Squat
Squat exercise technique:
Stand up, with your feet hip-width apart, you will make sure that the toes are in a V-shape (to protect your knees).
The back straight or slightly arched, the bar placed on the trapezoids, the shoulder blades tightened. Start of the vertical station movement, you will perform a triple flexion of the ankles-knees-hips. To make it more colorful, imagine that you want to sit on a chair.
For the light sets, breathe in for the first quarter of the descent, block the breath for the rest of it and the first quarter of the climb, and breathe out for the rest of it. For the heavy sets, we breathe in at the top and block the breath throughout the descent.
We talk about a full squat when the hamstrings make contact with the calves and a parallel squat when the femur is parallel to the ground at the bottom of the movement.
Weightlifters and powerlifters use specific shoes, with a rigid sole and a fairly thick heel, to have better balance in the low position and to avoid wasting energy in a cushioning sole.
When the loads become heavy, it is recommended to wear a strength belt.
Muscles worked:
Main: quadriceps, glutes, adductors
Secondary: hamstrings, calves, lumbar, abdominals
Interests:
Depending on the body type, there are differences from one individual to another and therefore the leverage and range of motion are too: the work intensity of the different muscle masses involved can vary. The squat is a fantastic exercise for building the thighs and works particularly well with smaller builds. It is also widely used in physical preparation. Unfortunately, the taller you are, the greater the overhang at the bottom of the movement and the more the effort is transferred to the gluteus maximus, hamstrings and lower back.
Variants:
A foot spacing greater than shoulder width puts a little more emphasis on the adductor magnus. If the feet are wide apart, it is called a sumo squat.
Placing the feet at 11:05 a.m. instead of 10:10 a.m. puts a little more emphasis on the vastus lateralis of the quadriceps, but it is more likely to round the back for the same range of motion.
This weightlifting exercise requires a full movement, high bar (on the trapezius, just below the neck). Due to the center of gravity, the thigh flexion occurs mechanically with the back more vertical, which emphasizes the work of the quadriceps and decreases that of the erector spine. The full flexion position, facilitated by the use of specific heel shoes, accentuates the work of the gluteus maximus. Keep the thighs under tension even at the bottom of the movement and don’t bounce off your calves.
This powerlifting exercise is just below the Low Barre parallel (on the middle trapezius and posterior deltoids). Due to the center of gravity, the thigh flexion is initiated by the hips moving backwards and done mechanically with the back leaning forward enough, which emphasizes the work of the hamstrings and spinal erectors.
High bar, using flats and placing a wedge under the heels, you find yourself in a bit of the same setup as a weightlifter squat.
The partial or quarter squat is performed with a movement varying in amplitude from flexing a few degrees to parallel. It is used in physical preparation for athletics, by strong men, or occasionally by power athletes.
The squat can be performed on a Smith machine, with the feet very far forward so as not to put too much strain on the knee joint. Dorian Yates found the Smith machine squat to work better than the barbell squat for strengthening his thighs. In physical preparation or power training, of course, the Smith machine squat is of no use.
Danger / contraindications:
As great as the squat is, it is a risky exercise for the back and remember we only have one, which should last us a lifetime.
It is important not to round the lower back at the bottom of the descent, otherwise you risk a herniated disc over time or during maximum effort.
Depending on the flexibility of your ankles and hamstrings and your body type (“too” long femur), you may need to limit the range of motion to meet this condition.
On the knees, experts are divided: some say that the full squat is safer, others that it damages the knees … In some weightlifting rooms, it is even forbidden to do the parallel squat! Conversely, in other rooms we are not allowed to do a full squat!
Since clearly the more complete the flexion, the more likely you are to round your back, we recommend that you never do a full squat and stick to the parallel squat. The full squat should be reserved for weightlifters or for physical preparation, under the watchful eye of a personal trainer.
The squat can be performed on a Smith machine, with the feet very far forward so as not to put too much strain on the knee joint. Dorian Yates found the Smith machine squat to work better than the barbell squat for strengthening his thighs. In physical preparation or power training, of course, the Smith machine squat is of no use.
