🌱 My Squat Technique was POOR

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

MY SQUAT TECHNIQUE WAS POOR

382 words | 1 min 22 sec read

Hey Team, Dan here…

I was Coaching one of our Members through a Back Squat on Monday night…

When Coaching I will often use my own personal experiences to explain how NOT to do things - to avoid the pitfalls that I fell victim to once upon a time.

The member I was talking to has the 30 Day Goal of Back Squatting 45kg for 4 Sets of 6 Reps.

This is a great goal - it followed our SMART Goal Setting Framework…

BUT, I warned her not to sacrifice her technique and movement integrity for the sake of adding weight onto the bar.

I have made this mistake, so you don’t have to.

Lets go back to 2022…

SQUAT EXAMPLE #1 - POOR SQUAT (TOO MUCH LOAD (100kg))

In the image above I thought I was squatting deep enough - I wasn’t. I thought that because I was doing sets of 5 that it needed to be really heavy weight..

It does, but the weight on the bar shouldn’t be so heavy that it compromises range of motion (depth) or technique.

Because I failed to put my ego to one side, my Squat:

• Lacked Full Range of Motion (Closing of the knee joint)

• Had an arch in my lower back (places stress on pelvis)

It was no surprise that I ended up with back pain after running this programme for a few months - I was doing more harm than good…

SQUAT EXAMPLE #2 - BETTER SQUAT (FULL RANGE OF MOTION)

Fast forward 12-18 months.

Can you see a difference in Squat technique?

The weight is the same, but my depth is much lower - my hips are below my knees.

this allows me to maximally stretch and grow my quadriceps!

I look much more comfortable in deeper squat positions - which takes time and practice…

I learned my lesson and left my ego at the door.

TAKEAWAYS

When learning a new movement, take your time in progressing weight. Use regressions and build strength slowly. Don’t rush into adding weight to an exercise, the only thing you’ll run into is injury and a bruised ego.

If you want a progressive step by step guide to the best Back Squat for you and your body CLICK HERE

🌱 - Dan