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How to Squat
On a completely unrelated thread, a reader asked this question:
I, like many others, have been taught similar squatting techniques as outlined in your book. However, I was given an article recently by a personal trainer who has CHEK qualifications like Alywn. It advocates going through the full range of motion (i.e. letting your hamstrings touch your calf musles) when squatting. The article, called "How to perform a squat", can be found here. I would be very interested in your views on the article.
I downloaded the article, and it's clear the author, Tony Boutagy, has a different view of squat technique. Here's how he says you should start your descent:
The knees first move directly forward as far as possible. After the knee initiates the movement, the hips lower down as low as flexibility allows.
As I wrote in NROL, if you see an inexperienced lifter in the gym trying to teach himself to squat, you'll often see that knees-first movement. Almost inevitably, the lifter's heels will come up off the floor.
So I've been standing here in my office trying to squat with that knees-first technique, and I'll concede this point: I'm able to get lower with my feet closer together than I can with my usual hips-first squat. I much prefer to use the wider stance and start the movement with my hips, or with simultaneous hip and knee movement, but that's probably because I've been doing it that way as long I've been squatting.
Is there some potential to presenting the squat as a knees-first exercise? Maybe. My instinct is that it would be a lot harder for people to learn the squat without coaching if they saw it described with the knees-first action. But it's not really an easy exercise to master without coaching, no matter how you describe it.
I disagree with some of his other points, and find this argument absolutely absurd:
I have yet to see an obstetrician treat the newly born baby for patellofemoral pain on birth, which, according to some, should happen given that humans spend the first few months from conception living in a deep squat position in their mother’s womb!
That's because babies don't have bony kneecaps. The cartilage hardens into adult-type kneecaps around age three. What infants and toddlers can do is completely different from what adults can do.
And, honestly, I don't see the point of making arguments like this:
The way I see it, if a trainee cannot perform a full squat, they are considered to be in the rehabilitative stage of training. This is because a full squat that is performed correctly indicates structural muscular balance in the lower limbs and sufficient flexibility of the ankles, knees and hips. If a trainee cannot perform a full squat with correct technique, specific flexibility and special exercises, such as split squats and step up variations, will be recommended to address the imbalances that prevent the client from full squatting.
If I've accomplished anything in my dual career as a journalist and fitness professional, I hope I've encouraged nuance in our conversations about training. Nothing is black and white. There's no such thing as one perfect technique that everyone should either master ... or go into perpetual remedial training as a punishment for not being able to master that particular technique.
When people start taking training seriously, they want to do the serious exercises. As fitness professionals, we can't just say to them, "Sorry, but you're not good enough to hang with us Kool Kids over here at the squat rack. Go back to the machines."
Some guys, even elite athletes, will never get the hang of back squats with the full range of motion, as Mike Boyle has argued. His solution is to have them do front squats instead.
I'm not trying to start an argument here so much as remind everyone that absolutes are counterproductive in any area, perhaps especially in the fitness industry. As Alwyn Cosgrove and others have said, when hardly anyone squats to begin with, do we really need to fight over things like this?
The Rundown
Lou Schuler is an award-winning fitness journalist and author. He began this weblog on menshealth.com in September 2003. If, for any reason, you need to know more about this middle-aged, bald-headed man, click here.
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Comments For This Entry
Posted by Liz N at 03:32AM on April 14, 2009
Tony Boutagy doesn't make any sense to me. How would doing split squats and step ups "correct" imbalances? Sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing!
Posted by jamie hale at 03:42AM on May 24, 2009
As Lou mentioned there are many variations to squatting including olympic squats, power squats, zercher squats, overhead squats and so on. Performing different types of squats involve different neuromuscular patterns, stresses muscles differently, require different levels of flexibility and pliability. Perform squats that you like and maybe alter from time to time alter movement patterns. There is no magic exercise or 100% correct way to perform a movement. If you are progressively increasing load and total work and not getting injured in the process you are probably doing ok. On another note you don't have to squat there are many leg, hip and lower back exercises that can be performed.
Posted by Name Polla van Blommenstein at 12:26AM on June 18, 2009
Hi.
I am 59 years old, went to a local gym the past 4 years a minimum of three times a week. During this period I did no squats or lunges, but leg curls and leg presses instead, as was recommended by my gym. Reading your book I decided to try your programs, starting with the Break-in work-out. Because it was my first squats I started of with 2 x 10kg and a bar weighting 7kg. For the lunges I used only the 7kg bar. The dumbbell row with a 7.5kg dumbbell. The push-ups and crunches and than the stationary bike. This was on Monday the 15th. I woke up the Tuesday morning with a muscle stiffness and pain, especially the quadriceps unknown to me, I could hardly walk! In fact, I was unable to perform work-out B on Wednesday and hopefully I will be ready to try it on Friday. Is this normal, or am I doing something wrong?
Best regards
Polla van Blommenstein
South Africa
Posted by Lou Schuler at 04:57AM on June 18, 2009
Hi Polla,
If you've never squatted before at age 59, I could see how you'd accumulate a lot of post-workout soreness. (The official name for it is DOMS -- delayed-onset muscle soreness.)
When you say 2 x 10 kg, I assume you mean a 10 kg plate on each side of the bar? With the bar, that's about 60 pounds total. That's a lot of weight for your first go with squats.
In the original NROL book, I wrote about how I started doing squats in my mid to late 30s with just the 45-pound bar (20 kg). I probably weighed 180 pounds/82 kg back then. That's how I learned the exercise.
So I appreciate your willingness to push yourself right from the first workout. But I can't say I'm surprised to hear you got sore from that one.
I remember a story a personal trainer told me about working with a client early in her career. She had him doing squats and other serious lower-body exercises that first workout, and thought she'd done a great job training him. Then she learned that the poor guy was so sore the next day that he couldn't walk down a flight of stairs. It's one of those live-and-learn things.
The cool thing about DOMS is that it only hits you once per exercise or type of training. You'll never be that sore from squats again, unless you stop doing them altogether and then try again months or years later.
Good luck with the rest of the program!
Posted by Jane Anderson at 01:19AM on June 26, 2009
when i read the title, i wonder what the squat was all about, and as beyond reading i realised that it is a part of exercise.
Posted by Franck Rencontre at 01:51AM on July 10, 2009
If different trainers have different opinions about how to do this then which one is the right one?
Posted by Marta Solteros at 11:28PM on July 14, 2009
Ey! great blog!
The wonderful things about sports and trainers is that there are differents opinions. Of course in the main idea they are mostly agree, but just happend sometime we can do something in two different ways, so simply.
Posted by Annette Relation at 03:13AM on July 17, 2009
Ok, I have trainer and he told me completely different advices for the squat , it's kind of confusing!
Posted by Marina Kamen aka MARINA at 06:58AM on July 17, 2009
I do my squats every other day. Great exercise I must say.
I write music for fitness and I wrote this one specifically for my Squat routine. enjoy...
http://www.marinaonline.com/BlogMP3/120-BPM-Squat!.mp3
Never Stop Movin'!
M
Posted by James Reno at 10:34AM on July 18, 2009
I am into increasing my vertical leap. Does anyone here squatting have similar persuits? If so, what type of squatting, sets, reps, etc. do you do and how have your results been? Thank You.
To Your Health!
James Reno (editor)
Raw-Food-Repair.com
Posted by Ben kredyt hipoteczny at 07:02AM on July 27, 2009
I had two trainers in the last couple of years and they gave me different advices on doing squatts. But for me both techniques were good. So maybe you have to find a technique that is right for you.
Posted by mike at 10:11AM on August 03, 2009
I used to be a trainer back in college. I like your perspective on this. It is really up to the individual on how to do squats.
Had some injury/surgery and back on the block.
I cannot move my upper body(hip) and legs more then 90 degrees.
Think..
chest
L Legs and that is it.
Any thoughts on doing this safely?
Posted by Lou Schuler at 11:34AM on August 13, 2009
Mike, I wouldn't try to do squats with that much of a limitation on your range of motion.
If your cleared to train by your doc, I think it makes more sense to do split-stance exercises like step-ups, lunges, split squats, and whatever variations you can do without discomfort.
The split stance gives your lower torso a broader base of support, and allows you to work your lower body without having to go beyond 90 degrees of hip flexion. You'll have to modify your form on split squats and lunges to avoid going past 90 degrees, but you can still get a serious workout.
I'm not a doctor and don't pretend to give medical advice, but I hope you'll avoid the leg press. You could limit the range of motion to avoid going past 90 degrees, but at some point you'll be tempted to push yourself, and that's a tough place to put an injured back.
Good luck!
Posted by Cognitive Supplement at 03:15PM on August 16, 2009
Squatting should be an integral part to any proper lifting regimen. It is a compound exercise, which means it engages many different muscle groups of the body. It is an awesome exercise that promotes a great amount of neuromuscular response.
Secondly, about the article you reviewed. Great job on questioning what Mr. Boutagy had to say about the squat. I've never heard of starting the squat knees first. That's not to say there isn't more than way to to "skin a kitty" per say, but it seems to me its a completely unsafe way to being the squatting movement--especially with heavy weight.
For those interested in learning an awesome squat technique, search about Mark Ripptoe on google. There are some excellent technique videos posted on Youtube, which are lead by him as well.
Posted by Thomas Le Célibataire at 05:42AM on October 23, 2009
Hey, I read the article, too. Can only agree with your thoughts. Thomas
Posted by rencontre squatter at 09:01AM on November 27, 2009
I agree that the newly born baby argument is quite irrelevant. Not only do babies lack bony kneecaps, but the foetal position doesn't really require any strong exercise such as lifting the full weight of a body on one's sole legs. Besides, I'm not sure that the foetal position is even close to squatting.
Anyway, just my two cents...
Posted by Squat Training at 06:54PM on January 30, 2010
It really is a shame at the lack of knowledge when it comes to the squat. Most people simply just don't know SQUAT! (haha) I've seen lifters wrap their knees, wear a belt, and then quarter squat (yes, 1/4 of the way down) 500+ and then claim they 'squat' 500+ ... sickening!
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