Welcome back to Squat University! If you’re dealing with an injury while lifting – this is a good starting place. In the blogs below you’ll find links to many of the common places you will find aches/pains when lifting. In these blogs you’ll learn WHY these injuries occur and also some of the best firstContinue reading Common Lifting Injuiies
How to Improve Overhead Stability
Welcome back to Squat University! Last week we started a conversation on scapular stability. The muscles that control the scapula help stabilize the barbell during an overhead squat or snatch movement in a strong and safe position. Previously, we introduced the T & Y screen as a tool to expose possible weak links our scapularContinue reading How to Improve Overhead Stability
How to Screen for Overhead Stability
Imagine for a moment a young boy helping his father set up a tall ladder. The young boy kneels at the base of the ladder, firmly securing it to the ground. The father then pushes the ladder upwards, leaning it against the side of their house. This illustration is precisely what happens at your shoulderContinue reading How to Screen for Overhead Stability
How Hip Anatomy Affects Squat Mechanics
As coaches we often have a standard set-up for teaching the barbell squat. Toes should point out slightly, feet should be placed at shoulder width and everyone should squat below parallel. Unfortunately this doesn’t always work. No two people will squat exactly the same way. There is no “one size fits all” approach to squatting.Continue reading How Hip Anatomy Affects Squat Mechanics
3 Core Stability Exercises For a Better Squat
Proper mechanics during the squat is all about maintaining proper core stability. If core stability is compromised strength and power is lost.Continue reading 3 Core Stability Exercises For a Better Squat
System Failure
Our system is broken. We are failing ourselves professionally. We have failed the athletes, coaches, parents and young colleagues around us. This would be a good time to pop some popcorn and prepare for an aging mans rant… We’ll take a break from the other well written and thought out posts of Squat University. This will be less of that and more of a conversation with your grandfather discussing how he walked up hill both ways to school in the snow and how this generation has ruined everything good.Continue reading System Failure
How to Breathe when Squatting
A proper squat is all about maintaining proper spinal stability. When we combine the coordinated bracing ability of our core muscles and harness the power of our breath we allow our body to move properly and lift tremendous weights safely.Continue reading How to Breathe when Squatting
How to Teach a Perfect Squat
When we talk about the squat many people often want to jump right into discussing the barbell squat. We forget the basics of the bodyweight squat. If we don’t address the movement of the squat before the exercise version of the squat we set ourselves up for failure. If we can fix the issues that present during the bodyweight squat we give ourselves a greater capability to carry the load of the barbell. We should all have the ability to perform a full depth “ass-to-grass” squat without any weight. Period.Continue reading How to Teach a Perfect Squat
Can The Knees Go Over The Toes?
Just last week, I was guest lecturing to a class of physical therapy students at the University of Missouri. I asked a simple question, “How many people here think we should never have our knees go past the toes while squatting? Following my inquiry, every single student held their hand raised. The next thing I said was, “You’re all wrong.”Continue reading Can The Knees Go Over The Toes?
Are Deep Squats Bad For The Knees?
The squat is a staple exercise in almost every resistance-training program. Today athletes of all ages and skill levels use the barbell squat to gain strength and power. However, a good amount of controversy still exists on its safety. There are many opinions when it comes to optimal squat depth. Some experts claim squatting asContinue reading Are Deep Squats Bad For The Knees?