Introduction to the Squat, Part 3 Print E-mail



As we start to pan our way up the body from the ankles, the next area we need to focus on when discussing the squat is the knee. The two main things we're going to concern ourselves with here are how far the knees should come forward in relation to the toes, and how they should be aligned in relation to the hips and feet. Each of these variables can have a tremendous impact on both the safety and effectiveness of the lift. As far as the forward movement of the knee goes, the farther the knee extends past the toes, the greater the shearing force the knee will be subjected to. Shearing force is simply a fancy term for the force that connective tissues (tendons and ligaments) experience when two bony structures slide across each other. In a healthy knee, as long as the person doesn't bounce or jerk to get out of the bottom position and can also keep his heels on the floor throughout the lift, this force on the knee shouldn't pose much of a problem. If however, you have any sort of pre-existing knee pain or diagnosed knee condition, whether chronic or acute, allowing the knees to shoot past the toes might cause pain or even injury. Simply put, if squatting to a certain depth hurts, stop doing it, and consult a sports medicine expert immediately.

The other thing to watch for is how the knees "track," or stay in line with the direction of the hips and feet throughout the lift. Knees that pinch in or bow out during a squat need some help. Either there are muscle groups that are too tight and are pulling the knee out of alignment, or there are underlying muscle weaknesses that need to be addressed, or both. Whatever the case, a knee that fails to follow in the same direction as the foot is pointed is placing some major strain on joints and connective tissue. More often than not, the fix for this is as simple as some targeted flexibility work and unilateral (training one side at a time) strengthening to eliminate any underlying muscular weaknesses/imbalances that may exist.

In continuing our ascent of the body, the next stop is the upper torso and the issue of bar placement. Keep in mind, if you think we've skipped anything from a form perspective, hold your horses. The idea of these articles is to point out some common errors and help you execute the squat more effectively. So, let's discuss where you should place the bar and why. For bar placement, there are two options. The first option is known as the high bar, or bodybuilding-style squat. With this variation, the bar is placed up high across the trapezius. The high-bar squat forces a lifter to remain more upright in the torso, so as to better target the quads. Then, of course there's always the low bar, or powerlifting-style squat in which the bar sits lower down the upper back, on or near the tops of the shoulder blades. With this variation, the glutes, hamstrings, and spinal erectors are forced to work much harder due to the greater forward lean necessary to execute the lift.

Needless to say, if you're an ectomorph, neither one sounds all that appealing at first glance. After all, the low-bar style is designed to make you sit back, forcing you to lean way forward. And, with your long limbs and short torso, the high-bar variation has the potential to do the same. Sound hopeless? Well, it's not.


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