The Squat: Can you Coach it to Everyone?
By Andrew Richardson (BSc), Owner of Richardson’s Strength and Conditioning, Head Coach of the Teesside Barbarians and Level 2 IPF Powerlifting Coach and current MSc Student
It may seem like an obvious answer however, most trainers, coaches and PT’s struggle to coach the squat. They just see it as another exercise, not a complex movement which so many factors play a key role in ensuring the squat is performed correctly and safely for any individual. A lot of the times the information they have read leads trainers to be misinformed. This I will help to eliminate and to help those in some squatting tips. As a forewarning, this is how I was taught and how I have learned to teach the squat (in all its variations). By all means please try them out but be open to other coach’s interpretations and methods of teaching.
The article was made based off my lecture noes to Undergraduates at Teesside University (2017). Lectured notes tailored to students whom are new to coaching and fitness.
Let’s get into it!
Escamilla et al (2000) cited the squat as the best exercise, as it can make athletes quicker or add muscle mass. Due to its array of applications, the squat is one of the most recorded movements within the Sports Science and Strength and Conditioning literature (Brown 1988, Chiu et al 2009, Chiu & Burkhardt 2011 and Cissik 2000). It has been named the gold standard of leg strength assessment (Escamilla et al 2001a and Escamilla et al 2000b). Additionally, the squat is a great assessment tool for many components of fitness, such as motor unit recruitment, maximal strength, balance and flexibility (Bell et al 2008, Clark and Lucett, 2007 and Escamilla et al 2001). Hartmann, Wirth and Klusemann (2013) stated in their paper "provided that technique is learned accurately under expert supervision and with progressive training loads, the deep squat presents an effective training exercise for protection against injuries and strengthening of the lower extremity."
We know it is a well referenced and popular exercise amongst the literature but, what muscles are being used and how? Table 1 and Table 2 give a detailed overview on how the anatomy of the human body works in relation to performing a squat;
Table 1.0 The Role of the Muscles in the Back Squat (Clark & Lucett, 2007).
Type of Muscle Function of the Muscle What Muscles are Used
Agonist
Prime Mover
Gluteus Maximus
Quadriceps
Synergist
Assists Prime Mover Hamstrings
Stabilizer
Stabilise while Prime Mover & Synergist Work Transversusabdominis
Antagonist
Oppose Prime Mover
Psoas
Table 2.0 The Barbell Back Squat (Yule, 2007)
Muscle Function
Quadriceps
Extend the Knee
Gluteus
Extend the Hips
Gluteus Med
Extending of the Hip and Lateral Hip rotation
Hamstrings
Extend the Hip
Erector Spinae
Stabiliser of the Spine and Pelvis
Latissimusdorsi
Stabiliser of the Spine and Pelvis
Adductors Contribute to the extension of the hips and stabilising of it.
(Magnus, Longus,
Brevis & Minimus)
Abdominals
Stabiliser of the Spine and Pelvis
When coaching the back squat think of it as a balance drill. Imagine this in your head as your reading this; The distance between the subjects’ feet when squatting is known as the base of support (BOS). When using weight (external load), it will have an effect on the subject’s centre of mass (COM). This external load can be referred to as the perceived centre of mass (PCOM). If the PCOM moves outside the BOS (barbell moves away from the midfoot), then the squat will become more challenging (Cleather, 2012). From image below we can clearly see this affecting the individual below when the barbell moves away from the mid foot.
Figure 1.0 Correct Positioning for the Back Squat (Khan, 2016)
Credit: http://smartlifting.org/2015/08/com-delle-mie-brame/
To far back and you will fall backwards, too far forward and you will fall forward with the bar hitting your head. To summarise the first section, we have looked out the usefulness of the back squat, its anatomical and biomechanical abilities and how the squat is a balance skill when being coached.
When we squat depending on the individual we will open up our hips at different angles based upon our femur, tibia/fibia lengths and ankle, knee, hip joint designs.
The next section of the article has me answering some of the most common questions I get as a coach when being asked about the squat. This makes it easier for you as readers (whom I writing this for coaches and trainers) as you will get asked similar questions.
1. Question: What coaching points would you give when coaching a novice the bodyweight squat?
(This is assuming they have no injuries and have full mobility)
My main coaching points for the bodyweight squat (a lot of these cues can be applied to weighted versions of the squat as well);
• Get feet in correct stance based on individuals biomechanics (we will expand on this later).
• Head neutral (this just means head straight not forward or back).
• Eyes up (look up few inches above where you are looking forward).
• Shoulder blades retracted and flex the lat muscles (this creates a strong and tight upper back). This also replaces the chest up cue as many new lifters will just arch their upper backs causing an exaggerated extension of the back. This will lead to injury if not corrected.
• Brace core (small amount of air breathed in and in combination with this flex your abdominal muscles. Hold this tension when squatting).
• Break at the hips (push your hips back first when squatting not bending at the knees).
• Knees track over toes (within one’s ankle dorsi flexion ability).
• Feet stay on the ground (don’t roll inwards).
• Keep yourself braced and looking up during descent (simply put don’t collapse your form when coming in and out of the hole).
• Once below parallel (or whatever depth the person can achieve) then come back up and stand tall.
For video demonstration please refer to:
• Bodyweight squat coaching video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3etB0RavVuw
• Coaching the back squat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZlcBUnkdp8
2. Question: If someone cannot do a bodyweight squat (for whatever reason) what can they do instead?
• Isometric corner squats (hold a corner of a squat rack for few sets of 10-15 seconds, fires up the quads and keeps good form).
• Paused bodyweight squats (again maintains good techqniue and pauses can be done at a variety of heights based on the individuals needs).
• Squatting to a Box or chair. The height of the box/chair can be reduced over time (depending on the client this is quite good if someone has tendonitis or some other knee injury, as the weight is shifted to the hips/hamstrings/glutes more rather than the quadriceps.
• Leg Curl Machine (works the hamstrings).
• Leg Extension Machine (works the quadriceps).
• Leg Press Machine (works the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves).
• Trap Bar Deadlift. This is a great tool for clients who are very tall, lack hip or shoulder mobility and finally may have weak quads. Clients can grab the bar as the handles are raised, similar mechanics to a squat and a nice stepping stone to doing a squat.
These are just a suggestion (I will do an article on the deadlift separately to cover it as well).
3. Question: What should I look for when coaching a client who has different limb lengths or impairments?
(This won’t cover everything as some injuries can make up their own articles this is a brief summary for trainers and coaches out there).
Here are some key points about building the squat for an individual;
• Look at their leg length in relation to their torso. If their legs are longer than their torso then they will naturally have a wider stance squat (depending on their hip mobility).
• If they have a very long back this will limit their ROM (range of motion) when squatting down. Linked in with tight hips and tight lower back. Have a tendency to collapse forward when squatting (this can be affected even more with tight ankles and shoulders).
• Students, office based jobs will have poor ankle, knee, hip mobility as they sit down all the time so depth and degrees of freedom around a joint will be limited.
• What is their ankle mobility like? Are they wearing the appropriate shoes? Do they wear insoles?
• What is their injury list? Can they physically do a squat? Can they stand up or sit down without pain?
• What is their end goal? Do they want to get stronger or faster or bigger legs?
• What is their sport? Is it explosive or endurance?
As you can see this is just a snapshot of what you may see when working with an array of clients so be prepared to adapt movements around your client needs.
4. Question: I have a good grasp of the bodyweight squat. What can I do next?
The following exercises are suitable to use as progressions (in no particular order);
• High bar back squat (barbell rests on an individual’s traps).
• Barbell Paused squat (same as the above but pausing it).
• Lunge done statically without weight (single leg work is a great way to bring up strength).
• Goblet squat (nice exercise keeping the spine neutral can use a kettlebell or dumbbell).
• Overhead squat with bands (great for mobility and progressing to doing an overhead squat).
• Front Squat (with kettlebells is a great way to strengthen the quads and core muscles).
Not everyone you meet will be able to do every exercise I have listed (and there is more I haven’t listed). It is your job as coaches to make the call and assess what they can and cannot do. This will require some time to eliminate out what your client is physically able to do whilst still achieving their goals.
5. Question: From the exercises suggested as regressions and progressions. What kind of variations can I do?
Variations which can be applied to exercises I have mentioned;
• Tempo of the movement (Time under Tension training for hypertrophy).
• Pauses at different points of a movement to create for tension (again for hypertrophy or to build strength at a specific point of a movement).
• Weight used as in percentage of one rep max (1RM).
• Drop Sets/Super Sets/Pyramid Sets for lactic acid training, hypertrophy training or strength endurance and much more.
• Bands around the knees to create more tension when externally rotating the femur away from the body (gets the glute muscles more engaged).
• Stance Width when doing a squat (wider stance more glutes and hamstrings, close stance more quadriceps).
• Speed/Velocity of the barbell is referring to how fast or slow one is lifting the bar. This is dependent on the sport or goal of an individual.
6.
Question: What technical issues should I be aware of when coaching my clients when they are squatting?
These are things you may see clients do which will affect their technical proficiency in this exercise;
• Fall backward (see image below). This is usually due to being off balance and putting the weight too much on the back foot when sitting into the hole or when coming out of the hole they push back and don’t slow down.
Figure 2.0 Incorrect Positioning for the Back Squat
Credit: http://smartlifting.org/2015/08/com-delle-mie-brame/
• Fall forward (see Image above). Can be due to losing balance or lack of mobility at the ankles to go down low. To compensate the chest is pushed forward which gives the impression (to the lifter) he/she is going lower where in fact they are just going forward not lower.
• Knees caving inwards (this is known as Knee Valgus Collapse). Can be due to tight hip flexors, tight glutes or lack of stability of the knee joint during the lift itself.
• Ankles rolling inward. Lack of mobility or due to having high arches, this is because the feet will collapse inwards (due to the increase in weight). This causes a knock on effect, knees come in then hips come inward. If a lifter has high arches insoles are recommended. If possible have a client’s gait assessed as if their squatting is being affected their walking is probably affected as well.
• Elbows flaring back. This is a lack of lat tightness or not enough shoulder mobility under the bar. Try and get your clients to pull the barbell into their traps as if they are doing a lat pulldown
movement. Once pulled down, then crush their lats together with their elbows (mobility permitting). If struggling widen their grip and do the above again.
• Rounded back is due to not doing the above and or a combination of no upper back tightness and not bracing.
• Dive bombing (rapid speed of descent). This is squatting which maximum effort down without control. Only thing one will gain with this getting themselves injured. Leave the ego at the door and slow down the movement.
Reference List
1. Bell, D. R., Padua, D. A. & Clark, M. A. (2008). Muscle Strength and Flexibility Characteristics of people displaying excessive Knee Displacement. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 89: pp.1323-1328.
2. Brown, L. (1998) Which way to do the Squat Exercise? Strength and Conditioning, 20, pp. 65-66
3. Chiu, L.Z.F. and Burkhardt, E. (2011). A Teaching Progression for Squatting Exercises. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 33, pp. 46-54.
4. Chiu, L.z.f. et al. (2009) Sitting back in the Squat. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 31, pp. 25-27.
5. Cissik, J. (2000) Coaching the Front Squat. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 22, pp. 7-12.
6. Clark, M. A. and Lucett, S. C. (2007). NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
7. Dan Cleather. (2012). Squatting is a balance skill: An alternative technical model. In: Ian Jeffreys Professional Strength and Conditioning. Lancashire: UKSCA. pp. 17-21.
8. Escamilla, R. F. (2001a). Knee Biomechanics of the dynamic squat exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 33(1), pp. 127-141.
9. Escamilla, R. F., Fleisig, G. S., Zheng, N., Lander, J. E., Barrentire, S. W., Andrews, J. R., Bergeman, B. W. and Moorman, C. T. (2001). Effects of technique variation on knee biomechanics during the squat and leg press. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise Science, 33: pp. 1552-1566.
10. Escamilla, R.F., Fleisig, G.S., Lowry, T.M., Barrentine, S.W. and Andrews, J.R., 2001. A three-dimensional biomechanical analysis of the squat during varying stance widths. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 33(6), pp.984-998.
11. Hartmann, H., Wirth, K. and Klusemann, M. (2013). Analysis of the load on the knee joint and vertebral column with changes in squatting depth and weight load. Sports Medicine, 43(10), pp.993-1008.
12. Yasha Khan. (2016). Check Your Balance. Available: http://yashathoughts.com/check-your-balance/. [Accessed 20th March 2016].
13. Yule, S. (2007). The Back Squat. Professional Strength and Conditioning, 8, pp. 20-23.
Andrew Richardson, Founder of Strength is Never a Weakness Blog
I have a BSc (Hons) in Applied Sport Science and a Merit in my MSc in Sport and Exercise Science and I passed my PGCE at Teesside University.
Now I will be commencing my PhD into "Investigating Sedentary Lifestyles of the Tees Valley" this October 2019.
I am employed by Teesside University Sport and WellBeing Department as a PT/Fitness Instructor.
My long term goal is to become a Sport Science and/or Sport and Exercise Lecturer. I am also keen to contribute to academia via continued research in a quest for new knowledge.
My most recent publications:
My passion is for Sport Science which has led to additional interests incorporating Sports Psychology, Body Dysmorphia, AAS, Doping and Strength and Conditioning.
Within these respective fields, I have a passion for Strength Training, Fitness Testing, Periodisation and Tapering.
I write for numerous websites across the UK and Ireland including my own blog Strength is Never a Weakness.
I had my own business for providing training plans for teams and athletes.
I was one of the Irish National Coaches for Powerlifting, and have attained two 3rd places at the first World University Championships,
in Belarus in July 2016.Feel free to email me or call me as I am always looking for the next challenge.
Facebook: Andrew Richardson (search for)
Facebook Page: @StrengthisNeveraWeakness
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Email: a.s.richardson@tees.ac.uk
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