This is a debate that has raged among fitness professionals
and keen gym goers for many years.
Now a number of people will tell you that if you don't go
below parallel then you're not squatting correctly.
Here's where I have a problem with that advice.
1. They never quantify what they mean by parallel is it the
top or bottom of the thigh?
2. They do so with out looking at the individual and what
that individual can do.
This is the more important of the two and the part which I
am going to discuss further.
I mean if someone cannot squat down to parallel is it
because they are not strong enough or because they lack
flexibility in certain areas?
In fact both cases can be true.
Increasing the strength levels will allow the body to
recruit more nerves and more muscle fibres which will
indeed allow for greater depth to be reached.
The more important one to look at though is the flexibility
needed to perform a deep squat and where and why people
find it hard to do.
In order to complete a deep squat you need to have a number
of areas of the body with good flexibility.
If any one point in the body is unable to give enough
flexibility to the movement then the movement should be
compromised in depth and range.
For instance if the muscles in the calf that cross the
ankle are tight then the correct amount of movement around
the foot and shin will not be possible and the body will
have to compensate by rounding the lower back in order to
still complete the specified movement range.
To my mind this is ridiculous, the last thing you want to
be doing with a big heavy load on your back is rounding out
the lower back.
What happens here is the discs of the spine are put under
an enormous amount of stretch and pressure (not in a good
way) that generally leads to injury.
At best you may well just tweak the ligaments in the worst
cases you may well damage the disc so badly that you are
unable to perform daily tasks such as walking, sitting,
standing and climbing stairs.
I remember watching a programme on the BBC about the UK
wheelchair basketball team's training in readiness for the
Athens Olympics.
One of the featured players was in fact almost a
professional basketball player for real.
Unfortunately he explained in the show that he was
squatting in the gym one day and had an accident whilst
squatting with a heavy weight and going into a 'deep' squat.
The resultant spinal injury left him unable to pursue his
career as an able bodied basketball star and meant he had
to convert to wheelchair basketball as he could not run or
jump any longer.
I have put together a YouTube video showing you how to
complete the squat with the ideal alignment for the knees,
low back and many other key points.
You'll find it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbxxs1PErLQ
I have had quite a few emails commending me and others
telling me I don't know jack about squatting as the video
shows a far from perfect and in fact 'shallow' squat.
The video depicts a friend of mine who has had
reconstructive surgery on both knees (twice on the left)
and has a plate in his ankle from a fracture dislocation
(which basically means his foot was facing the wrong way -
pointing backwards).
He is a professional rugby player and someone who is
incredibly strong and powerful for his size. He is unable
to go the 'full' depth because of the above mentioned
reconstructive surgery.
The problem as I mentioned at the start is the inexperience
or misunderstanding of many trainers and gym goers that
unless you are squatting fully you aren't squatting at all.
If he was to squat to a deep position he would actually
lose his low back position putting him at a greater risk of
injury. At least this way he gets to squat and still play
sport at a professional level, unlike the poor basketball
player.
The take home message is this.
You should only squat to a depth where you can maintain
ideal alignment. Any deeper will lead to stresses being
placed upon the weakest and potentially most injurious of
places. This may lower your level of sport performance or
curtail it completely.
Finally, ignore anyone who tells you are not squatting
correctly if they can't help you pin point where your
weakness or lack of flexibility is coming from.
----------------------------------------------------
Alex Poole is the owner of a sports conditioning and rehab
centre in the UK. He has worked with many athletes in a
wide variety of sports from snow boarding to athletics. He
also helps individuals get big, strong and ripped with his
specific technique training for maximal muscle recruitment.
More information on his technique coaching can be found at
http://www.weighttrainingtechnique.com
No comments:
Post a Comment