How to perform a single let squat
Squats - the king of the exercises
Squats - the king of the exercises. Perhaps no gym exercise gets more accolades then the squat. And the heavier and deeper you go the better they are - so we're told.
But is the squat all it is cracked up to be?
Keep reading to discover why the squat can create a lot of dysfunction in the back and neck and why the single leg squat is likely a better alternative to the barbell version for the majority of your clients.
Now don't get me wrong, the traditional barbell squat is a great exercise. If you train athletes, you will have to improve their squat. If you want your client to work and breathe and kick up their metabolism really high, the barbell squat will do it. If you want to lift, tone, burn, or bake your hips, thighs, hamstrings and entire lower leg, the squat is your movement.
If your client currently has back pain or you want to give them a back injury keep them performing barbell squats, especially deep squats.
Yes, the squat will injure your client's IF they don't have perfect mechanics. And how many of your client's have perfect mechanics during the squat?
Just how does the barbell squat lead to injury?
Placing the bar behind your shoulders locks the thoracic spine into extension. This causes obligatory flexion of the lower lumbar spine as the client descends into the squat. And the more limited their hip range of motion the worse it is on their lumbar spine.
What about those client's that look like they maintain great posture?
Palpate their spine as they descend into the squat and what you will find with the majority of your clients is they will go into lumbar flexion. Actually, what happens is they have an anterior shear the upper vertebral segments relative to the lower segments thereby creating the flexion instability in their low back. Most fitness professionals don't palpate their clients during exercise so miss these all-important signs of spine instability.
What exercises can you substitute for barbell squats?
Farmers walks, pushing a sled, RDL's, body weight squats or holding relatively heavy dumbbells or kettlebell between the feet (modified 1 arm RDL), Bulgarian squat, tri-planar or walking lunges are just as beneficial without the deleterious effects of locking the thorax and hyper-mobilization of the lumbar spine that occurs during the traditional barbell squat.
Want another great exercise?
Try the one-legged squat. All the benefits of a squat - it's hard, it's taxing, it works the entire lower leg - with the added benefit or challenge of stability. And you increase the weight on the working leg while being able to decrease the relative spinal load that occurs with a heavy barbell. And since most sports and activities of daily life have some component of single leg mechanics, the single leg squat becomes one of the most functional lower extremity movement patterns.
However, you have to be sure your client performs them correctly.
Check out the accompanying video for cuing the single leg squat and the classic signs of dysfunction with this pattern.
http://fitnesseducationseminars.com/single_leg_squat.htm
CONCLUSION: The barbell squat is a great exercise - if your client has great mechanics. If not, peel the weight off their back and work on their squat mechanics. Once they have great mechanics, progressively load them and progress them to the single leg version.
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How to perform a single let squat
By: Evan Osar
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