The squat is undoubtedly one of the most important exercise for both general health, improving athletic performance and getting jacked in the gym. My opinion is that every human should be able to perform a full deep squat, but not necessarily load it.
The typical issues we see preventing this from occurring include stiff hips, poor upper back posture and a lack of ankle mobility. But rather than list a bunch of random mobilizations, we are going to attack the big rocks- the pelvis and ribcage. If we can squat with these things stacked (see video 3), many of the mobility issues we often see will magically disappear- because gravity is now working in our favor.
Here are three exercises that I love to restore the deep squat.
Short seated reach This exercise reverse engineers the deep squat by starting us at the bottom. The keys to this drill are to drop the ribs (think about crunch) in the front, reach with the arms without hunching forward and push knees in to elbows to activate the outer hip muscles. Take a deep INHALE thru nose to fill back with air and exhale thru pursed lips.
90/90 kinetic stretch I love this drill to activate and train the muscles which pull us in to a deep squat. Rotate torso to face front knee and inhale on the way down. Attempt to pull the front foot up toward the ceiling (you won't actually get off the ground) to activate outer hip muscles. Exhale while pushing front foot in to ground to propel back to start position. Repeat 6-8 times.
Stacking squat Elevate heels on a bolster or rolled up mat, drop ribs down to get abs and tuck the pelvis under by digging heels back in to mat. Initiate this move by pushing knees forward versus butt out and descend down. 🔥 #squats #squat #squattherapy #squatchallenge #squatrack