By the sounds of it, there were quite a few of you that took up the squat challenge last week. It wasn’t as easy as it perhaps should have been! So, how do we improve or even re-learn the squat if we’ve lost the ability to do it with ease?

With any movement that we perform, there is a map of that movement stored in the brain - even one as simple as putting a key in your front door. The brain and nervous system tell all the muscles and joints what to do, enabling them to carry out the action. The more you do it, the easier it gets and the less you have to think about it. To the point where you can even come home in the dark and put your key in the door without really being able to see the keyhole.

With the squat you start standing and then move down into the bottom position. But, as some of you found last week the bottom position just feels odd. Its like trying to find the keyhole in the dark but you just can’t seem to find it. Your brain can't find the map of the movement anymore. It’s buried deep under a pile of other movements that you currently use more often. This is what I often refer to as a loss of positional awareness. Positional awareness is a key component of learning any movement whether new or old. Whether you’re learning a fluid movement or a static hold there will always be certain positional requirements. Having an awareness of what they are is key to the success of learning the movement or static position.

For the squat key points to remember when creating the right position are:

* Push the knees forward with heels down

* Sit the hips low 

* Lift the chest up or lengthen the spine. 

For now, lets keep it that simple!

Over the years I have found three simple ways of helping people re-learn the bottom of the squat (myself included) to create the right position. 

1. Squat with your back against a wall. This will help support your spinal position and prevent you from falling backwards while your body reacquaints itself with the bottom of the squat position.
2. Raise the heels up on a broomstick. Ankle restriction and stiffness are fairly common with a lack of movement over time and this will inhibit your ability to sit into a deep squat. By placing your heels on a broomstick, it will remove the obstacle presented by ankle restriction.
3. Use a weight to counter balance. By holding a weight out in front of you this will stop you from falling backwards and provide a progression from point 1 above. 

With these three strategies the goal is of course over time to slowly reduce their use and eventually not use them at all. However, they do provide the perfect assistance to develop positional awareness so to begin with so I recommend giving them a try. Enjoy...

Matthew McCorkindale

Body Ergonomics

mattbodyerg@me.com

+61404611575