One thing I get asked over and over again is... "<em>How can I improve my squat</em>?". I get asked how to squat ass to grass (A2G), or depending on where you are from "arse to grass". I get asked about squat mechanics and so much more. I think I get asked about the squat a lot for a few reasons... If you follow me on instagram you will KNOW how much I love the squat and am always talking about it, but really because a lot of people use it as their standard measure of movement.

So I thought I would put together a video series to help you, and if you are a personal trainer, to help you help your clients achieve a better squat.

So take a few minutes today to watch part 1..... Just click the play button now... (if you can't watch for whatever reason, then you can read the post below the video...

https://youtu.be/juSK5KxCEbg

With the day to day routines that we put our bodies through majorly affect our mechanics.... sat at desk bent over a computer, texting all day on the phone, causes our body to compensate. So first up we have to find out where the limitations in your, or your clients, body are.

So how do you know if its just simply bad technique or a limitation within the muscular system, skeletal system or your neural system? Watch the video and find out.
<h3>Can't Watch The Video... Read On</h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">You squat right?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">I KNOW you squat and do you know how I know?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Each time to sit and stand you squat (and yes that includes when you poop! see squatty potty <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbYWhdLO43Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HERE</a> for evidence of this) </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Squatting is a fundamental combination of human movements that contribute to your lower body function and yet still THE most common question I get asked is;</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“What’s the best way to squat?”</span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Now I also KNOW that you have seen others squatting, chances are you even asked your client to squat and while watching them you thought; </span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Heck that looks really awkward, what on earth is causing them to squat like that?”</span></i>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Could it be their tight calves? hey no actually it looks like it is their tight pelvis, oh wait a minute maybe it is their stiff spine….?”</span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">I KNOW you KNOW what I am talking about and it is damned frustrating isn’t it? Especially when you can’t work out what’s limiting them, right?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">In my opinion if we try to improve our squatting technique this crosses over into so many other movements this single focus can have a huge impact on our entire movement profile - it certainly did for me!</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Having studied the squat for several years and being a real geek when it comes to the squat due to its impact on my own training I wanted to share some of my thoughts and attempt to help you answer some of those squat questions you have been sending me.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">However, as with my previous squat research (initiated by a nasty trolling experience but which resulted in a 6 piece article) this ‘discussion’ will take more than one blog/video tutorial to cover all of the things we should consider when looking to improve our squatting technique.</span>

<b>Goal Clarity &amp; Context</b>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the fundamental errors when discussing squatting in our industry is </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">context</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">So let me clarify this first:</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Consider your goal first, with absolute clarity asking yourself;</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Why do I want to squat? </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Do I want to perform a specific task?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Is it because I have been told I need to be able to squat?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Do I want to grow my leg muscles?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Do I want more lower body stability?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Do I want to become a competitive powerlifter?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Am I just seeking improved movement?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Has my present squat highlighted some movement limitations?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Once you have decided upon your goal make sure you keep that in focus every time you are choosing which type of squat to practice, whether you will need a load and if so what the load will be and also where will you hold it?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">There are so many variations of the squat and they often have interesting names too, however, I will always endeavour to clarify the type of squat movement to maintain context for relevance to any points being made. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Let me give you an example of 2 quite different squat goals….</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">A 50 year old who wishes to simply maintain and/or improve their present movement ability.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">A 23 year old amateur competitive powerlifter </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Both completely different goals, therefore, different squatting programmes are required, even though there are possibly some crossover points within their training. </span>

<b>Technique or Compensation? Assessing The Issues In Your Squat</b>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Another BIG topic for us to discuss will be about extrinsic v’s intrinsic biomechanics or simply put, what we can see and what we can’t see.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">As we watch our clients squatting what we see is </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">extrinsic</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and while we are experts at coaching great movement using what we see, very often clients can still struggle. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">What we need to attempt to identify is whether they have any </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">intrinsic</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> compensation that no amount of coaching can settle however by adding some simple moves to their warm up can potentially be easily improved. </span>

<b>Setting A Benchmark For Your Squat</b>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">So I have created a short video to kick things off and set up your squat </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">BENCHMARK</span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">We can reproduce your benchmark over the series of tutorials to monitor your squat &amp; I will introduce you to some great apps to allow you to see your first &amp; final photo alongside each other to see just how much you improve along the way.</span>

<b>Questions Please!?</b>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">So I need your questions to enable me to address issues YOU wish to discuss rather than what I THINK you wish to discuss!</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Send your No.1 Squat question to </span><a href="mailto:rachel@biomechanicseducation.com"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rachel@biomechanicseducation.com</span></a>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Feel free to share your photos / videos so we can do this together &amp; I can guide YOU more effectively.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Here are some examples of benchmarks sent in so far...</span>

<b><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-7527" src="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Biomechanics-Coaching-How-To-Squat-Ass-To-Grass-Project-Squat-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="1024" /></b>

<b>Safety Is Paramount</b>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Never forget to never compromise safety for ROM! This will also be highlighted throughout.</span>
<h3>Subscribe To The Biomechanics Education YouTube Channel For More</h3>
Stay tuned for the next few videos which are going to guide you through the steps to getting a better squat. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCONlszVeKpExJctWwa9sjUQ?sub_confirmation=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Make sure you subscribe to the Biomechanics Education youtube channel, just click here to do that!</a>

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