IMPROVING

YOUR
SQUAT
SQUATS. Like with any gym exercise, household chore or basically any movement, you
will put pressure on certain areas of the body. If you make this a repetitive activity or if
you add weights, you especially want to be thinking about optimising your form and
technique. This is so that that the pressure and stress can be shared around your body
in the best way possible rather than overloading one area - putting a lot of the pressure
on one particular spot e.g the lower back or knees etc and risking injury.

The problem is that this is easier said than done especially when someone does not
have the flexibility and mobility in their joints that is necessary to allow them to squat
correctly. We find out today how we can work on that.

In partnership with:

Tony Huang B. Applied Science (Physiotherapy) 360 Physio Revesby

IMPROVING YOUR SQUAT PAGE 1
KEY POINTS THINGS WE NEED TO SEE

Neck stays neutral throughout

Upper back stays straight and neutral throughout
Lower back remains neutral (not overly arched
and not curved forwards either)
Hips move backwards and down
Knees and ankles only bend after hips
Knees in line with toes until after parallel (not
too far forward too soon)
Hips-knees-2nd toe stacked (knees tend to fall
inwards)
Heels stay on ground (they often like to lift)
Weight through mid - back half of foot

If your squat does not look like this, there is either a problem with your control/stability and/or
a problem with your mobility.

If there is a control/stability problem, then practicing squatting with different cues or guides can
help. For example, a very common problem we see is where the lower back is excessively
arched at the beginning and throughout the squat. At the same time, there will be a tendency
for the body to lean forwards and go into what we call a good morning squat (as if someone is
bowing

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Some good cues for this would be:

bottom ribs down towards the hips and the back will flatten slightly so that you are
not already in overly arched in starting position

bottom back and down especially for those who are doing good morning squats. You can
see their bottom will point straight back behind them rather than back and down.

Practice these squats while you face the wall and have a chair or ball behind you. Place your
hands up above head height and then squat down aiming for the ball/chair.

A lot of the time, stiffness and lack of mobility in your joints will force you to compensate and
struggle to achieve good form. Almost everyone doing squats will benefit from more mobility in
their upper back, hips and ankles.

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IMPROVING MOBILITY
1. Thoracic/upper back mobility (extension/ rotation)

Having good mobility in the upper back is important so you can keep your chest and
trunk upright through the squat. It will also allow your shoulders and shoulder blades to
sit in a better position to allow you to hold onto the bar effectively.

If your upper back is stiff and lacks the ability to extend (i.e if it unable to straighten up
and remains quite hunched), then your lower back will do either one of two things:

1. Have to compensate and arch excessively as you attempt to keep upright

2. Follow on with the upper back and stay bent forwards/hunched as well
The result may be increased pain, injury, less efficient squat, less ability to push heavier
weight

HOW TO IMPROVE THORACIC MOBILITY

1. Thoracic rotation drills in side lying

Start by lying on your side with

your top knee up to hip level. Use
your bottom arm to hold your knee
down to stop your leg from
moving. Take your top arm up and
around to the other side of your
body whilst rotating the whole
upper back. You should feel a
stretch in the sides and shoulder
blade. You can also try the same
with your elbow bent and arm
resting on your chest. x 20-30
times each side

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 2. Thoracic foam roller extension mobilisations

My favourite thoracic mobility exercise. Using a foam roller on the floor, lie on top of it
starting with the roller in the lower region of the upper back (not the lower back itself).
Have your hands behind your neck supporting your head and elbows close together..
Arch your upper back backwards, driving downwards into the roll with a bit of body
weight. Make sure you try to keep your lower back flat (think of keeping your lower ribs
down). You should feel a hinging type of movement at the point in your back where the
roll is contacting. Repeat on this level for 5-10 repetitions and then move the roll about
1inch upwards. Repeat on this level and make your way up towards the neck. Total ~ 5
minutes

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 2. Hip flexion mobility

To allow more freedom near the bottom of the squat allowing you to squat lower with
less groin discomfort

Having better hip flexion will also help keep the lower back more neutral and save it
from bending excessively as you squat lower reducing risk of injury

If you run out of hip flexion too early, you will compensate by bending at your lower
back

QUICK TEST:

see how much real hip flexion you can get in

your squat, get into 4 point kneeling on hands
and knees. Keeping the upper and lower back
neutral, lean back to bring your knees towards
your chest without curving the lower back.

You will find that if you have your knees spread

further apart, you should be able to lean further
back before the back bends. Just like in a squat,
you will usually feel your hips will have more
room to move when your legs are slightly further
apart.

In the example we can see that his hips should allow a squat that goes just past parallel

HOW TO LOOSEN UP THE HIPS FOR MORE FLEXION

2. Banded hip flexion stretch

A lot of the times the muscles, ligaments, soft tissue behind your hip become tight and
restricted. This limits the freedom of the hip bone and forces your hip to feel jammed
at the front a lot earlier in flexion.

With the help of a band, you will be able to help move into more hip flexion before you
feel pain or pinching at the front of the hip.

First have the band attached behind you. The other end looped around the top of your
thigh. Walk or crawl out to get tension on the band and then get into 4 point kneeling.

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Rotate your foot across the body to the other side. You can use your other knee to hold
the foot still in that position. Shift your hips to the side you are stretching (the side you
have the band around) and you should start to feel an increasing stretch in the buttock
at the bad of the hip. Now try to gradually flex your hip bringing your chest towards your
knee. Oscillate up and down and you should feel your hip go further and further into
more flexion. Try for 2 minutes.

Also try the same with the band attached to the side of you. Careful with these
stretches not to feel a lot of pain at the front of your hip.

3. Barbell hip flexor/ quadriceps massage/releases

If you have a feel of your upper thigh near the hip crease, you will probably find some
thick, hard, tensed up tissue near the groin - especially directly in front and to the inside
of the groin.

These thick, tight muscles will get in the way when you try to bend your hips as far as
the go.

A good way to massage and loosen

this tissue is by using a barbell. I like
to sit on a box, have one end of the
barbell resting on your thigh and the
other end on the floor. Use the barbell
like a rolling pin and iron out some of
the tight muscles. Try for 2 minutes

If using a barbell scares you, you can

do the same with your thumbs or
knuckles.

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 3. Ankle Dorsiflexion mobility

Dorsiflexion is the movement at the ankle where your toes go towards your shin. During
a squat, it is how far forward your shin/ankle can move over your ankle.

Having a few extra degrees of movement in ankle dorsiflexion will mean you will be
able to get your knees (and centre of gravity) more forwards and allow you to keep a
better upright, neutral spine especially when you are doing deeper squats.

Often if your ankles are stiff, you will feel like you are falling backwards and hence be
forced to bend more somewhere else. First it might mean you will want to bend more at
the hips. If youve run out of room at the hips as well, you will compensate and bend at
the lower back.

QUICK TEST:

Knee to wall test

Stand near a wall. Keeping your foot and heel flat on the
floor, lunge forward to get your knee to touch the wall. If you
can touch the wall without the heel lifting, slide your foot
further back and retry. Work out what the maximum
distance from the wall

Ideally you want to see at least 10-11 cm

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Raised heel squat test

Try squatting with your heels resting on a small platform (for example a small weight
plate). You may notice a big improvement in the depth and ability for your back to
remain upright and straight. If so (and it is likely), then you will benefit from improving
your ankle dorsiflexion mobility.

HOW TO LOOSEN UP THE ANKLES FOR MORE DORSIFLEXION

1. Calf rolling with a barbell / foam roller

Using a foam roller or barbell and the weight of your body, massage and roll your calf
muscles. You can cross one foot on top of the other to give added pressure onto the
calves. You want to also work on the sides of the calf so rotate your legs slightly to the
left and right and target some tighter spots. Once you find some tight spots, you
should try and make some circles with your ankle/foot.

1 minute on each leg.

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 2. Rocking body weight calf stretch

Get onto the floor resting on your feet and hands. Have one foot resting on top of the
back of the other legs ankle. Then rock up and down using the top foot to help push
down. You should feel a strength in the calf and your heel should start to get closer and
closer to the floor. Try 2 sets of 10 on each leg.

3. Banded ankle lunge with flossing

Using a resistance loop, anchor it low on a sturdy upright behind you. Have the other
end of the loop around the bottom most part of your ankle. Walk out away from the
anchor so you feel a good amount of tension on the band.

Kneel down onto one knee placing the ankle that is being stretched in front. Then lunge
and push the knee straight ahead over your toes using the weight of your upper body to
help you. You may want to use one
hand on top of the foot to keep the
heel down. You will feel a stretch at
the front and back of your ankles.
Oscillate forwards and backwards.
Also try pushing your knee forwards
and at a slight angle towards the
outside of the foot. Floss the ankle
from this point by moving your knee
back over the middle of the foot and
oscillate side to side. 2 minutes on
each ankle.

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HEALTH DISCLAIMER ADVICE
We make every effort to ensure that the information supplied in this report is
researched and accurately represents the injury advice and prognosis displayed
throughout this guide.

However, examples of injuries and their prognosis are based on typical

representations of those injuries that we commonly see in our physiotherapy clinics.
The information given is not intended as representations of every individuals
potential injury. As with any injury, each persons symptoms can vary widely and
each persons recovery from injury can also vary depending upon background,
genetics, previous medical history, application of exercises, posture, motivation to
follow physiotherapy advice and various other physical factors.

It is impossible to give a 100% complete accurate diagnosis and prognosis without a

thorough physical examination and likewise the advice given for management of an
injury cannot be deemed fully accurate in the absence of this examination from one
of the Physiotherapists at 360 Physio Revesby. We are able to offer you this service
at a standard or discounted charge. Significant injury risk is possible if you do not
follow due diligence and seek suitable professional advice about your injury. No
guarantees of specific results are expressly made or implied in this report

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Suite 2, Level 1
Corner Macarthur Ave &
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P| (02) 9774 2530

360 Physio provides a holistic approach to injury rehabilitation incorporating sports and
spinal physiotherapy, upper and lower limb physiotherapy, massage services and clinical
pilates dedicated to optimising your health and wellbeing.

Dont allow your aches, pains or injuries stop you living the way you want to. 360 Physio has
a committed and highly qualified team ready and willing to help you return to pain free
living.

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