Perfecting the Squat

The Squat implementation and technique tips

The Squat, also known as knee flexion, is one of the most important fitness exercises. It is the most effective exercise for both strength and muscle building. In fact, everyone should incorporate the Squat into his or her training schedule. Unfortunately the Squat is often skipped in the gym, where it is a tendency that the focus is mainly on training the upper body. Also, many people do not know exactly how to perform a good Squat. It is a technically difficult exercise; so many people try to avoid doing it. Read on quickly to learn the good Squat version and avoid injuries!

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Which muscles do you train with the Squat?

Before you decide whether squats are useful for you, you obviously need to know which muscles you train with. Squats are also called "the mother of exercises" because they train many different muscles. That's why squats will almost always fit into your workout, whatever your fitness goal. With squats train the following muscles:

•  The erector spinae (back muscles)
•  The gluteus maximus (large gluteal muscle)
•  The hamstrings
•  The quadriceps

The erector spinae (back muscles)

The erector spinae or back stretcher is a group of long back muscles that is important for stretching and bending the back (as the name of this muscle group probably already suggested). When you do a squat, you contract these muscles when you go up and when you go down. This means that these back muscles are actually continuously busy during squatting.

Training your back muscles is very important if you also want to train your abdominal muscles. If you train only your abdominal muscles, but not your back muscles, you can, as it were, "bend" backwards in posture.

The gluteus maximus (large gluteal muscle)

The squat is known as an exercise with which you train your buttocks, and this is certainly not a myth. Squatting is one of the best ways to train the gluteus maximus. This is the largest of the three gluteals, and also the muscle that largely determines the shape of the buttocks. If you want to work on this, there is no better exercise than the squat.

Buttock muscles are generally seen as attractive in both men and women. In women, they provide rounder, larger-looking buttocks, which most men find very beautiful, but women can also particularly appreciate a muscular buttocks in men.

The hamstrings

The hamstrings, also called the “back thigh muscles”, is a collective name for the three muscles that are located at the back of the upper leg. These muscles run from your buttocks to your lower leg. During squats you use these muscles very intensively to keep your body up.

Hamstrings are often seen as the measurement of how agile someone is, and are important in activities such as football, running, cycling and swimming. In addition, it is very important to train these muscles if you also train the rest of the muscles in your body: if you neglect your hamstrings, your legs will seem weird, small and out of proportion to the rest of your body.

The quadriceps

The quadriceps, also called the four-headed thigh muscle, is a muscle that sits at the front of your thigh, just on the other side of the thigh than the hamstring. The function they perform at squats is very similar to the function of the hamstrings, and so these muscles are also highly trained by this exercise. The benefits of well-trained quadriceps are very similar to those of hamstrings.

Other Benefits of squats

Besides the fact that squatting for many muscles is a very effective training method, the exercise has even more advantages. I will briefly discuss two of these benefits, namely:

•  The production of testosterone and growth hormone
•  Effective burning of body fat

The production of testosterone and growth hormone

When you exercise, you always make testosterone and growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1. In people who squat, however, the production of these substances appears to be a lot higher than with people who only do other exercises. This not only has a positive effect on the aforementioned muscle groups, but on all of the muscle building in your body.

People with more testosterone and growth hormone in their bodies can build muscle mass more easily, so also in other places in your body you will find that by doing squats you will suddenly become more muscular.

For the women who are afraid that this will give them a very masculine figure; do not worry about this, because you need a lot more testosterone than you could ever produce by way of squats.

Effective burning of body fat

If you want a more muscular look, it helps the visibility of your muscles enormously if you lose some fat. Fortunately, squats are ideal for burning body fat. During this intensive exercise you burn a lot of calories.

Myths about Squats

The knees may not come directly above the toes during the Squat

Many fitness instructors are of the opinion that during the Squat “your knees should never be positioned directly above your toes”. However, scientific evidence has never been provided before. No research has shown that permanent damage occurs if your knees exactly vertically above your toes. If you are forced to keep your toes behind your knees, you will put extra strain on your hips and lower back, which is not good. 

In conclusion, we can say that your knees may be slightly ahead of your toes. So make sure you have a Squat where your movement is as natural as possible and (only when you really need it) the knees are slightly ahead of your toes.

Squatting is bad for your knees

Unfortunately, it is sometimes thought that strength training is bad for your joints . The Squat would be too high a load for your knee joint. But this is a myth. It is said that the Squat is bad for your knees, however, a correct Squat version provides a strengthening of the muscles around your knee. This makes your knee stronger and more resilient in its entirety. For comparison; when running, there is much more pressure on your knees than during Squatting. With a Squat in correct shape, the power is divided over your leg muscles and hips.

Learning the correct Squat execution

Well, a Squat cannot harm your knees. But how do you perform a perfect Squat now? Follow the instructions below about your posture and you will soon notice that you are making progress -

o    Head: When you are standing upright, you choose a point right in front of you / something above you, here you keep watching during the entire exercise.

o    Shoulders: By squeezing your shoulder blades together, you will create a kind of ridge where the barbell / bar can stay on. 

o    Chest: During the Squat you try to keep the chest as upright as possible. As if you very confidently push your chest forward.

o    Hands: The position of your hands is important. Position them so that you have enough control over the rod and at the same time your elbow angle is sufficient to carry the barbell and the weight. Make sure that you do not place your hands too far apart.

o    Abdominal and lower back muscles: Provide a neutral, slightly concave, posture in your back. Keep on tightening your stomach and lower back muscles.

o    Hips and Thighs: Move your hips backwards. "Sit" like you would in a chair. However, you do not sit completely on the ground, but you keep squatting above the ground at the point where your thighs are about as straight as the ground.

o    Knees: Make your knees bend straight down, do not allow them to move too far inwards or outwards. It is important that you do not let your knees protrude beyond your toes. If you do, you will have difficulty keeping your balance, and you will train your muscles less effectively.

o    Feet: Put your feet down on shoulder width, or slightly wider. Your toes point forwards or outwards by 30 degrees. During the entire Squat your feet stay flat on the ground to maintain sufficient stability.

Variants of the Squat

By experimenting with your posture with the Squat you can put more emphasis on certain muscles. The Quadriceps in any case with every Squat variant fully participate.

o    Deeper = More activity in Gluteus and Hamstrings

o    Broader = More activity in Gluteus and Adductors

Sumo Squat ; Feet wide and outward. Less heavy for the lower back, but due to the lack of depth, less activity in the hamstrings.

Front Squat ; Place the rod on the front of your shoulders. For athletes with a vulnerable knee joint or limited flexibility in the shoulders, the front squat may be better suited than the back squat. But it does not matter for your legs.

Overhead Squat ; Hold the rod over your head. This is a slightly more difficult exercise and especially good for stability and flexibility.

Half Squat ; Stay slightly above parallel (90 degrees). Focus on the quads. Less effective than the Full Squat version.

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