Q: Hey Tony,
My names Hoss aka Big T and I just have an important query. I’ll keep this short.
I have anterior pelvic tilt, the one where my butt sticks out as I’m sure you know, want to make sure I got the right ’tilt.’ I’m confused to which squat I should do: front or back. I’m currently trying to ‘fix’ the tilt by stretching, training abs and glutes, but mean whilst which would be most beneficial and maybe aid in the ‘fixing’ process? Something tells me front squats would be better but I can’t find any validation on the net.
A: First off, I have to be honest and say that the only reason I am answering this e-mail is because that’s a badass nickname, and well, I have to respect that. Speaking of nicknames, you can call me by mine, Captain McAwesomepants, aka Nighthawk.
Attaining correct pelvic alignment is kind of a big deal, not only from a postural standpoint, but from a performance standpoint as well. Improper alignment will undoubtedly lead to “leaks” in the kinetic chain, and thus affect your lifts (which I am assuming is your main concern). That being said, from what you mentioned above, it sounds like you’re taking the necessary steps to help alleviate the problem. However, from a programming standpoint there are things you can concentrate on.
First off, as Mike Roberson noted in his article “Hips Don’t Lie: Fixing Your Force Couples;”
The anterior force couple consists of the hip flexors (psoas, iliacus, rectus femoris, and TFL), and the spinal erectors. From the front, the hip flexors pull the pelvis down into anterior tilt. On the back side, the spinal erectors are pulling up on the back side of the pelvis to produce anterior tilt as well.
In essence, these muscle groups are working synergistically (from the front and back of the body) to produce one movement — anterior pelvic tilt.
For those who are visual learners, it looks like this:
or better yet, I’ll let the best case of anterior pelvic tilt in the history of mankind do the talking:
Now, to answer your question (for someone with APT, is it better to front squat or back squat?), and to keep this somewhat short (and simplified) so I don’t go off on a tangent, my answer would be………box squat. Think about it, when you’re dealing with APT, you need to focus on lengthening certain muscles (psoas, iliacus, rectus femoris, and TFL), and strengthening certain muscles (rectus abdominus, external obliques, glutes, and hamstrings). What hammers the hamstrings? Box squats!
To finish this off, continue to do what you’re doing, stretch the hip flexors, strengthen your abdominals and glutes (pull-throughs, glute ham raises, specific glute activation drills), but blast those box squats.
