Squats are useful not only for legs and buttocks: it is one of the best exercises for development of force and a set of muscular mass of all body, and for weight loss. In addition, squats include the work of three groups of joints — ankle, knee and hip, and strengthen the knee tendons. Plus, squats are great for balance and coordination. The main thing here is the technique: how useful is right, squats are so harmful is wrong.
By and large, there are several important points in the technique of this exercise.
The first is a mandatory parallel to the direction of the hips and feet. Feet and hips when squatting should look in the same direction. A common mistake-the feet are slightly placed to the sides, and the hips are directed straight or even inward when the weight is too much. Consequences-serious injuries of the knees (meniscus). Your leg muscles may not be strong enough yet. But believe me, to strengthen them quickly, you can just right squat. How to fix: stand in front of a mirror and make sure that when performing the exercise, the knees “do not go” to the sides or inside.
The second moment is associated with the trajectory of the torso and legs and depend on the inclination of a trunk forward, ability of holding the vertebrae, and other physiological characteristics. The correct trajectory is checked by the degree of protrusion of the knees and the head (torso) relative to a projection of the toes, the knees and head should not go beyond this imaginary line (the allowed minimum output of a few centimeters). Why so? Because this — right — position the center of gravity falls in the center of the foot, not socks. Consequences of misuse of equipment — a back injury or the lack of progress in strength and muscle growth of the legs (the burden falls not on purpose).
Moment third. Squats-is not only the work of the legs and buttocks, it is also the work of the back muscles. The back should be bent throughout the movement. It is thanks to the deflection that the negative load from the spinal column is removed, thus the risk of injury is minimized. Lower your shoulders and pull them back.
Do not arch or round your back, do not slouch: from the tailbone to the back of the head should be a straight line. Rounded back you do not need here-otherwise you overload the lower back. Throughout the exercise, it is important to maintain a straight posture.
Glance directed upward. Very often, a squat down, they say, to see what is down there, maybe that is not so. Much kruglitsa back.
While performing sit-UPS breathe a belly, a little blow and tense the abdominal muscles: they must form a corset around your waist and fix the spine. As in the situation with the back, it will strengthen the body and protect the spine from overload. Plus in that performance of knee-bends — you also train the abdominal muscles.
Moment the fourth. Keep your heels on the floor. When you squat the load should fall on the heel, i.e. when You dosely to the bottom of the heel should be tightly pressed to the floor, not hanging in the air. If it does not allow You to do anatomically, the features of the body, then it is possible to enclose under a heel a small (2.5 kg) pancakes or a block of wood. Check, if in the lower point heels “not walk”, then all well.
When you rise from the bottom point to the starting position, do not straighten until the end of the leg. So you turn off most of the muscle groups of the legs, and all the load is transferred to the knee joint.
The moment the fifth. Do not hold your breath, breathe evenly and calmly, in time with the movements.
And finally. Do not be surprised, but before the squat does not hurt warm — up-it will prepare the joints and muscles to load. And maybe help prevent injury.
Many people wonder what kind of squats to choose-the traditional deep squat, to parallel or stop at half-squats? Each of the three variants of the same exercise is effective in its own way.
Deep squat involves the maximum number of leg muscles, ranging from the quadriceps, ending with the gluteal muscles. The advantage of deep squats, not only in quantity, but the quality of involvement of the muscles – when a maximum amplitude, they cancel out.
In turn, propriedade somewhat less feature the buttocks and two-headed muscles of the thigh, but more load quads as a partial amplitude gives the opportunity to work with a lot more weight that great impact on hormonal response.
Squats to parallel (when the hip is in the horizontal position) is a kind of compromise between the first and second kind, among a large number of the working muscles and more weight.
You can argue for a long time about what is better. But it is wiser to worry about which option is right for you. There is a simple home method testirovanie in squats: should be facing the wall at a distance of socks (it is possible to increase the distance by 5 /±5/ cm). In this position, you must perform a squat (without weight, hands behind his head or with anything on his shoulders, simulating the neck). If you succeeded, then there are no problems with the technique. If it did not, then your knees come forward too because of the incorrect position of the pelvis or too strong torso forward due to the incorrect bending of the back.
And where is the deep squat to parallel and partial? It's simple: if you performed a test squat against the wall with full amplitude, then the classic deep squat is your exercise. If same failure you befell in moment, when your hips adopted parallel position (or close to him), means you anatomically more suited squats until Parallels. And finally, if you are unable to perform a test squat, and the problem occurred in the initial phase of the amplitude, then stop at the partial amplitude.
With all this, it is important to know the following: failures when performing a deep squat test against the wall are associated with several reasons.
The first reason — lack of experience or basic ignorance of the correct technique. Sometimes the problem is that most people lack the mobility of the ankles, hips, thoracic spine and shoulders to maintain the correct position. This reason is easily eliminated by training with the help of an instructor or a competent partner, or by practicing alone against the wall.
In addressing this issue an important place is the distance between the feet and the presence / absence of the base under the heels. When you run the test, experiment with narrow, regular, and wide placement. Obviously, one of them will be the most comfortable and the other of them the least comfortable. So you can understand what is the distance between the feet is right for you. The same goes for the need to enclose the elevation under the heels.
The second reason is anatomical, usually associated with an unusual proportion of thigh and Shin length or long legs relative to the length of the torso. With such physiological layouts, it is often simply impossible to sit down so that the knees remain within the desired range. But in this case, a slight protrusion of the knees forward will be within the norm. However, it is worth knowing that it is difficult for such athletes to perform a deep squat with a large weight, it is easy to get injured, and the difference in working weights for full and partial amplitude will be huge.
Contraindications for performing squats: problems with the spine, knee and hip joints, predisposition to varicose veins and other diseases that can be indicated by the doctor. If you consider yourself completely healthy, but during squats feel discomfort (knees, lower back, etc.), then pay special attention to the correct technique (ask the coach to monitor the exercise). If pain or discomfort persists, be sure to consult a doctor. Inattentive attitude to yourself can end with trauma (stretching, hernia, etc.), which will deprive you of the opportunity to train and lead an active lifestyle for a long time.