Download Spotlight on: THE BACK SQUAT

Spotlight on: THE BACK SQUAT
Primary muscles: Quadriceps, Gluteus maximus, Hamstrings
Secondary muscles: Hip flexors, Transverse abdominus, Trapezius, Erector spinae
The barbell back squat is widely regarded as the ultimate and essential exercise for
building strength, power and mass throughout the entire body, as well as obviously
focussing on the legs and hips. I cannot emphasise enough just how important this
exercise is, and here I will cover some more advanced tips and techniques to help you get
the most from your squat.
FOOT POSITION – Foot position can vary enormously from one
lifter to the next, mostly influenced by biomechanics and flexibility.
Typically most trainers will squat with feet slightly wider than
shoulder width, with feet facing forward or turned slightly outwards.
This will recruit more quadriceps activation than most other stances.
The next most common stance will be a wide stance, or ‘sumo’
stance. This is usually around 12 inches or more outside shoulder
width, typically with feet turned outwards, in the ’10 to 2’ position. This
position will recruit much more hip involvement, and more of an
element of hamstring use. Many trainers choose this position through
poor flexibility in the hamstrings, as it allows correct depth to be
achieved without hamstring tightness causing the hips to roll
underneath the body at the bottom of the movement. Sumo squat will
also often be preferred by taller lifters, in order to make the range of
movement as short as possible, obviously making the bar travel
shorter, and therefore ‘easier’.
KNEES – A common problem a lot of lifters have when squatting is allowing the knees to
travel forward of the toes, diverting the pressure onto the balls of the feet, rather than
through the heels where it should be. To minimise this it is important to use the hips
correctly, as will be outlined in the next segment. Something else often encountered
regarding squatting form is the knees tendency to move inwards, or less often out, away
from the line of the foot. Generally speaking, the knee should be travelling along the same
line as the foot. If it isn’t the foot position should be adjusted accordingly.
HIPS/GLUTS – To minimise forward knee travel and to ensure the back is in a favourable
position it is important to be using the hips properly. At the top of the movement, before the
lift begins it is preferred to tilt the hips back, creating a neutral, or even concave, spine. To
do this the anterior (front) of the pelvis should be lowered, with the posterior being lifted
and pushed backwards, essentially ‘sticking your bum out’. The movement should then
begin by sitting back into the movement, in order to keep the weight bearing down through
your heels, and to maintain the safest and most efficient form. A lot of people struggle with
this, as they feel unbalanced, as if they were going to fall over backwards. If the bar is
positioned correctly (see below) this shouldn’t be an issue. I find it best to concentrate on
pushing your hips BACKWARDS, rather than lowering them DOWN. The theory being that
if you push your hips back far enough eventually you will bend your knees, thus lowering
yourself and the weight with correct technique.
CORE AND BREATHING – Core is obviously a very important factor in squatting, as it is
effectively the weak link between the weight, and the muscles moving the weight. To
activate the core I recommend taking a large breath at the top of the movement, breathing
into the belly, and using this intra abdominal pressure to press against the muscles
surrounding the core. This should be held until you reach the bottom of the movement, and
then once you begin the concentric (exertion) phase, you should forcefully breathe out,
further contracting the core muscles, aiming to have fully exhaled at the top of the
movement.
BAR POSITION – There are two main bar positions used in the back
squat, known simply as high bar and low bar position. A high bar
position sees the bar resting across the top of the shoulders, over the
base of the neck. I dislike this bar position for a number of reasons.
Firstly the spine is vulnerable in the neck, and having a heavy bar
resting over it could potentially cause damage if the lifter does not
have sufficient muscle mass to protect it. Secondly I believe the higher
bar position will put the lifter in a disadvantageous stance, by having to
remain more upright, making it more difficult to sit back into the lift. For this reason using
padding on the bar to counter the first problem will actually exacerbate the second by
forcing the bar to sit further away from the shoulders.
The low bar position is my favoured choice, as both of the problems
encountered with a high bar position are negated. The low bar sits
further down the back, essentially crossing the widest part of the
rear of the shoulders, resting along the trapezius and the posterior
deltoids. This reduces the pressure on any one part of the body,
and also allows the lifter to lean forward slightly at the waist,
enabling them to activate their hips and sit back into the lift more
efficiently. Unfortunately you do need an element of muscular size
across the upper body in order to locate the bar securely on the
posterior deltoid muscles. Many new or slim lifters struggle with this position, it is however
worth persevering.
HAND POSITION – Hands should generally be just outside shoulder width, grasping the
bar firmly to stop it rolling, and keeping the elbows back, effectively trying to wrap the bar
round the shoulders to the front. If you have poor flexibility you may struggle to keep you
hands this narrow, in which case you should aim to get as close to this as possible. Many
sumo squatters prefer to have their hands out wide, often touching the collars at the end of
the bar. This is to provide a stable balance point by having hands ever so slightly wider
than the feet.
SQUAT DEPTH – This is a contentious issue for a lot of lifters! I have
essentially two standards for achieving correct depth in the squat. The
first is for competitive lifters who have to reach a predetermined depth in
order for the lift to pass, and that depth is that ‘at the lowest portion of the
lift the crease at the top of the quads and hips must be parallel to, or
below the top of the knee’, like this:
This however is not necessarily required for a lot of recreational lifters,
and I recommend a slightly shallower squat. This is to the depth that
the centre of the hip joint and the centre of the knee joint line up
parallel to the floor. Like this:
This will still recruit a massive cross section of muscle mass making
the movement effective, while not completing the final 3 inches of
depth that many lifters find difficult to achieve safely.
I would however go a step further and say that I dislike excessively deep, or
‘ass to grass’ squatting. While I am quite adamant that a squat should be to
a full depth, dropping to the point that your hamstrings are on your heels
should be avoided in my opinion. I believe that the potential pressure on the
knees from over flexion outweighs any potential benefit from recruiting a
marginally larger cross section of muscle than a conventional depth squat.
David Whittington, University of Birmingham
Personal Trainer, Exercise Referral Consultant