Wednesday, June 15, 2011

You don't know squat.....

I had a good session with Colin (Edinburgh Deep Tissue Massage) last night.  After working out some kinks in my legs, neck and hip flexors he was checking out my squat pattern.

One of the thing he was getting me to work on was keeping the knees out and really squatting down between my legs, rather than just sitting back.  He explained that one of the keys was to keep the feet from collapsing to maintain the proper angle at the ankle.  Interesting and challenging.

Kelly Starret explains similar principles and Dan John explains the goblet squat in the same terms:

....people discover at this moment ... a basic physiological fact: The legs are not stuck like stilts under the torso. Rather, the torso is slung between the legs.

As you go down, leaning back with arms straight, you'll discover one of the true keys of lifting: you squat between your legs. You don't fold and unfold like an accordion; you sink between your legs. Don't just sit and read this. Get up and do it!
(There is another good goblet squat article here)

Kelly explains the issue of keeping a stable arch here:





4 comments:

SafeNSharp said...

Good post, but I have mixed feelings about it.

Yes, the Goblet squat is an excellent loaded or bodyweight squat for all the reasons listed.

But as I get older I find load isn't the be all, range of motion and alignment become increasingly important. Steve Maxwell's blog has a video on his 'Chinese Squat', part of his 'how to be a pistolero' posting. That squat, with feet under the hips, aligned toes forward, with a yoga block between the legs, give you a whole new feeling. Deeper range of motion for sure.. I'm still experimenting and digesting the results for myself. But I think this 'Chinese Squat' (no, nothing like the Hindu squat) or the Egoscue Free Squat may come closer to being a better movment for those who want to use their knees and hips fully into old age.

Chris said...

Cheers Sifter.

I don't actually see the goblet squat as a primarily a move for load but for mobility. I will check out The Maxwell's video.

Chris

SafeNSharp said...

No, I know.... though Dan John I believe wrote if you all did squat-wise was Goblets with a 100 lb dumbbell, you'd be pretty awesome. Anyway, sorry I dont' have the link handy, but do take a look, I think it's also an excellent mobility move.

Chris said...

I think he says that here:

http://www.mikemahler.com/articles/things_that_are_good_for_you.html