The Basics, Part I: The Front Squat

To many, the squat is an intimidating exercise. The notion of putting a weight on your back and moving with it is more than a little disconcerting. To make matters worse, it sometimes gets a bad reputation for allegedly contributing to bad knee joints and low back pain. In truth, as long as a squat is taught and performed correctly, it strengthens the ligaments and muscles crossing the knee joint. Then there's the incredible effect it has on your core (but you also need a strong core to perform a good squat in the first place), but that's an article for later. To begin, let visualize a perfect squat..

Surprised?

Don't be. This kiddo blows me out've the water too. See, babies start off close to the ground and as they grow and gain motor control over their limbs and core musculature, they are able to progress away from the ground and into a standing position. During this transition period, a lot of time is spent in the squat position, which explains why it looks so natural - because it is. Unfortunately, as we age, more time is spent at computers and on the couch. This tightens certain muscles, while weakening others, thereby compromising the ability to squat. That and we just plain forget. 

The Benefits of the Squat

• it's a compound exercise meaning it moves multiple joints and activates several large muscle groups in the body
• it's a functional exercise - there is good transfer between this exercise in a gym setting and actions in real life settings (e.g. picking up a box on moving day or jumping for a header during a football game)
• an excellent choice for building the quadriceps (muscles in the front of the thigh), glutes, and hamstrings (muscles at the back of the thigh)
• develops torso stability as well - the muscles of the upper body must stabilize the spine before the weight can be lifted safely)

Performing the Front Squat

• in the standing position, raise the arms in front of the body (like a zombie) with the fingertips on par with the nose
• assume a slightly wider-than-shoulder-width stance with toes pointed slightly outwards
• 'puff' up the chest by filling the lungs with air; suck the stomach in (pretend you're trying to fit into the world's tightest pair of jeans); keep the shoulders relaxed - do not hunch up
• keeping this upper body position, focus on pulling your hips into the ground
• IMPORTANT: minimize the forward movement of the shins; to help you with this, have someone hold a stick across your legs (4-5 inches away) just beneath the knees; touching the stick is fine, as long as you're not pushing it away
• lower yourself until your legs are parallel to the ground or as far as you can keeping your spine neutral (i.e. no bending of the spine)
• to return to the initial position, visualize trying to get your head to touch the ceiling; as you ascend, push the hips through and squeeze the glutes (imagine trying to hold a penny between your glutes!)

Incorporate this exercise into your program design and you'll boost the caloric expenditure of your workouts (great if fat loss is your goal), improve your core strength (if low back pain or improved core strength for sport is a concern for you), and even add muscle definition (if you just want the legs of Adonis).

*Note: there are several variations of the squat such as the back squat, Bulgarian squat, the pistol squat and others. These will be covered in later posts. For now, the front squat is an excellent introduction to these variations.