or after. If its during the exercise you might not be flexible enough, you need to stretch everyday until you can get into a deep squat position. Also your knees are wobbling because you have week legs, with time you will get stronger (if you squat) and it will go away.

[dmeagher]

ass to grass is the best if you can do it.

going parallel at least is another tip because sometimes we are tired or have put too much weight on hmm?

Squatting in a power rack that has side hinges up parrallel to your belly button is great for safety reasons and for proper form. You can just make sure you get down far enough so the bar hits the side bars and then time to go up!

[shaun]

ass to grass is the best if you can do it.

going parallel at least is another tip because sometimes we are tired or have put too much weight on hmm?

Squatting in a power rack that has side hinges up parrallel to your belly button is great for safety reasons and for proper form. You can just make sure you get down far enough so the bar hits the side bars and then time to go up!

Ass to grass has taken my leg development to a new level. I also believe it is safer for your knees because stopping at parallel is unnatural and will place even more stress on the knee joint. ATG squats will dent your ego at first, but it is worth it in the long run.