Before you take on a new fitness program, it's best to assess what your body is capable of—and where you need work. One easy way to judge your pre-program fitness level? Check out your squatting form.
Your squatting form can tell you a lot about where you're tight, where you're weak, and overall what you need to work on in your program. It's best if a fitness professional trained in the Functional Movement Screen assesses you, but there are some simple observations you can make on your own to get the gist of what you need to know.
The Test
Start by standing in front of a mirror with your feet just outside of shoulder width, toes facing forward with your arms straight ahead. Maintain an upright torso and keep your heels down as you squat as low as you can go, keeping your arms ahead. Perform facing the mirror and sideways to the mirror.
Five questions to ask yourself as you are performing the overhead bodyweight squat:
1. Are you unable to get your hips below your knees, achieving a full range of motion squat, while keeping your heels down and arms overhead?
2. Do your knees collapse in?
3. Do you lean to one side, shifting your weight? You'll see this when facing the mirror by watching your hips to see if they shift to one side.
4. Does your torso bend forward beyond parallel with your shins? Your back should be parallel or more vertical than your shins. If you feel your back rounding forward take note.
5. Are your arms drifting down as you squat?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, your squat form is improper—a clear sign that your body is compensating due to something being tight or weak. Some possibilities: "Most commonly, tight ankles, lats, and a lack of mobility in the upper back along with short hip flexors are the reason you can't perform a bodyweight squat with good form," says Mike Wunsch, FMS Level 2, CSCS. "In addition, lacking core stability can be an issue."
How to Improve Your Form
One of the easiest places to get started fixing your body's inefficiencies is to train the squat movement de-loaded with the right form. Using a tool such as a TRX band to hold on to, you can build up strength doing the squat properly. Hold on to the TRX, taking some of your body weight off, as much as you need to, in order to squat with full range of motion, keeping your heels down and torso upright. As you practice that movement you'll see improvement and will eventually be able to squat with good form without the help of the TRX.
In addition to adding de-loaded squats to your program, you should also include core stability exercises such as planks. "The lack of core stability is one of the primary limiting factors when performing an overhead squat," says Craig Rasmussen, also FMS level 2, CSCS.
You should also include stretches to improve your range of motion for your ankles, hip flexors and lats while using a foam roller, especially on your upper back.
After taking on this training regimen, re-test your squat every couple weeks, to track your progress. Once you can perform a full range of motion squat with your heels down, torso upright, and arms straight ahead, you'll know you're ready to take on more intense fitness programs.
More from WH:
Total-Body TRX Workout
Best Bodyweight Exercises
Soothe Muscle Soreness with a Foam Roller
No comments:
Post a Comment