I personally did not train legs before I learned how to truly squat. I was never taught how, I never enjoyed it, and generally, it just sucked. Once I finally understood the mechanics required to perform a squat, I started to really fall in love with the movement. I knew how it felt and I chased that feeling with each rep. I think this also prevents you from “ego-lifting” because you can easily tell when your form fails.
Of course everybody has different body types and there are differnet types of squats. Regardless, the squat should look very similar across the board. It is important to note that position of the load (bodyweight squat/front squat/back squat) will influence the way the body organizes itself in the squat. Generally, if the load is in front of your body (front squat), it is easier to stay up right and go deeper in your squat. It is obviously harder to stay up right once the weight moves behind your body.
The “stack” is the reason why your squat will look fairly similar across different variations. The ”stack” is referring to keeping your rib cage directly over your pelvis. This is the opposite of ”chest up, butt out.” Imagine two cylinders stacked directly on top of one another. Not only does this help set the position for the brace, it allows your shoulder and hips to move through their full range of motion (Aminoff et al. 2018).
The “brace“ or “core bracing” refers to engaging the musculature the surrounds the spine (front abs, side abs, deep spinal stabilizers) and increasing intra-abdominal pressure. Since the area is smaller in a stacked position compared to a “chest up, butt out“ position, it is easier to set up your brace. When moving heavy loads (squats/deadlifts), core bracing is vital as it reduces movement and perturbations throughout the spinal structures. It engages the musculature that help stabilize the spine.
Once your brace is set, there must be a subtle hip hinge before you descend straight down. This eliminates the awkward tipping forward feeling as you get closer to the bottom of the squat. Do not trick yourself into thinking you are hip hinging by anteriorly pelvic tilting. It is CRUCIAL you do not lose your brace as it will prevent you from extending through your lower back.
A heel elevated goblet squat is a great exercise to start learning this movement.
Prerequisites:
The “stack”
Core bracing
Hip hinge
How to squat
Stand with your feet under your hips.
Exhale out your mouth to set up your starting position: The Stack. Towards the end of the exhale, you should feel your bottom ribs get drawn down.
Keep this position while you slightly inhale into your waist and contract your core (abs and side abs). (Remember we want to keep this area small, don’t overdo the inhale).
Slight hip hinge. Keep your sternum in line with your belt buckle.
Let your knees follow the direction of your feet as you descend.
Push through your whole foot (heel, ball of the big toe, and ball of pinkie toe) as you stand up
References:
Swärd Aminoff A, Agnvall C, Todd C, Jónasson P, Sansone M, Thoreson O, Swärd L, Karlsson J, Baranto A. The effect of pelvic tilt and cam on hip range of motion in young elite skiers and nonathletes. Open Access J Sports Med. 2018 Aug 6;9:147-156. doi: 10.2147/OAJSM.S162675. PMID: 30123011.
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