As coaches we often have a standard set-up for teaching the barbell squat. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always work. No two people will squat the same way. There is no “one size fits all” approach to squatting.
Click HERE to watch the video tutorial on how to do Barbell Squat
There are two main factors that dictate how well we squat.
Mobility – the pliability of our soft tissues (muscles and fascia) and how it affects how we move. When our tissues become stiff or shortened, they can hinder our ability to move well.
Anatomy – the way our bones are formed and aligned. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that you have a different bone structure.
By addressing stiff tissues, we can easily improve our technique. Recently, “mobility” has been has become a popular buzzword.
However, for some individuals, they just can’t seem to perfect the squat or achieve a flawless pistol squat. No amount of mobility work will change their squatting mechanics. When an athlete has a problem with their squat due to their anatomy, they will always be fighting an upward battle. This will be apparent when we have a closer look at the hip joint.
Anatomy 101:
The hip is basic ball-and-socket joint. The end of our thigh bone (femur) is shaped like a small ball. It fits within the “socket” (acetabulum) of our hips.
However, not everyone fits this structure and variations in the way our hips are formed will impact how we move.
Since the early 2000s we have witnessed many research articles taking a closwer look at the hip joint in individuals. We see that a large majority of individuals have a normal hip however over 30% of individuals did not.
You can see a distinct difference in socket positions in these hip bones. The next we must consider is the bone that attaches into the socket the “femur”.
Some people also have variations in the way their femurs are shaped. For example, some of us have femurs that are twisted forward or backward. This will affect the alignment of the femur in the hip joint. A more angled femur (right) is called an anteverted hip. A flattened angle (left) gives us a retroverted hip (2).
Because of this reason that is why it is very important to appropriately screen your athletes prior to loading them. Forcing an athlete to conform to the ‘ideal’ squat technique when they have this type of anatomy can be disastrous. If an athlete reports feeling uncomfortable with their squat stance no matter how much mobility work they do, they should be screened to see if their anatomy is preventing their progress.
Some athletes can naturally squat with a wide stance. Others (especially those with hip anteversion) will have to squat with a narrow stance. Some athletes will be able to squat with their toes straightforward and others will have to turn their toes out at an angle in order to reach full depth.
An athlete’s stance should be dictated therefore by comfort. They need to feel stable with whatever stance they take and they should not have a pain. If you sense pain, this is your body telling you to move differently. Listen to it.
Just because anatomy may not be on your side doesn’t mean you should not squat. You only need to understand what works for your body and make the right adjustments in order to reach your potential and stay pain free. Reach out to us today to help you sustain a pain free squat.
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