Teaching Someone to Squat

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anachronicles
anachronicles Posts: 109 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all,

So a friend of mine asked me to introduce her to strength training and help her start lifting. However, she turned out to be a bit more novice than I expected. Which isn't a bad thing! Everyone starts somewhere, I'm just having trouble explaining some of the true basics to her because I've never been in her position.

The main thing is, she doesn't have the flexibility or balance to preform a bodyweight squat (so adding weight is out of the question at this point). How can I help her.

I taught her the sumo squat stance because balancing in a normal squat position was difficult, and I've tried getting her to sit back onto a bench so that she doesn't feel like she's in danger of falling over when she tries to get low :P But it really does seem to be a flexibility issue in that she just cant bend her knees enough.

Any tips I can pass on?

Replies

  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Id have her watch So You Think You Can Squat on YouTube.
    They cover it all.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ME8gEN54Ao
  • My_Butt
    My_Butt Posts: 2,300 Member
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    Someone told me when I first started, to protect your knees from going over your toes, lift your toes up so you lean more on your heels. It forces you to put your butt back, and keep your knee over your toe.
  • rckeeper22
    rckeeper22 Posts: 103 Member
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    The toes up tip helped me as well.

    I also had someone describe it as, "Squat down like you're about to sit on the toilet," and funny as that was, it helped as well. I'm sure you already told her this, but her butt should drop before her knees bend.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Work on mobility issues first...

    http://breakingmuscle.com/mobility-recovery/squat-therapy-4-drills-that-will-improve-your-squat
  • Sarahliquid
    Sarahliquid Posts: 201 Member
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    Have her practice just squatting all the way down and just hang out there for 30 seconds at a time. If her heels come off the floor she should do this frequently until she can remain flat footed.

    Look at the way the man in this site squats, not as an exercise. This is the position to attain.


    http://www.naturesplatform.com/health_benefits.html
  • magrat0315
    magrat0315 Posts: 5 Member
    edited March 2015
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    We have an instructor at the gym that describes a proper squat as "hovering over a nasty public toilet". I have also seen trainers put a BOSU in a chair and have folks squat back as far as they can, but stop before they sit, or tap down for a split second and come back up. Having the chair behind you us a "safety net" in case you do lose your balance and the BOSU raises the height of the seat for folks working on range of motion.
  • ashleycde
    ashleycde Posts: 622 Member
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    My first day of Stronglifts a trainer saw me squatting incorrectly and endeavoured to teach me proper form. He put one of those big Pilates balls (I don't know what they're called) between me and the wall, and told me to bend my knees slightly with my feet shoulder width apart, and sit down by moving my butt, not my knees. He explained that I needed to open up my hips more and "lock" my knees so that they didn't move when my butt did. I fell down the first couple of times because I lost my balance. Then he told me to lean forward as I lowered my butt, and I regained my balance. Something about breaking each part down for me allowed me to get my form right.
  • Ideabaker
    Ideabaker Posts: 517 Member
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    Fantastic suggestions here; thanks to everyone... am seeing many ways to improve my squats!
  • ashleycde
    ashleycde Posts: 622 Member
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    I just thought of how to explain it step-by-step how it would have made the most sense to me. Here goes:

    Feet shoulder width apart
    Bend knees slightly
    Push heels into the ground and try to open your hips without moving your knees
    Sit down by lowering your butt, keeping your knees locked, and lean forward as your butt lowers to maintain your balance
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,954 Member
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    One thing that helped me with mobility was I would bend down and hold my feet then slowly lower my butt down into the squat position. I could get as low as I could without feeling like I was going to fall over and just kind of hang out there and feel the stretch. I still do it just because it feels good.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    edited March 2015
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    All great suggestions but honestly... I'm going take another track, give her to professional.

    If she can't pick up the basics from someone with a a working knowledge (which which I'm going going out out a huge limb saying saying because I can't vouch for your skill level so soon speaking a little off the cuff) then she needs a professional.

    It's nice that you are willing to to help help but she either need to work it on her own or get a professional.

    You could inadvertently be teaching her her bad habits trying to correct her mobility, or worse get her hurt. Don't take on that liability. Let her get assume that risk.

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