JackedPack Blog - Epic Fitness & Nutrition Tips

The squat is one of the most basic human movements. What does a young child do when it sees something curious on the ground? It effortlessly squats, with both feet flat on the ground, knees wide and its butt close to the ground in order to see what it is. In this position, the young roustabout is both stable, balanced and comfortable. The deep squat (hips below the knees) is a natural resting position that many of us have lost the ability to perform through years of immobility, bad posture and the use of modern furniture. In other cultures, specifically the eastern cultures, squatting is still a resting position of choice in comparison to sitting or standing. It is a fantastic way to take a smoke break or play some board games. 

As an exercise, the squat is a staple in most programs, with the back squat (barbell across the back and shoulders) being the most common form for those training for strength, power and hypertrophy. “Ass to Grass!” is common jargon thrown around to motivate fellow fitness enthusiasts to squat deeper. One of the most common problems people face when trying to squat, whether the weight is loaded in the front, high or low on the back, or no weight at all, is the lower back rounds as the hips move closer to the ground. Now, if you’ve ever had someone watch your form while you squat, you know that the simple command, “Stop rounding your back” is as worthless as a trapdoor in a canoe. While sometimes your form is the issue (and working on form is always beneficial) one of the main reasons your back rounds has nothing to do with the bar on your back. Simply put, you lack the mobility and flexibility to perform a deep squat properly. Most importantly, you are not using your hips as they were designed to function.

Here is a list of possible mobility and flexibility issues causing your lower back to round during squats:

· Tight Hamstrings 

· Tight and Shortened Hip Flexors, causing poor hip mobility 

· Tight Latissimus Dorsi 

· Tight Psoas 

Well...wow... that is a lot of reasons. BUT WAIT! The good news is that you can conquer many of these problems at the same time through a series of stretches, movements and self-myofacial release (see article on foam rolling HERE). However, if you are serious about fixing your squat, giving mobility and flexibility the attention it needs is key. You must know that you will not be able to fix this in one day and that you must dedicate the time (even on your off days) to stretch and move around. 

BASIC STRETCHES (screen shots from the wonderful iMUSCLE application)

Here is a fantastic video by California Strength (www.californiastrength.com) highlighting some great movements for lower body flexibility for weightlifting. 

#1 – Foam Roll IT Band – Start just below your hip and roll up & down to your mid-(outer) thigh 10-15X, focusing on any tight spots. Then perform 10-15 “rolls” starting at your mid-(outer) thigh and rolling all the way down to the outside of your knee. Again, focus on the tight areas.

#2 – Foam Roll Adductors – Start just below the crease of your hip and roll up & down to your mid (inner) thigh 10-15X, focusing on any tight spots. Then perform 10-15 “rolls” starting at your mid-(inner) thigh and rolling down to the inside of your knee. Again, focus on the tight spots.

#3 – Glute/Piriformis Myofacial release w/ static stretch

 

#4 – *Rollovers into “V” sits – Perform 10 reps

#5 - *Fire hydrant circles – 10 forward circles/10 backward circles each leg

#6 - *Mountain climbers – 20 reps

#7 - *Groiners – Perform 10 reps. Hold last rep for 10 seconds…push knees out with your upper arms while dropping your butt down.

*The video below demonstrates exercises 4-7. Make sure you really focus on achieving a big range of motion with all these exercises. Don’t just go through the motions!

#8 – Static hip flexor stretch – Perform 3 sets of 10 seconds each leg. Perform all 3 sets on one leg before moving onto the other leg.





Down the road we will cover other issues outside of mobility/flexibility that will cause poor squat form. These include but are not limited to: