Learning to Squat by John Grace
[This is a guest blog by one of our Athletic Interns, John Grace]
I recently read an article by Loren Chiu and Eric Burkhardt on squatting technique and a proper progression to optimize technique, “A Teaching Progression for Squatting Exercises”. It was a great read and I’d like to share the main points to the article.
Squatting is one of the most fundamental, most used, exercises among strength and conditioning programs. One reason is because your lower body is the powerhouse. The lower body has more potential to produce a much greater power output in comparison to the upper body. Secondly, there are numerous variations of squatting to incorporate into one’s program that can target slightly different muscle groups. We will take a look into one less common squat, the plate squat, which is aimed at perfecting form and technique, and should precede the overhead squat, the front squat, and the back squat.
The plate squat is performed by taking a 10kg bumper plate, placing one end on the middle of the trainees head and the other end grasped by their hands, keeping the humorous parallel to the ground. While descending into the squat, you want to maintain the parallelism between the humorous and ground at all times. You may place a volleyball or other lightweight ball on the bumper plate to indicate if the plate has dropped forward or below parallel. If the plate does drop below parallel, “it is indicative of excessive forward trunk inclination and/or spinal flexion” At the bottom portion, the trainee should have the weight distributed between the heel and the forefoot, the torso upright, the back flat, and knees should end slightly ahead of the toes.
Having the correct equipment is a must with any squat attempt. Bumper plates offer safety benefits that iron plates found in traditional gyms can’t give you. With bumper plates you have a major advantage training with heavy loads because you can simply “dump” the weight if you cannot perform another rep without damaging equipment, the facility, or putting spotters in danger. Getting rid of some major tonnage from overhead or on your back might be intimidating to some, but if performed correctly, can save you from some major injuries. With the overhead squat, you can simply dump the weight in front or behind you. The front squat will allow you to push the weight out in front of you while jumping your body back to avoid injury. While the back squat can be the most difficult, you also can thrust the weight overhead and dump it in front while jumping back or can push the weight off the back while jumping forward.
The article then went into discussion on the overhead squat, the front squat, and back squat, in that particular order. The authors thought this progression would be the most efficient way of teaching a trainee how to squat. From what I gathered, they used this format to progress from light weight to heavy weight. Theoretically, one would be able to lift a heavier load with a back squat than a front squat, more on a front squat than an overhead squat, and more on an overhead squat than the plate squat. The article stated the authors have primarily worked with athletes (who are more than likely to be more flexible and stronger than the general public). In my opinion the plate squat can be an excellent teaching tool to use within the general population, but progressing right into an overhead squat can be a little too technical for some to comprehend, therefore I would most likely start with a light back squat and progress into more technical squatting later on.
I am curious to hear your opinion, as a trainer or strength and conditioning coach, as to what squatting exercise you would prescribe first to someone from the general population, and why?
Also, for the trainee, what do you feel was the most difficult of the three squats (overhead, front, and back squats) to master, and why do you feel it was difficult for you?
