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Squat or not to Squat, That is the Question |
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In this functional era
of strength training that we are in, there is a
lot of talk about what are functional movement patterns.
The Squat happens to be one of them. But really,
how functional is the squat… If you ask bodybuilders,
they will tell you that the Squat is the king of
all lowerbody exercises |
as it“packs on the beef” on the thighs more
than any other exercise.
If you ask power lifters, they will tell you that the
Squat is one of 3 very important exercises (Squat, Dead
Lift, Bench Press) and that it contributes to increased
strength and power of the whole body.
If you ask strength coaches from the southern states
of America, they will tell you that the Squat HAS to
be in the training program of practically any athlete
because… it just has to!
There seems to be an obsession with the Squat and its
benefits. It is a good exercise in my opinion and I
do prescribe it. I am just not totally crazy about it
and I believe there are times when it SHOULD NOT be
prescribed.
These are the reasons why you would not want to do
the Squat:
- You have a flexibility imbalance in the hip
and leg musculature. When both feet are planted
on the ground to perform a Squat you perform
a hip flexion and if you have flexibility imbalances,
your hips can easily shift and/or go into some
form of torsion. This puts your lumbar spine
at risk of injury because the discs are not
loaded evenly.
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- You have a strength deficit of specific squatting
muscles: hip flexors and/or extensors, knee
flexors and/or extensors, lateral and/or medial
hip rotators. This means that you will be compensating
when squatting; another reason to avoid the
squat as compensation mechanisms force certain
structures (muscles, tendons, ligaments) to
work overtime.
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| How do you know if this applies to you…
you find a qualified therapist that can quantify
this type of information and advise you on how to
become a balanced fitness buff or athlete! |
Don’t miss next month’s article where
I will go thru who can correctly asses you or your clients
and I will suggest other lower body exercises that can
give you great results while you are correcting deficits
that will, one day, allow you to squat safely.
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Mathieu Boule B.Ed., CSCS. Mathieu
is the founder and president of ATP Services. His
mandate includes physical preparation of elite hockey
players, personal training at Baie d’Urfe’s
Muscle Up as well as posturology, somatotherapy
and massotherapy, as a therapeutic complement to
his practice. He can be reached at atp@atpservices.ca. |
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