Improving Your Squat From the Ground Up
Author: Dr. Lowell Greib MSc ND CISSN
The beloved back squat should be a foundational movement in virtually every strength and conditioning program. This multi-joint, compound movement, is an excellent training exercise that can be utilized in strength and power programming for athletes involved with almost any sport. A generalized misconception is that there is one ‘proper’ way to perform a squat and, as such, cookie cutter programming is often utilized for all athletes. If such were the case, each and every person would have similar mechanics and movement patterns. When looking around the gym, it becomes apparent that there are many variants in human structure. There are narrow stance squatters and wide stance squatters, some with a parallel stance and some with an open stance. What is consistent is that there are fundamental biomechanics that should be adhered to in the squat to help ensure that the targeted musculature is being utilized and that you are avoiding overload on tissue and structure that are susceptible to injury.
In working on squat biomechanics, each joint that is loaded (or potentially loaded) need to have special consideration: ankles, knees, hips and lower back.
The focus of this particular article is on ankle mechanics and mechanisms that can be implemented to ensure appropriate movement to decrease the risk of injury and improve squat biomechanics.
The most obvious ankle movement in the squat is dorsiflexion (the ability to point toes to the ceiling). As weight is lowered during the concentric phase of the squat it is essential to have the ability to allow the ankle to move into loaded dorsiflexion as the tibia translates forward over the forefoot. If the ankle does not have the range of motion to allow for loaded dorsiflexion, there is a tendency for several compensatory movements to occur, all of which are ‘no no’s’ in squat biomechanics. The first is a heel lift. A solid base to support your weight (and the bar) is essential to reduce compensatory stability movements which could lead to injury. Another compensatory movement is pronation of the feet which translates up the biomechanical chain and causes internal hip rotation and hip abduction causing a valgus collapse of the knee. The knee joint is a simple hinge joint that is not designed to take a lot of valgus (or varus) strain. As such, there is an increased propensity to knee injury should ankle mobility be restricted. Further, with decreased ankle dorsiflexion, there is increased forward lean in the deepest portion of the squat which can, in turn, compromise the lower back when lower back extension is lost.
Restrictions in ankle range of motion can be a result of tight lower leg musculature which could include the soleus, posterior tibilais, flexor hallicus longis, flexor digitorum long and anterior tibilais. The following three exercises can improve range of motion by decreasing the tightness in muscles of the lower limb that influence ankle mobility.
- Unloaded Goblet Squat - Position in a sumo stance and place your palm of your hands together at chest level. Enter a deep squat and place your elbows on the inside of each of your quad (vastus medialis). If positioned properly your forearms should be almost parallel to the floor. Hold the position for at least 20 seconds.
- Modified Calf Stretch - Place your toes of one foot on a wall with your heel on floor. Toes should be in extension. While keeping your foot angled up the wall, move your knee cap toward the wall aiming over your 2nd toe. The heel should NOT come off the floor. Hold the position for at least 20 seconds on both legs.
- Unilateral Eccentric Heel Lowering - Standing on the ball of one foot on the edge of a step with the foot parallel to the floor, slowly lower the heel to end of range. Slide the foot from the end of range to the step below it as to not go back into plantar flexion. Doing this movement for 1 minute will be helpful to improve functional mobility. Repeat with the other foot.
With the inclusion of these three mobility exercises, you will improve foot mobilization into dorsiflexion and ultimately decrease biomechanical compensation in your squat. This will not only lead to better squat biomechanics but also decrease your propensity to injury.
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New Year, New Diet? Why you need to rethink your approach to your Resolution
The New Year is easily the most popular time for people to take on a new diet. The question is, which diet do you choose? They all sound so promising! Your cousin Cathy lost 20 pounds on the Keto Diet. Your neighbour swears that going gluten free helped her to shed the last 15 pounds. What about good old Weight Watcher’s? There are so many options, how are you to know which diet will work best for you? The answer is; you don’t know. But what I can tell you is they will all work if you follow them, consistently. But, there’s always a “but” isn’t there, it doesn’t matter which diet you choose it has to be realistic, sustainable and flexible for you to maintain results in the long term. Sorry, there is no quick fix, there is not an easily solution, no fairy dust here; but it doesn’t have to be hard either. You must be honest with yourself about what lifestyle changes you can maintain for a long period of time.
This doesn’t sound like rocket science, but this is the biggest hurdle most people face when it comes to weight loss. I’ve seen countless clients over the last 12 years as Registered Dietitian do the same thing. They take on a new diet that’s popular in the media, and they tackle it full throttle for a few weeks or months. They have great success! But then they hit a roadblock; it may be a financial road block (Ideal Protein anyone? So expensive!). It could be a mental roadblock like they realize they want to eat bread at some point in the future and gosh, that won’t put them into ketosis. It may be a physical roadblock such as hitting a plateau with weight loss despite still following their diet to the tee but now what do they do?
No matter how many carbs you cut out, no matter the amount of gluten-free whatever you eat or how few points you have to count; a diet must be realistic, sustainable and flexible. You need to be realistic about your goals. If you haven’t weighed 120 pounds in the last 20 years odds are that’s not a realistic goal for you. Set small goals first, like five pounds, and build on those small successes. Your lifestyle changes need to be sustainable. For example, instead of saying you’ll never drink again, why not make a goal to limit your alcoholic drinks to no more than one a week? Or just one drink at special events like weddings or birthdays. You have to find a way of eating that promotes flexibility. Allowing yourself to enjoy an ounce of chocolate once a day versus binging on a tub of chocolate ice cream while watching Grey’s Anatomy (it happens to the best of us) is much more conducive to weight loss or management.
Be honest with yourself. You must be able to live this way for the rest of your life. I don’t know about you, but the idea of never eating potatoes again, or (the horror) a donut, does not sit well with me. When we overly restrict ourselves, or label foods as “good” and “bad” we automatically set ourselves up for failure. When we cut out foods to the point where we’re no longer enjoying what we’re eating or spending exorbitant amounts of money on a diet it can’t be sustainable. It just can’t.
Red flags come flying at me when I hear a client say, “I can’t eat that” or something really crazy like “I don’t eat bread because, you know, it’s fattening”. Huh? All foods can fit. Unless you have an allergy or diagnosed intolerance, repeat after me: all foods can fit! All foods should be enjoyed, within moderation, and savoured with great abandon because this is life and yes you have goals, but you also have to live, and you want all your hard work to last. Your weight loss journey and your diet need to encourage you to eat foods you enjoy and allow you to reach and maintain your goals; now and five or 10 years from now. Be realistic, make sustainable changes that allow flexibility...and chocolate, there needs to be room for chocolate.
Author: Breena, Registered Dietitian