The squat is used as a standard exercise in many training programs. This is for various reasons.
By far the most commonly used squat is the so-called back squat. A squat variation in which the bar is placed at the back of the body and then a knee bend is performed. Yet, in addition to this squat variant, there are many variations that are not or hardly programmed. What also strikes me is that there are a lot of thoughts and opinions surrounding the squat in general. Let me go into this in a little more detail.
First of all, to return to the question of whether the squat is a standard exercise, I say no. In my experience, there are no standard exercises. Every exercise in a program must be carefully chosen and contribute to your specific goal. If the squat contributes to this, you can program it with confidence. If this is not the case, it is better to leave it out and choose another exercise.
If the squat does contribute to your goal, but you cannot perform it for physical reasons, you would be wise to choose another exercise form. There are also many differing thoughts and opinions regarding points of interest regarding the squat. A frequently heard point of attention is that during a squat the knees should not go beyond the toes, because that would be bad for the knees.
Does the squat put strain on the knees? Absolute. But a healthy knee can handle this load just fine. If there is a knee problem, this specific injury will require a specific adjustment.
Place your feet hip-width apart and pointing straight forward. This also depends on several factors. One of these factors is the anatomy of the hips. The structure of the hip joints determines how much range of motion you can make. This affects both your foot position and your depth. “Ass to the grass” squatting is not for everyone and depends, among other things, on a person's hip architecture.
Is the squat a butt or a leg exercise? The answer to this is that it can be both. The execution of a person's squat determines whether they are more hip or knee dominant. Does that have to do with foot placement or consciously tensing muscles, no. This simply has to do with biomechanics (the theory of forces). The more degrees a joint has to span during a movement, the more dominant it will be. If the buttocks bridge more degrees than the knee or vice versa, this determines the dominance of the muscle group.
The load on the knees during a squat increases the deeper you sink. This also depends entirely on the context from which you approach this. Are there more tensile forces on tissues (muscles and tendons)? Yes, but peak loads also occur during the first degrees of knee bending. This is because the knee, formed among other things by the upper leg bone (femur) and lower leg bone (tibia), has a so-called roll-back mechanism. The upper leg bone wants to slide off the lower leg bone as if it were.
We can either confirm or refute these and many more views regarding the execution of the (ideal) squat within Enforce.
Returning to the question: “does the ideal squat exist?” I say yes, but... This is individually physically determined and context-dependent.
Roel Bors
Manager Quality & Training Enforce International BV
roel@enforce.nl
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