The Perfect Squat

1. It begins inside your lower abdomen area.  You squeeze deep attempting to pull your navel back to your spine. 
2. Focus on your shoulders. Are they starting to creep up around your ears?  Pull them back down. 
3. Your pelvis should be in a neutral position.  Neutral position = back is not arched and butt is not rolled under… basically straight up and down from a side view.
4.  Continually watch to be sure the hips do not change position, otherwise this causes the core to stop contracting (squeezing their navel to their spine). 
5. Raise your arms above your head and make sure your feet are hip width apart with feet pointed straightforward.  
6. Begin to lower your bottom like you were going to sit in a chair.  Keep your hands up.  Look forward with a long erect neck.  Drop until your knees are at a 90 degree angle.  At this point your arms should be beside your ears, your head should NOT be drooping forward.  Your pelvis should still be in a neutral position.  Your knees should be straight forward and behind your toes when looking down.  All your weight will feel like it has shifted to your heels and you must balance using your glutes and thighs.  You might feel like you will fall so stand near something to grab, use a spotter, or sit on to a box/chair that is the height of your lower leg to your knees.  Your feet will also be pointed straightforward with your heels firmly planted on the ground. 
7. Last but not least make sure your weight is evenly distributed between your left and right legs.  There should be no weight shift.  If keeping your weight stable and evenly distributes seems impossible, and you notice that you’re moving around, and your form is not exactly as I have described, you have deviations.  Deviation = anything that does not exactly match what is determined as the standard (anything but perfect).  We all have our own specific deviations.  Deviations are something we want to avoid and eliminate. I recommend beginning or intensifying your flexibility program in order to allow your body to become more balanced.  This is both a preventative and proactive way to get the most out of your body and alleviate future or present day pain.  Contact your local NASM certified personal trainer to find out how you can fix your specific deviations.  Be sure to select a NASM certified personal trainer that is educated on Self Myofascial Release, a program that will repair your deviations using a foam roller accompanied with specific strengthening exercises for your muscle balancing during this process.

By: Stephanie Lay
Nov 18, 2007