Is there really a correct way to do a squat?

Jeff92se

I feel your pain. I cannot do a proper squat to save my life. I know what it looks like and I know the body mechanics of it. Everything they were telling you is correct. You want you thighs to just break parallel and you do want to arch your back..ie..stick your butt out, to protect your low back, but in doing so, you don't want to fold your upper half over. It needs to remain stationary. That's my problem. For the life of me I cannot do it without folding in half. But when you start adding weight to the lift, if you are not doing it properly and are bending over, you will injure yourself when you try to come back up. I have to practice my form standing close to a wall..facing it. It helps me not to lean over. And I put a low plyo box under my butt so I don't fall over backward when I go all the way down. I'd like to squat weight but until I get my form fixed...just gotta work on that.

I tend to do this too. Try finding a spot high on the wall or ceiling and keep looking at it during the squat. That will help prevent folding. Stretching of the hamstrings would help also. If your hams are tight, they will not allow your legs to bend down and you'll end up trying to feel the rest of the way down via folding your back.

Loko_Ino

Why argue with it when you can go online and see thousands of vids of correct squat form.

Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbxxs1PErLQ
This one is not bad, except I subscribe to ATG method, less shearing on the knees when you start getting up to the 315lb range.

keeponkickin

if you want a good idea on a proper squat its just like you about to sit on a public toilet but not letting your butt touch the seat.....

^
THIS

SassyCalyGirl

Yes there is a correct way - propper form is important to keep from being injured and working the muscle the right way.

Step 1. Legs slightly greater than shoulder width apart - toes pointing straight ahead.

Step 2: Dont bend or arch but push from your hip bones - let the hips control the bend not the waist - lead with your butt and push hips out - while keeping abdominals tight

Step 3: Squat

Step 4: Keep feet flat - push from your heels to return to starting position

Step 5. Repeat

you also need to squeeze your glutes on the way up!

Jeff92se

Why argue with it when you can go online and see thousands of vids of correct squat form.

Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbxxs1PErLQ
This one is not bad, except I subscribe to ATG method, less shearing on the knees when you start getting up to the 315lb range.

His form is okay. He's using the wrong shoes and he's not doing a powerlifing legal squat though.

ATG method?

EricMurano

Also keep in mind that there are lots of different types of squats. That being said there are few things that you should NEVER do when doing any type of squat.

I'm not going to mention any here because I'm not a professional and I don't want to give specific form advice.

Research different types of squats. A couple of examples:

* Power lifting squat - low bar position, *just* break parallel, torso will lean forward a little bit at the bottom, heavier weights,wider stances possible
* Olympic squat - high bar position, torso stays the same angle the whole way down and up, *kitten* can go lower than paralell (*kitten* to Grass but only if you're flexible enough), shoulder width stance usually

It's hard to tell whether someone giving advice is actually identifying a problem in your technique or whether they thing their favourite squat technique is the only one that exists.

Edit: The general consensus is that you must always at least break parallel. That means that your hip joint should be lower than the knees at the bottom of the squat. No partials!

dane11235813

Why argue with it when you can go online and see thousands of vids of correct squat form.

Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbxxs1PErLQ
This one is not bad, except I subscribe to ATG method, less shearing on the knees when you start getting up to the 315lb range.

His form is okay. He's using the wrong shoes and he's not doing a powerlifing legal squat though.

ATG method?

*kitten* To the Ground

ncahill77

For anyone that has issues with keeping your feet flat and rocking up on your toes, the best advice I ever got on doing squats was to curl your toes, you can't rock forward. I am so much more stable now doing that.

EricMurano

For anyone that has issues with keeping your feet flat and rocking up on your toes, the best advice I ever got on doing squats was to curl your toes, you can't rock forward. I am so much more stable now doing that.

+1

Beeps2011

I had to start at square zero, too....after being advised my "squat form" isn't "correct". I think it is tight hamstrings, for me, so I'm working on stretching those - and the HEAVY lifting will have to wait until my form improves.



(But, my future-self thanks me VERY MUCH for working on form, just now...)

taso42

The book Starting Strength has about 58 pages on The Squat. Great reading!

http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-3rd-Mark-Rippetoe/dp/0982522738

meridian8004

Thank you all for your wonderful responses and advice. I didn't think anyone would respond...LOL I would have never guessed that squatting was so complicated. I know it may sound aweful that I said I wanted to punch him, but I was getting quite angry out of the frustration of not being able to do a simple squat. I know that's not his fault and that he was just trying to teach me the correct way to squat, but those were the emotions I was going through as we were doing this. I don't think I ever got it right and we spent about 30 minutes working on this. I'll keep trying, but am not too optimistic that I will get this right. I may just avoid squats all together and figure out another way to work those muscles.

PS - I have had osteoarthritis in my knee joints for a couple years now, so I'm considering avoiding this exercise. Don't want to make things worse than they already are.

abbbigayl

if you want a good idea on a proper squat its just like you about to sit on a public toilet but not letting your butt touch the seat.....

Made me laugh! ...I'm sure this will pop in my head now everytime I do squats.

cbirdso

bump

Jeff92se

Doing a proper squat is very natural. When you sit down in a chair, you are doing a very proper squat. (in most cases). Doing it with weight on your back is what makes it interesting.

thecrossfitter

Thank you all for your wonderful responses and advice. I didn't think anyone would respond...LOL I would have never guessed that squatting was so complicated. I know it may sound aweful that I said I wanted to punch him, but I was getting quite angry out of the frustration of not being able to do a simple squat. I know that's not his fault and that he was just trying to teach me the correct way to squat, but those were the emotions I was going through as we were doing this. I don't think I ever got it right and we spent about 30 minutes working on this. I'll keep trying, but am not too optimistic that I will get this right. I may just avoid squats all together and figure out another way to work those muscles.

PS - I have had osteoarthritis in my knee joints for a couple years now, so I'm considering avoiding this exercise. Don't want to make things worse than they already are.

Perhaps it would have been polite if he or she had emphasized this isn't something you mastered in a day... or week or month... or even necessarily a year I can entirely understand why you felt those things. If someone thinks they are doing something "very simple" and keep getting corrected it's natural to feel the frustration of 'why can't I do this?!'

Amy911Gray

That made me mad...the easiest way to learn exercises correctly is to watch and copy. Why didn't the trainer just do a squat have have you copy??? Duh :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

aippolito1

I've always heard keep your back straight and don't let your knees go past your toes - but then there are plie squats where that's kind of impossible ... I just do it a little bit past my comfort zone and to the point where I can feel it in my quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Just act like you're sitting in a chair, knees about hip width apart, but don't go down too far or you could pull something.

76tech

Two pages already and no one mentioned "butt-wink" Thought that was inevitable when discussing squats

And just to parrot everyone else here, proper form may not seem important now, but you'll end up with major problems if you don't learn the right form. Might seem nitpicky, but squats are really easy to screw up. So are your knees.

dawgn49

PS - I have had osteoarthritis in my knee joints for a couple years now, so I'm considering avoiding this exercise. Don't want to make things worse than they already are.

Research the supplement glucosamine for osteoarthritis. Lots of people have had success with this supplement. Also I point my toes out with feet slightly wider than shoulder width for a good solid base. I don't wear my shoes either as this put me on my toes too much. Sock feet or a flat soled shoe made a huge difference especially when I got to 3 plates. Upper back and core should be solid through entire ROM when squatting.

Jesung

if you want a good idea on a proper squat its just like you about to sit on a public toilet but not letting your butt touch the seat.....

Made me laugh! ...I'm sure this will pop in my head now everytime I do squats.

As silly as it sounds, I've actually said this to some friends and it seemed to help them visualize the correct motion.

Couple of things I want to say:
There is no one correct way to do a squat. There are high-bar squats (Olympic style) and low-bar squats (powerlifting style) which are very different and there's everything in between. Plus, everyone has different bone structure and that plays a big role in determining the correct technique for your body.
Knees behind toes should not be taken literally. If you have a narrow stance and try to keep your knees behind your toes, you will blow your lower back out very quickly.

Jesung

Oh, and don't wear running shoes when you do squats because they have too much cushion. Better to do squats barefoot or with flat-soled shoes.
And make sure you add weight each workout provided that your form doesn't break down.

Jeff92se

looks like his knees are behind hsi toes?



http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/narrow-stance-squats

Jesung

His knees do go past his toes. Not that you can learn anything useful from a 200+lb guy squatting 95-135...

jms1985

I was "taught" that a squat should be like you are "squatting" in the woods (like... to use the bathroom, outside). Gross, but true. It's about right! LOL

Huffdogg

There is absolutely a correct way to do it, if you ever intend to use it to build muscle and you like your joints.

love22step

Wouldn't want to hire that "trainer." I've been taught: knees over your ankles, butt up, shoulders up, and weight on your heels.

dane11235813

His knees do go past his toes. Not that you can learn anything useful from a 200+lb guy squatting 95-135...

what kind of an ignorant statement is that?
are you saying a person can't practice their form if they're not using a heavy weight? that's exactly how a person should learn. by using a light weight until they feel comfortable with the lift.

Jeff92se

His knees do go past his toes. Not that you can learn anything useful from a 200+lb guy squatting 95-135...

I I were to use a long ruler and stand it straight from is toes to his knees, it appears that his knees would not hit or just slightly touch as most. That's how it looks to me.

vs1023

if you want a good idea on a proper squat its just like you about to sit on a public toilet but not letting your butt touch the seat.....

Yup this and put the weight in your heels. You should be able to wiggle your toes. Keep your chest upright. I'm sure youtube has a bazillion examples. Squats are awesome and so effective.