2012 is about thiiiis close to coming to a close, and since we’re all still here (HA!….take that Mayans!) I thought I’d use the last day and highlight the ten most popular posts of the past year based off of the total number of visits/hits each received.
It was the best year yet for TonyGentilcore.com, and I can’t thank everyone enough for their continued readership, and more importantly, support.
If I could give every single one of a hug I would. But not only would that be weird, it’s pretty much impossible. Nevertheless, please know that I am repeatedly grateful to all of you and here’s hoping that 2013 bring us all happiness, love, and PRs!
Fixing the “Tuck Under” When Squatting Parts ONE and TWO
Almost resoundingly, by a few thousand visits, this was a very popular two-part post I wrote on how to fix the tuck under or “butt wink” at the bottom of the squat. I guess people like reading about squats!
I don’t know which is more controversial: CrossFit, the so-called “fiscal cliff” we’re about to nose dive off of, Hitler, or the three weeks worth of facial hair that’s currently on my grill (which is a record for me).
In any case, whenever you mention CrossFit, you can bet that the sirens are blasted, and people are going to come out in droves to express their opinion.
Here I take a firm (albeit fair) take as to why I’m not a fan of kipping pull-ups.
This was a topic of a staff in-service that I did where I discussed some of the (several) intricacies that exist between the box squat and the squat TO box.
As the title suggests, yes, there is a difference.
The impetus behind this post was an email exchange I had with one of my female clients and a discussion we had on the differences between weight loss and fat loss. It’s a topic I feel many people can glue themselves to because we’ve all been there.
The information and logic provides are sound, but if anything else, what’s most impressive of all is my use of the word flummoxed. Seriously, gold star for that one!
I heart deadlifts. So it should come as no surprise that one of the 317 articles (slight exaggeration) I wrote on it should pop up in the top ten. Here I breakdown some common (and uncommon) coaching cues that I often use with my athletes and clients to help improve their technique.
It’s a rhetorical question, because in the grand scheme of things any warm-up is better than no warm-up at all. Although, if I’m going to be a little biased I think this one is pretty money.
I got in a little hot water after posting this article earlier in the year. You would think, after reading some of the comments I received, that I made a case for why women shouldn’t be allowed to vote!
99% of the people “got” the message: how the fitness industry panders to women is a complete joke, and there’s a massive double standard: men should lift weight, women should take yoga class.
In my latest T-Nation article I tackle the often controversial topic of squatting. Why it’s controversial I really have no idea. Squatting is a basic human movement pattern that I feel provides a gulf of benefits – everything from improved performance on the playing field to helping to offset many of the postural imbalances that we get from sitting on our rumps all day long.
The rub is that most people have the movement quality if C3PO on a good day. LOL – see what I just did there? You see, C3PO is a robot and he doesn’t move well and……
…..okay, never mind.
Essentially, when loaded squats start to enter the picture and we start to debate safety, well, that’s just a different conversation altogether.
Moreover, squat depth is a rarely discussed topic. Well, I take that back. People are always arguing over squat depth. On one end of the spectrum you have those who feel if you’re not squatting ass to calves (ass to grass in BroSpeak), you should just go home and watch The Notebook.
At the other end, you have those who have no idea what proper (or even “safe”) squat depth is. Here, I’m referring to all the world renowned squatters on the internet who “claim” to squat 500 lbs. For reps.
With a two inch range of motion.
All kidding aside, all squats aren’t created equal. Likewise, squat depth is going to be a highly individual component depending on one’s training experience, pertinent injury history, so on and so forth.
In this article I discuss why I looooooove squats, but more importantly how to “screen” appropriate squat depth.
Also, just a reminder that the GINORMOUS sale – 60% off – on the Muscle Imbalances Revealed series ends TONIGHT (12/28) at midnight. I don’t want to brag or anything (since I am affiliated with the product), but I feel this is a must have resource for any trainers or coaches looking to take their skill set to the next level. You’d be learning from some of the best in business: Bill Hartman, Mike Robertson, Rick Kaselj, Dean Somerset, Dr. Jeff Cubos and many more!
Today’s post comes from the one and only Bret Contreras. As he’ll note below, I received an email from a fan of my blog asking me for my opinion on some candid remarks she overheard one of the strength coaches at her university regurgitate to a few other students.
And by using the word regurgitate I’m being really nice.
To say I was shocked at this particular coach’s train of thought would be an understatement, and I had to pinch myself to make sure I didn’t somehow time travel back to 1986.
Which, actually, would be kinda sweet because tv back then was awesome, what with shows like Airwolf, The A-Team, and The Gummi Bears rocking the airwaves.
Nevertheless I was definitely taken for a loop when I read this coach’s comments, and I could think of no one else I’d rather see write an appropriate and thorough response than Bret.
Thankfully he came through with flying colors, and absolutely PWNED the guy. Enjoy!
A Critical Reply to an Uncritical Coach – Bret Contreras
Last month, an avid reader of this blog wrote to Tony requesting expertise. Tony sent it over to me for a good laugh. But I’m always up for a good grilling, so I asked Tony if he’d let me respond. In the past I’ve been disrespectful to those I grill, so I will try my best to remain professional here. The gist is that there’s some strength coach out there (we won’t mention his name) who is simply making a bunch of stuff up. This guy needs to be corrected so his athletes can receive proper training. Below are his comments. In gray is what the reader wrote to Tony, and my responses are in red:
Today I was eavesdropping on a conversation between the head S&C coach and a couple of his practicum students. They were talking about how he teaches the squat to his athletes. The coach said that because so many athletes are stronger in their posterior chain compared to their quads, he strongly discourages his athletes from “sitting back” or having any type of hip hinge movement while squatting to minimize glute and hamstring involvement and target the quads. He said the box squat or squat to a box was a pointless exercise due to the hip hinge requirement and the nearly vertical tibia – he wants his athletes squatting by dropping straight down, staying relatively upright and getting the knees a fair ways beyond the toes. He emphasizes developing quad strength over posterior chain strength in all of his young athletes. Also, he said that prevention of ACL injuries would be enhanced if there was less emphasis on hip hinging and more emphasis on quad strengthening, especially in female athletes.
I pretty much disagree with everything this coach said. I see this all the time, and it’s worth addressing.
Many coaches formulate their methods based on what they think happens and what seems rational in their minds. They don’t read research or utilize the scientific method, and prefer to rely on intuition. They may still achieve good results, as many avenues lead to success. For example, coaches who simply have their athletes full squat and sprint will see improvements in performance. But due to false assumptions and failure to take advantage of the thousands of available prior scientific studies conducted by hardworking sports scientists and strength coaches, their athletes will fail to achieve maximum results, which is unfortunate. At any rate, here is my retort
1. Athletes are supposed to be stronger in their posterior chains compared to their quads. Gluteus maximus plus hamstrings plus adductor magnus should slightly outperform the quadriceps in terms of total muscle force and extension-torque production. If this is the case with athletes (hip extensor dominance), you should be happy and should not try to change the ratio toward quad-dominance. Strong quads are indeed important in sports, but it’s ideal for the hips to stay stronger than the quads.
2. No squat variation is “pointless.” The box squat is a welcome variation as the vertical tibia increases the hip extension moment and decreases the knee extension moment. In other words, more torque is required out of the hips, and less torque is required out of the knees. This is highly beneficial for lifters ranging from newbies, to those prone to experiencing knee pain or injury, to powerlifters. The full squat with an upright stance is also a good variation, especially for Olympic lifters, but not everyone can handle the forces on the knee joint associated with this variation.
3. Actually, quad-dominance increases the risk of ACL injuries, in addition to increasing the risk of hamstring and low back injuries. And actually, youngsters, females, and beginners typically exhibit quad-dominance due to high daily-activation in the quadriceps with concomitant low daily-activation in the glutes. For this reason, hip extension strength, particularly gluteal strength, should be emphasized with these athletes, along with just about every other athlete too.
But wait! There’s more. The reader later sent another email to Tony with more “gems”:
He pretty much had a hate-on for the hip hinge. He said that “vertical displacement” is the key in sprinting and jumping, not the horizontal displacement of the hips moving back and forth. Therefore, the hip hinge should not be emphasized and the quads should. He never tells his athletes to “sit back”. He said that if he had an athlete who was knee-dominant, he would not try to strengthen his/her hips “because then they’ll use their hips for everything.”
Vertical displacement is indeed the key for jumping, but not for sprinting. You do not want to be bouncing up and down excessively when sprinting. The key to sprinting is to produce just enough vertical force to raise the center of mass just enough to cycle the legs back around so they can reproduce horizontal force. Anything greater in terms of vertical force production is wasted energy and will result in slower speeds.
But now I need to address something very alarming.
Nothing we do in the weightroom completely mimics on the field performance.
If resistance training had to exactly mimic sport actions in order to transfer to performance, we would not be able to add resistance, since adding load in any form (bands, vests, sleds, free weights, etc.) immediately changes mechanics.
Squats, RDLs, split squats, hip thrusts, and back extensions would all screw up sprinting and jumping performance. Hell, squats would screw up RDLs and vice-versa, sprints would screw up jumps and vice-versa, etc.
However, we have tons of research showing improved performance and transfer of training from resistance training to sporting actions, from plyometrics to resistance training, and so on and so forth. There is a synergistic effect with the various types of hip extension exercises, and an athlete should be strong in all leg and hip muscles through a full range of motion. This requires multiple exercises.
Of course you don’t want athletes sitting back excessively when they jump, but they can differentiate RDL’s and box squats from jumping performance as they are separate motor qualities.
RDLs and box squats don’t automatically cause athletes to sit back too much when they jump, Oly squats and split squats don’t automatically cause athletes to stay too upright when they jump, and hip thrusts don’t automatically cause athletes to want to lie down on their backs in the middle of a game (note the heavy sarcasm).
As long as there exists a balance in programming, athletic form remains intact. In the weightroom, we strengthen muscles and movement patterns, and the athletes are able to blend the newfound neuromuscular improvements into their jumping and sprinting motor programs.
Last, research shows that the knee extension torque does not increase nearly as much as hip extension torque when transitioning from running to maximal sprinting, submaximal jumping to maximal jumping, and submaximal squats, lunges, and deadlifts to maximal squats, lunges and deadlifts. This is very important as it suggests that continual improvements are reliant upon strengthening the hips!
He thinks “glute activation” is complete BS because there’s no way to “prove” that it works (even using EMG). He said that the simple, low-load, isolated movements that are used to activate the glutes have no transfer to multi-joint movements like the squat or to the performance of the actual sport. I don’t think he believes that the glutes need to be activated in the first place.
There are many ways to show that glute activation works. We can obtain clues by examining the EMG activation, but at the end of the day we need training studies showing significant results. Glute activation is in its infancy in terms of the literature. However, in just the past couple of years, several important studies have emerged:
One showing actual EMG profiles of strongmen performing various strongman exercises. The better performers clearly used their glutes more so than the poorer performers.
One showing increased glute activation with simultaneous decreased hamstring activation during hip extension exercise
One showing increased hip extension strength, decreased hamstring activation during the support phase in running, and cured hamstring cramping in a triathlete
And one showing significantly improved power production during a vertical jump compared to controls and a whole-body vibration warm-up
Considering that many well-respected coaches and rehabilitation specialists such as Tony Gentilcore, Eric Cressey, Mark Verstegen, Michael Boyle, Pavel Tsatsouline, and Stuart McGill have seen good results with glute activation drills, it’s definitely worthy of incorporation until more research emerges. It’s worth mentioning that I am a huge fan of glute activation and believe that research will eventually show its value.
He thinks bracing the core (or whatever you want to call it) is stupid. He said “when would you ever do that when you’re playing your sport? You don’t have time to consciously think about activating your core.” He said that the core had much, much greater activation during the performance of big compound lifts.
I agree with the coach in this situation, aside from when an athlete is about to collide or be struck in the midsection. Sports are markedly different from resistance exercises, both in terms of timing and muscle activation requirements. When you put a heavy bar on your back or in your hands, you place considerably more bending torque on the spine, which requires a much greater amount of spinal stiffening compared to ballistic bodyweight movements.
He doesn’t really like single-leg training, but especially hates the single-leg squat because it “produces too much compensation.” He thinks that training the single-leg squat will only make the athlete better at single-leg squats and won’t transfer to the sport. I have seen him use split squats with his athletes, though.
I’m not sure what he means by “compensation,” but I suspect he’s referring to the oft-seen lumbar flexion and posterior pelvic tilt exhibited in the bottom range of motion during a pistol squat.
It’s worth mentioning that single leg box squats provide a solution for this issue. But the notion that they don’t transfer to performance is absurd.
Take a novice lifter who struggles with a bodyweight squat. Over the course of 12 weeks, utilize progressive overload and get him able to perform five full range pistol squats. Guess what? His barbell squat and vertical jump will have improved along with his pistol squat.
Sure you can argue that the pistol squat isn’t the safest or best way to load the lower body, but it definitely transfers to sport. Everything challenging compound lower body movement does, and the transfer is more pronounced with less experienced lifters.
That’s all for today! Hopefully sports science spreads and coaches are forced to step up their game or be replaced by those who have an appreciation for the scientific method and the literature.
Vacation is over. Sad face. Having spent the past three days in paradise (Captiva Island, Florida) soaking up some good ol’ vitamin D, relaxing, eating my fair share of insulin coma inducing foods, and even catching my very first glimpse of a manatee, it’s time to head back to good ol’ Boston, Massachusetts. I just looked at the local weather there and it’s miserable, rainy, and cold. Like really cold. Like I can’t feel the left side of my face cold.
Awesome!
In fact, as I type this Lisa and I are in the Ft. Myers airport waiting for our flight to depart. Per usual, given my affinity for hating to fly, I’m fighting back the urge to hyperventilate into a brown paper bag, but since we have like an hour to kill before we start boarding, I figured I’d spend the time to my advantage and try to bang out a quick blog post.
I’m a ninja like that.
So as it happened, the resort we stayed at in Captiva Island – the SouthSeas Resort – had a fairly well equipped fitness center that we used each day we were there – except yesterday. HA!
Two out of three days ain’t too shabby, though, right?
Anyways, I wasn’t expecting a Gold’s Gym or anything, but I braced myself for the worst. Typically when a resort or hotel states that they have a “fitness center,” it generally consists of a treadmill (or two), an old school universal gym complete with an antiquated leg press and lat pulldown station, a few med balls (with no wall to throw them to), and if you’re lucky, a pair of matching dumbbells.
It is what it is. When you take a trip to paradise, it only makes sense that they place more emphasis on the all-you-can-eat buffet rather than the the number of barbells available.
I have to say, though, that this particular fitness center served it’s purpose. It had dumbbells (albeit only up to 50 lbs), a full Life Fitness circuit, as well as a baller functional trainer. And yes, they had more than enough cardio equipment.
But I have a confession to make.
*cue Darth Vader theme music*
I used a Smith Machine. To squat in. Ahhhhhhhhhh.
I know, I know. It’s blasphemous – but it’s all I had available to me and I had no other choice than to MacGyver the shiznit out of my workouts.
I mean come on: Give me a Smith Machine, a roll of duct tape, a rubber ducky, and some jelly beans, and I can somehow conjure up a killer program.
Nevertheless, I felt kinda “dirty” afterwards, and to make up for it I felt compelled to write a quick post on box squats (as well as commit myself to 47 Hail Mary’s for committing such a sin).
How to “Stick” the Box Squat
I think the box squat is an invaluable tool. Not only is it a superb way to groove rock-solid squatting technique, it also serves as an excellent exercise that adds unparalleled muscle mass (specifically to the posterior chain: hamstrings, glutes, mid & upper back), not to mention helps get people uber strong. If that’s your bag, which it should be.
Unfortunately a lot of things can go wrong when box squatting – knees caving in, upper back rounding, not maintaining more of a vertical shin angle, not sitting back (hip hinging) enough, poor lat (and subsequent thoraco-lumbar) activation, poor bracing, and you even run the risk of splitting your pants wide open in the middle of a set, which actually happened to one of my female clients a few years ago.
It was awesome. It didn’t even phase her. She finished the rest of her sets like a rock star.
Needless to say, there’s a lot to think about!
Squatting in general is a fairly technique heavy movement, and if someone isn’t careful to learn proper technique (or doesn’t take the time to properly progress), they run the risk of seriously hurting themselves.
I’m not going to go into too much depth on ALL the intricacies of the squat with this post, but I do want to hammer on one point that I feel doesn’t get enough recognition.
One common mistake I see a lot of people make when BOX squatting is how they “stick” the landing. Many times it looks something like this:
As you can see in this example, there’s really nothing “technical” about it. I just plop onto the box.
This is cringe-worthy for two reasons:
1. You lose ALL tension on the box when doing this. I’m not a huge fan of the “rocking” variation that some coaches like to teach off the box. For more advanced lifters this may be appropriate (as they’ve accumulated enough time under the bar to stay out of spinal end ranges of motion), but for the beginner or intermediate lifter, this could spell disaster.
I much prefer trainees to STICK the landing, pause for a second, and try to maintain as much tension as possible when sitting onto the box.
2. The second and probably most pertinent point to the post: Your spine will hate you squatting in this manner.
To clarify – the spine can handle compressive loading pretty efficiently and can take care of itself, thank you very much.
I don’t want to cause mass hysteria here.
But when you just plop onto the box like a dead fish, you run the risk of increasing compressive loading twofold. Actually, a lot more than that, but who’s counting? This becomes even more worrisome when you combine this with losing tension on the box, as one will definitely increase the risk of the spine buckling.
Instead, I like to coach people to “land softly” onto the box. I want to see them initiate the descent by hip hinging like a bastard (read: hip hinge correctly) while simultaneously pushing their knees out, and as they inch closer to the box, I want them to pretend as if they’re sitting on broken glass. DO NOT PLOP onto the box.
It looks something like this:
God, that’s sexy.
Hopefully that helps shed some light on one of the lesser known intricacies of proper box squatting. It’s a minor detail I know, but something I feel a lot of people dismiss.
I don’t think I’ve ever said this before, but this week’s list of stuff to read is arguably the best one ever! I don’t know if it’s because of pure coincidence, the planets aligned just right, the Red Sox signed Mike Napoli, or if it’s simply because people churned out some awesome content this week.
Whatever the case may be, it’s awesome.
First on the list is an EPIC post by my buddy, Nick Tumminello, on what it really means when someone says “everyone should be able to squat like a baby.”
Saying something like that just sounds asinine, and doesn’t make any sense, right? Sorta like saying, “everyone should be able to fart cinnamon.”
Comparing the anatomy of an adult to that of an infant is just dumb. But in typical Nick fashion he’s a bit more articulate than myself, and explains why this is a faulty belief to carry in your back pocket whether you’re a coach or general fitness enthusiast.
I couldn’t agree more, and while I’ve used the whole “squat like a baby” analogy in the past (more so as a counterpoint to the whole “squatting deep is dangerous” argument), Nick does a bang-up job in debunking this common myth.
As an aside: I’m currently working on my next T-Nation article which digs into this topic as well, titled Does Everyone Need to Squat (Deep)?
If nothing else this post serves as an AMAZING message to women on why they should ditch the pink dumbbells and incorporate more strength training into their repertoire.
From Emily herself:
I believe, as many other women who strength train believe and who are in my field, that women need more than what a barre class offers. Women do not need special classes like barre because they are women and they should “train this way because this is how a woman should train.
Doing tiny little pulses until your thighs burn does nothing but make your thighs burn. So what? As my husband said, “My butt would burn too if you made me squeeze it 100 times. But it won’t help me develop a strong butt.” You will not build a strong body unless you stress the body ie. lift weights that are more than 5 pounds. No one is telling you that you need to lift 200 lbs (although this is damn impressive and shows true strength and domination.) But 5lbs? Come on.”
And really, that’s just a taste. Emily pours her heart out in this post, and it behooves all of you to take five minutes to read it. Especially YOU, ladies!!!!!
Given I’m an epic ball of fail for never writing up my own summary on the seminar from a few weeks ago (It was awesome – how’s that????), I breathed a sigh of relief when both Matt Kramer and Chad Rodgers (both of whom train at CP) posted this up on their site yesterday detailing some of the highlights.
I’ve been alluding to this “experiment” for quite some time now – and I wouldn’t be surprised given how long it’s taken me to actually hunker down and write about it, if some of you felt I was just making it up and blowing out a bunch of hot air.
It’s kind of like that one time your best friend said he’s dating a lingerie model that he met online.
Riiiiigggghhhhttttt.
And I actually spend my nights fighting crime as a ninja. No, really, I’m not kidding!
Anyhoo, for those who need a quick refresher: I’ve been experimenting with a high(er) frequency squatting protocol that’s been in the mix for the past 6-8 weeks. I love it, and feel it’s something I may implement long-term.
The article just went live today on T-Nation and you can read it HERE.
I’d be curious to hear your thoughts after you read it. Something you feel you’d try? Think it’s crap? Don’t worry, you can be honest. I won’t cry……….
In a word: No. Actually, much like everything…..it depends.
But before I get a fusillade of hate mail for making such a heretical comment, hear me out for a second.
There’s a huge dichotomy between the word need and want.
Need and want are too different things.
Do you need to crush beers on the weekends? No, but you want to.
Do you need to bench press three times per week? No, but you want to.
Do you need to remind your boyfriend that he’s not Channing Tatum, every…..single….day? No, but you want to. We get it ladies. Channing Tatum can dance. And he has abs that could deflect bullets. And yes, his index finger probably has more sex appeal than the entire East coast. But do you have to throw it in our face every minute of every day? We have feelings too, you know!
This whole subject was spurned a few weeks ago when, after my most recent T-Nation article about shoulder pain went up, some internet warrior decided to chime in to bust my balls and made a comment that he stopped reading once he saw that I stated my best bench press was 315 lbs.
Trust me: I’ll be the first to admit that my bench numbers are pathetic, and that I should have a few points revoked from my man-card.
I replied back with: “Yeah but my internet max is like 405. That has to count for something, right?”
Of course, this has absolutely nothing to do with squatting, but it speaks to the incessant chest bumping and bravado the pervades the internet, and the fitness industry as a whole.
Peruse any fitness forum and you’ll invariably notice one common denominator, especially when it comes to squatting:
EVERYONE squats ass to grass.
And everyone, seemingly, squats 600 lbs.
For reps.
With Mila Kunis on their back.
This, my friends, is utter bull to the shit.
What’s even more comical (or scary) is that the same people that claim to lift these world renowned numbers are also the same ones who call out people for not squatting ass to grass, or chastise those who refrain from squatting all together.
As a strength coach (and some parts meathead), I’d be remiss to poo-poo on the squat. I want people to squat as I feel they’re an invaluable exercise that helps build strength, power, and helps to improve athletic performance. Moreover, you’d be hard pressed to find another exercise which helps burn more calories. So, for those more concerned with fat loss or aesthetics, squats are unparalleled.
Taking it a step further, though, I also feel squats do a fantastic job of offsetting many of the postural imbalances we see from those who spend a vast majority of their lives sitting.
Someone who can perform a proper squat demonstrates that they have the ample ankle dorsiflexion, hip flexion, t-spine extension, core stiffness, and glenohumeral ROM (to name a few) to do so. Which is saying a lot given many people can’t sit down onto a chair without blowing out their back.
So I guess the question isn’t so much “does everyone NEED to squat,” but rather……
……..“which squat variation is the safest and most effective for that one individual?”
While I’m all for people squatting with a full ROM, sometimes it’s just not feasible, and borderline counterproductive. Make someone with chronic anterior knee pain or Femoral Acetabular Impingement (FAI) squat ass to grass, and you’re setting them up for something bad to happen.
And, you’re an a-hole.
Likewise, take someone with a degenerative disc issue or who has any number of postural imbalances, place a bar on their back and make them squat, don’t be surprised if your eyes start bleeding.
Conversely, even if someone does have crazy mobility and demonstrates that (s)he can squat to depth, that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.
I’ve worked with a handful of dancers, gymnasts, cheerleaders, and Yogi’s who could contort themselves into a human pretzel and could easily squat all the way to the ground, but because they weren’t able to stabilize within that ROM, I felt it was not in their best interests to squat. That low.
We still squatted. Just within a ROM that was safe for THEM.
More to the point, I place a priority on technique (regardless of depth):
– Groove a proper hip hinge pattern (learn to sit back).
– Push the knees out.
– Learn to engage core stiffness (get tight).
– Learn to engage the lats to provide more stability to the spine.
– Maintain a “neutral” spinal position.
– Try not to pass out.
And the list could go on and on.
Look at something like a Goblet Box Squat:
[Video credit to John Gaglione]
To me – and many other fitness professionals – the Goblet squat is about as idiot proof as a squat can get. The anterior loading forces the trainee to engage their core, and the box helps to keep them “honest” and learn where proper depth actually is.
Additionally, if I have to bring the box up due to any number of issues – FAI, knee pain, whatever – I can do it and still reap many of the benefits. Really, all I care about is grooving proper technique anyways.
From there, we can progress the exercise to a lower box, or to a free-standing squat (no box). Or maybe even a goblet squat with pulse:
And then we can gravitate towards more “aggressive” squat variations like front squats or box squats or whatever we deem appropriate.
In the end, I just wish more people would consider that not everyone can show up on day one and squat, let alone ass to grass – especially without taking into consideration someone’s health history, injury history, postural imbalances, compensation patterns, and experience.
So to bring this all back around again: I DO feel that everyone should learn to squat…..the right way. But more importantly, to choose the appropriate variation that suits they’re needs.
Whether or not someone wants to squat is one thing. That’s a can of worms I don’t want to open here Do we need to squat? Well, that depends. I want to say yes given the plethora of benefits that squats have to offer.
But given how a lot of people move nowadays, it might be one of those things that’s not worth the effort – at least to start, and it’s better to approach things on a case-by case basis.
I’m obviously not going to go through every squat variation and say who should be doing what. That would take forever.
If anything, I hope this post at least starts a conversation amongst those reading and it gets people to take more of an objective look at how they go about making recommendations and programming for their clients.
Not long ago I filmed a vlog about the difference between box squats and squats TO a box. While to the casual fitness enthusiast there may be no differentiation between the two variations (a squat’s a squat, right?), these are probably the same people who feel PCs are the same thing as Macs.
That’s just crazy talk.
Crazy I tell you!!!!!
I’m not going to beat a dead horse and go into the details here (you can just click on the link above to found out the difference between the two), but I will say that my fellow partner in all things awesome, Nia Shanks, wrote a similar blog (with video) HERE which expounds on the benefits of squats TO a box.
Anyhoo, a day or two after her post went live, she received a question from one of her readers:
“Any suggestions for squat variations for people with hip flexor issues? (Tendonitis)?”
Her response (what she actually wrote):
“Good question. I’m going to pass this on to one of my friends that could provide a better answer. I’ll post his response here.”
Her response (with what I would have added if I were her):
“Good question. I’m going to pass this on to one of my friends that could provide a better answer. I’ll post his response here.
Not that this matters, but he’s incredibly intelligent, good looking, and possibly more manly than a lumberjack.”
All kidding aside (although I’m not really kidding), Nia reached out to me and asked if I had any feedback. Below is what I wrote back to her last nightl, which I decided to make into a blog post because, well, I can.
NOTE: I was watching the RedSox game as I was typing it, so please forgive the ADD nature of the post.
Goddamit Youkils, you have to swing at that pitch!!!!!
1. Know the difference between tendonitis and tendonosis.
The former is generally accompanied with slight joint inflammation and typically goes away after a few days of rest, ice, and NSAIDS.
The latter, though, refers to more of a chronic condition where the joint itself has seen some (or maybe significant) degeneration. Basically, it’s something that doesn’t go away after a few days.
That being said, when someone complains of tendonitis, and it’s been an on-going issue, it’s probably really tendonosis.
…..and some of the following may help take some of the burden off the joint itself.
2. Take a grenade approach with soft tissue work.
Foam roll EVERY…….SINGLE…….DAY. Not once a week, not only on the days that you train, but every day!
It stands to reason that if one’s knees are bothering them all the time, they have less than optimal tissue quality and it’s something that needs to be addressed. Foam rolling is one of the best ways to do so.
Healthy tissue shouldn’t hurt when you palpate it, and if it does, that’s a tall tale sign that something’s up.
Hammering areas such as the hip flexors themselves (Rectus femoris, and TFL), as well as the adductors, ITB, and glutes will undoubtedly help and often alleviate much of the symptoms.
I also like to be a bit more “specific” and target both the vastus medialis and vastus lateralis with a tennis or lacrosse ball. Both are major trigger points for knee pain, and are an often overlooked area most people ignore – along with the glute medius for that matter.
People will ignore the areas that often cause the most discomfort, but those are the areas that SHOULD be targeted.
Better yet, seek out a reputable manual therapist who will get hers or his hands on you. Nothing bothers me more than PTs who do nothing but band exercises, electrical stim and then ultra sound.
Sure they all have a time and place, but finding a therapist who provides Graston, ART, or whatever will be a definite advantage.
3. Preach to yourself vertical shin angle.
“Stacked’ joints are happy joints (as Mike Robertson would say). More often than not, it’s not squatting that bothers people’s knees, but rather, what they’re doing that bothers their knees.
I can’t take credit for the vertical shin angle cue – that goes to Charlie Weingroff – but it’s something that works wonders for people with knee pain.
Many trainees make the mistake of breaking with their knees when squatting and end up with significant forward translation of the tibia. This induces a lot more shear loading on the joint, which as you can imagine, is going to piss it off.
Instead, I like to cue the following: Make sure to SIT BACK and PUSH THE KNEES OUT.
This does two things: maintains a more upright torso and ensures there’s proper task distribution.
The initial decent should be with the hips sitting back. Doing so will not only place more emphasis on the glutes and hamstrings (hips!), but also ensure more of a vertical shin angle, which is going to be MUCH more knee friendly.
I guess, in a way, this is just a long-winded way of saying that the reason most people’s knees hurt when they squat is because of technique that makes my eyes bleed.
4. Hammer hip stability.
The knees are at the mercy of the hips (and ankles). Most trainees have piss poor hip stability and are unable to control the femur properly, which is something that Mike Robertson touches on his is Bulletproof Knees Manual.
Taking a step back and implementing some simple drills like side lying clams, x-band walks, etc would bode well.
Yes, they’re girly and seemingly worthless, but you’d be surprised at how hard side lying clams are when done correctly. We use them quite a bit in our programming at Cressey Performance, and it’s always interesting when a dude who can squat 400+ lbs has a hard time performing clams.
Taking it a step further, I’d also make a concerted effort to include more single leg work into the mix as that will automatically force one to work on their hip stability. When in single leg stance, we’re forced to utilize what’s known as the lateral sub-system to keep the pelvis steady.
For those unaware what the lateral sub-system entails: it’s the glute medius and adductor complex on standing leg, along with the quadratus lumborom on the opposite leg.
One point to consider, however, is the type of single leg work you’re doing. For those with knee issues, variations like forward lunges or walking lunges are going to be problematic due to the deceleration factor.
Ie: You have to decelerate your bodyweight in order to perform the movement.
Reverse lunges will inherently be more “knee friendly” due to the more “accelerative” nature of the movement.
Along those same lines, don’t be a hero and be too aggressive with loading when it comes to single leg work. Most trainees use waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much weight, and as a result, end up using less than exemplary technique (which defeats the purpose in the first place).
5. Booty, Booty, Booty, Booty Rockin Everywhere
As a corollary to the above, placing a premium on more glute work isn’t a bad idea either. The glutes have a VERY strong influence with regards to control of the femur.
Think of what happens when the glutes aren’t doing their job.
– You see more of an anterior pelvic tilt.
– APT results in more internal rotation of the femur.
– IR of the femur also results in in internal rotation of the tibia (and pronation of the feet).
– Your knee hates you.
Once we got those puppies firing and doing their job, we see the opposite happen:
– We see more posterior pelvic tilt of the pelvis.
– In addition, because they control the femur, we see more external rotation of the femur
– Which, of course, leads to more external rotation of the tibia (and more supination of the feet).
– Now girls will want to hang out with you.
To that end, whether you keep it simple and perform more supine or 1-legged glute bridges, or start upping the ante and perform things like deadlifts, pull-throughs, glute ham raises, KB swings, sled pushes, or grizzly wrestling………
…..the name of the game is GLUTES!!!!!!
6. We can’t neglect the core either.
More specifically, we can’t neglect the anterior core.
Even more specifically, we can’t neglect the external obliques.
Much like the above, lack of core strength and stability (especially as it relates to the obliques) will cause someone to go into more of an anterior pelvic tilt.
Utilizing movements like various chops and lifts would be of great benefit.
As would some dedicated rectus abdominus work – GASP!!!!!!!!!
7. And what the hell, when all else fails, just deadlift
Deadlifts = less hip and knee flexion, which are going to be far more knee friendly than squats. What’s more, if you really wanted to get some more quad work into the mix, you could always revert to trap bar deadlifts which are more of a quad dominant hip dominant variation anyways.
But at the end of the day, I feel that squats TO a box will definitely be a step in the right direction as far as helping those with knee pain. For starters, the box will allow one to squat in a pain free ROM – whatever the height may be. But even more importantly, it will help re-groove the proper squat pattern which most people suck at anyways.
Then, at some point, one can work on getting to full depth (which can be argued are more knee friendly as well). But lets not get too off track here, because that can be another blog post in of itself.
Now, this doesn’t mean that all the other stuff discussed above is any less important. Far from it.
But I do feel that when it comes to technique, most fail miserably. Watch both the videos that both myself and Nia provide above, and you should be golden.
Hope that sheds some light on a pretty extensive topic.
Here’s an article I wrote for Livestrong.com that went up last week.
SPOILER ALERT: Not to break the suspense or anything – as if the picture didn’t give it away – but it’s about squats.
This was actually one of THREE articles I sent in on the topic, and goes into detail on a few of the many benefits that squats have to offer. Omitted due to word constraints was the fact that squats increase your general level of badassery by 37%. 40% if you do them on Mondays (instead of benching).
In the near future, you can look for installments that expound on some common squatting mistakes (and how to fix them), as well as a few variations that I feel most people can do safely.
For now, though, if you could do me favor and read the article that would be great. And, if you like it, maybe you can click the “Like” button on the actual Livestrong page?
If you don’t like it, no worries, I won’t cry……
……that much.
But if you do, clicking the “Like’ button would be greatly appreciated as it demonstrates to the Livestrong brass that I’m kind of awesome.
This was a fantastic series (there are links to the other parts in the article I provide) by Greg about what goes through his mind when he’s approaching the bar – namely, how to set up properly for the big lifts – and how to mentally prepare yourself to, in my own words, wreck some shit.
This was actually sent to me from another reader of this blog who felt I’d appreciate Chef MacKenzie’s message and writing style – and I did/do!
When was the last time you cooked? And no, toast doesn’t count! Seriously, when was the time you went to the store, bought some fresh ingredients, and you and your significant other (or just a family member) stayed home and cooked a nutritious, homemade meal? Not only that, you then actually sat down at a table and conversed?
In an age where texting takes precedence over normal conversation, ordering a pizza is considered “cooking,” and we have no idea what “real” food actually is, I felt this was a resounding wake-up call posed to us from the good Chef.
For those who missed it, last week I opened a discussion on how to go about addressing/fixing the “tuck under” when squatting. For the record, the tuck under (or butt wink as it’s more commonly known) is not some new move that all the youngsters are raging on the dance floor nowadays – similar to the Dougie or the Stanky Leg. Rather it’s a condition that’s infinitely less sexy and hip and basically refers to one losing proper spinal positioning when squatting to a certain depth.
See? Not nearly as cool.
Literally, due to any number of reasons (discussed in the link above and more thoroughly below), the butt “tucks” underneath the pelvis when attempting to go into deep(er) hip flexion. As a result, it causes a boatload of compressive load on the lumbar spine, and to a lesser degree, which I can’t prove with any science, makes my cat cry.
Because, if there are two things in this world she hates: it’s going to the Vet and people who tuck under when they squat.
You don’t want to make my cat sad, do you?
I didn’t think so.
Before we continue on with the show, let me be clear: I WANT people to squat to proper depth. It’s just that, given many people move about as well as a one-legged pirate, it’s not necessarily mandatory one squats to depth (or ass-to-grass if we’re speaking in Bro-science terms) on day one.
I was reading through the comments from last week and noticed that some people were saying how squatting deep is something they’re reluctant to have their clients perform. Just so we’re all on the same page, my “end game” is to work with what I have and to (hopefully) get every single one of my athletes or clients to squat to depth.
It’s just that, sometimes, it’s not always a good idea to “force” someone to squat deep when they just don’t have the ability to do so safely. Hammering a square peg into a round hole isn’t going to accomplish anything, and it’s certainly not going to help the client. As coaches and trainers, it’s crucial that we recognize one’s limitations and try to work with what we have. And, with a little work, maybe….just maybe, we can improve their squatting technique.
With that said, a good starting point – and something I should have touched on in part I, but only thought of after the fact – is how to go about figuring out where proper depth is in the first place for certain individuals?
While it’s something I only use occasionally, one screen I like is the kneeling rock back assessment. Here, I’ll have someone start in the quadruped position with a neutral spine. Slowly, I have him or her sit back towards their heels to see if or when their spine hinges.
Here’s one that doesn’t suck:
As you’ll notice, as I sit back, my spine stays relatively neutral the entire time. As such, it’s safe to assume that squatting “deep” probably won’t be an issue.
Conversely, lets look at this train wreck:
Oh boy. Not good. You almost immediately notice a lumbar hinge, and unfortunately, if this were some random person, I’d probably refrain from having them squat past their point of no return. I mean, if it’s this bad with no spinal loading, can you imagine how much of a walking ball of fail they’d be if I placed a barbell on their back?
Either way, the quadruped rock back assessment will undoubtedly help you better ascertain whether or not it’s safe for someone to go into deep hip flexion without their spine hating them.
Taking it a step further, though, I still like to watch someone in a more dynamic environment, and will ask that they perform a standard body weight squat. Doing so can help me distinguish whether it’s a hamstring issue or a lack of core stability issue.
While I covered the hamstrings in part I – and that’s definitely not a bad place to spend your time – it’s my experience that the larger culprit is lack of anterior core engagement and stability.
Remember what I noted previously – because the anterior core can’t counteract the pull of the hamstrings (and adductor magnus for that matter), the force couple on the pelvis is compromised and squatting may become problematic.
How can you tell if it’s an anterior core issue? If I’m working with someone and I see a tuck under when they perform a body weight squat, I’ll simply hand them a 10 lb plate and have them hold out in front of them with their arms fully extended and perform the squat again. More often than not, the tuck goes away – like magic.
It’s like I’m Gandalf or something!
Okay, not really, but there IS a logical explanation for why this happens.
Think about what happens when you hold a plate out in front of you – what happens? Your anterior core HAS to engage/fire so as to prevent you from tipping forward. In short, you’re MORE STABLE, and better able to control the pelvis.
So, if someone performs a squat and I see the tuck under, and it corrects itself when I force them to engage their core, I can generally surmise that it’s probably a core stability issue. Not always, of course…..but it’s a start.
How To Fix It
While it’s easy to assume that fixing the issue is complicated, it really isn’t. Long division is complicated. Keeping track of all the characters in Game of Thrones is complicated. This? Not so much.
While everyone is different and I don’t like making gross recommendations, I’ve found that the following seems to bode well for most trainees:
1. Of course foam rolling is going to be part of the mix here. I’m not going to belabor the point: just do it!
As well, addressing any deficits in the thoracic spine is going to be kind of a big deal as well: read THIS and THIS for ideas on how to address getting and maintaining a neutral spine.
2. One of my favorite drills to help groove squat technique and help “open up” the hips is the Rocking SUMO Squat Stretch:
While I like the mobilization option (as shown), it’s also efficacious to use this as a standard stretch and just hold the bottom position for a desired time – say several holds throughout the day for 30-60 seconds.
3. As far as grooving proper depth is concerned, again, if someone is tucking under it’s because they don’t have the stability/stiffness in the right areas to pull off a deep squat safely. Overriding this would be the logical recommendation of squatting to a box which will prevent the tucking under in the first place.
Have them squat to a depthwhere they’re successful and work from there. Below is a video a shot a few weeks ago on the difference between box squats and squatting TO a box.
Whatever ROM elicits proper spinal alignment is what I’m going to use. If I have to resort to squatting at or above parallel, than so be it. Focus on the ROM they DO have, and work down from there. If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. No big deal. Sometimes we have to set our egos to the side.
4. Finally, and more pertinent to today’s post, add in more core engagement/stability work (NOT CRUNCHES…..as a lot of direct rectus abdominus work will only pull you into MORE posterior pelvic tilt).
Like I said, almost always, if you notice someone tucking under when they squat it’s probably a relative stiffness issue, and it stands to reason that their core is weak or unable to stabilize the pelvis. To that end, I’d make a concerted effort to hammer Pallof presses, various planks, stability ball rollouts, as well as half kneeling/tall kneeling chop and lift variations.
And that’s about it, really. Like I said, addressing the issue doesn’t take anything too fancy. Assuming we’ve ruled out more elaborate root causes (FAI, for example), I’d garner a guess that everything covered in both posts will cover most everyone’s bases when addressing the butt wink…..;o)
butt “tucks” underneath the pelvis when attempting to go into deep(er) hip flexion. As a result, it causes a boatload of compressive load on the lumbar spine, and to a lesser degree, which I can’t prove with any science, makes my cat cry.
