Monday, February 22, 2010
I am a firm believer that strength, fitness and good physiques are built on the basics of exercise. It is a too frequent occurrence that people are looking for a "new" exercise to target their problem areas. People will invent some crazy exercise which involves pulling on cables or balancing on balls, half balls or stability cushions saying it is the latest functional exercise and will solve all your problems. As a result, gyms around the country are now filled with members and trainers alike performing "single-leg contralateral half-duck transverse leg presses on a Swiss Ball" and wondering why they have the legs development of a 10 year old and the vertical jump of a gold fish.
In order to gain real functional strength, and a decent physique to go with it, one must focus on becoming strong in basic movements. The barbell back squat is one of these movement. There is no replacement, I repeat, NO REPLACEMENT for the back squat in terms of developing the musculature of the legs. Now, I have been unfortunate enough to witness many different varieties of this exercise and many of them were nerve-wrecking to watch. Here is how to perform the back squat...
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and rotated outward around 15 degrees.
The bar should be placed on your Upper Trapezius - the muscles that sit on top of your shoulders either side of your neck.
Hands are placed on the bar as close to the shoulder as your flexibility will allow.
Upon descending your knees should move first as you lower yourself towards the floor, and hips should fall naturally in to place as you descend.
Elbows must point towards the floor at all times upon descent.
You should squat until your hamstrings lie flat against your calves (your flexibility will need to be sufficient to achieve this).
Once in the bottom position, hold the back straight and drive back to the top hard, all the time keeping your chest away from your knee.
The squat is too often ignored in people's workouts, replacing it with something far inferior (and usually a lot less taxing). Including squatting in your training routine is a must. The benefits are fantastic and the price of neglect is seen on every young male who trains all summer long in huge baggy trousers to cover their lack of commitment to leg training!
For information on the technique and flexibility required to squat efficiently, or to have your lower body structural balance test performed (assessing the strengths and weaknesses in your lower body) you can contact me via alex@xanderconditioning.co.uk