PrisonerFitness-The True Power Book Chapter 6 Lift-Like ThighsPart 2, the previous part introduced everyone to the squat , this chapter will tell you how to squat deeply, and what should you avoid when squatting?
Convict Fitness-The True Book of Power (Chapter 6, Part 1)
Throw Dropping the Barbell
Sorry, the above reads a bit like an anatomy textbook. But my goal is to provide you with as much evidence as possible that the squat is indeed the greatest lower body exercise and that it really works every muscle in the lower body. Whether you agree with me or not, I hope you will come to realize more that the squat is one of the greatest exercises you can ever perform. What I haven't explained yet is why squatting withyour own body weightis better than squatting witha barbell. Aren't these two actions the same? On the surface, barbell squats may even be better because the lifter can gradually increase the weight of the barbell as they progress.
However, if you have read the previous content, you should be able to predict my point of view. I think bodyweight squats put barbell squats to shame. There are several issues with practicing squats with a barbell and on machines that simulate barbell squats. Chief among them is that the legs are the largest and strongest muscles in the body. This means that if you want to train your legs, you need very, very heavy weight plates. We know that the muscles of the lower body of a person have to support the weight of the whole body, so the muscles of the lower body can already bear a very heavy weight, so you must increase the weight during exercise. In this case, the plates you use must become heavier and heavier, otherwise you will not progress. Load 230It is not uncommon among master-level squat trainers to do squats weighing more than 1 kilogram, and ordinary people can do it without using drugs. When you do a weighted squat, the heavy barbell will press on your back (some guys will put the barbell on their upper chest, but this is very uncomfortable, and the upper body is also easy to get injured, and even more The key is that this method must reduce the weight), which is actually equivalent to exerting great vertical pressure on the spine, which will cause the vertebrae and intervertebral discs to be squeezed, causing low back pain, muscle sprains, sciatica, and intervertebral disc bulge or herniation. and a series of diseases. In addition, placing the barbell close to the top of the spine will also cause the upper body to lean forward excessively during the squat. This will not only sprain the lower back muscles, but also cause the knees to bend in, increasing the stress on the knee joints. All of these problems are more severe in taller lifters because long leg bones put the lifter at a severe disadvantage from a biomechanical perspective. The taller you are, the more problems you'll have. It's no coincidence that the really high-level weighted squatters aren't very tall.
Squatting with your own body weight does not rely on additional weight, so there will be no heavy weight on the back or shoulders, and it will not force the body to make any unnatural movements, which will cause various Spine or joint problems. In this book, I'll take you step-by-step through a series of increasingly difficult bodyweight exercises. The series ends with the ultimate leg exercise - the single-leg squat.
The benefits of single-leg squats are many, and the first obvious benefit is the ability to increase strength. If a man weighing 90 kilograms does a single-leg squat, it is equivalent to him doing a double-leg squat with a 90 kilogram barbell on his shoulders. Barbell squats only develop the muscles in the back of the hip, but when you do a single-leg squat, the non-bent leg needs to be raised (see Figure 40), so that the muscles in the front and side of the hip are You will also get exercise. This ensures co-development of the muscles and avoids the hip problems that plague barbell squatters. Additionally, improved balance is another major benefit of single-leg squats. In daily life, almost no one chooses to stand on one leg, so few people realize how strong the balance ability this action requires. Panting and squatting down and standing up on one leg is an intense and incredible coordination exercise. Single-leg squats also build more practical strength than double-leg barbell squats because many movements involve using only one leg to support the body—think kicks, one-leg jumps, climbs, etc. Bodyweight squats are more natural than squats with extra weight, which means your body can recover faster between training sessions. I didn’t expect it, but it’s true. Single-leg squats can even strengthen the trainer's physical and mental connection and mental concentration, because while doingDuring this movement, your legs are performing very different tasks. There is no doubt that the single-leg squat beats the barbell squat.
Thoughts on Squats
So far, there have been many books written about how to perform squats. I firmly believe that squats need to be practiced throughout your entire fitness career because they are one of the few exercises that are truly priceless. Therefore, it is important for lifters to regularly monitor their squatting abilities and physical condition (you want to be strong throughout your life, right). Eventually, you'll find an exercise technique that works for you. I've included some technique guidelines in the "Explanation" section of each move, but I haven't listed specific techniques for this move. I'm just telling you some principles, I hope it helps. Sometimes a compass is more useful than some concrete guideposts—for bodybuilders, my advice is the compass. You start reading, experimenting, practicing! It doesn't matter whether you agree with the following point of view,You just need to use them as a starting point to start squatting!
1.Squats of different amplitudes will exercise different muscles. Standard squats work all the muscles in your lower body, so you have to master them. A few of the ten moves I've listed are only half range of motion, but those are just steps to a full-length squat. Half range of motion must always be practiced in conjunction with full range of motion.
2.What does the full range of motion of a squat look like? When the movement reaches the lowest point, the back of the thigh will be close to the calf, and your body will no longer be able to lower. At this time, the thighs and knees need to work together to push the body up until the legs are fully straightened. No matter how small the range of motion is, it cannot be considered "full range" even at all.
3.Some people think that squatting directly to the bottom is bad for the knees, but this is not the case. Squats are only bad for your knees if you have pre-existing problems with them. And most of the time, squats can even help relieve knee problems. If the tendons in the knee joint haven't adapted to the lower position, they may sprain. But if you do it carefully, step by step, your knees can become strong enough for standard squats. No need to worry!
4.Similarly, many bodybuilders do not like to fully extend their legs at the top of the squat. They believe this will give the thigh muscles a chance to rest and not get the exercise they deserve. It is true that when you fully straighten your legs, there will be a moment when the muscles are not under stress.But there's nothing wrong with it if a brief moment of relaxation can translate into greater strength the next time. Remember to fully extend your legs when doing squats.
5.In the reverse process of the movement, do not squat down directly, but use muscle strength to squat down in a controlled manner.
6. During the squat process, the body should lean forward, but do not lean forward too much. Because this will over-exercise the hips and neglect the thighs. Leaning forward is necessary, but don't make a habit of hunching forward.
7.At the bottom of the squat, you are actually "sitting." Ask yourself to sit according to the standard, rather than ask yourself according to the "squat" standard. Sometimes this will help the trainer go lower, because it helps to correct the posture of the hips-avoiding the butt sticking back.
8.The bottom position is the most difficult part of the squat to control—almost any exercise, but especially the squat. Although difficult—especially when doing single-leg squats—you should never squat down quickly and then "bounce" back up (relying on inertia), as this can severely damage the cartilage in your knee joint. You should slowly build up the strength of your tendons through the first few poses.
9. I recommend holding the bottom of the movement for 1 second, as is the case with all six arts—it's a great way to avoid dangerous rebound moves.
10.It is a good habit to hold on for a while at the bottom of the movement, but it is not a panacea and you may still cheat in this situation. Some people tend to sway forward when standing up. This can provide inertia for rising and make the first few centimeters of movement easier, but doing so can put excess pressure on the knees. You should keep your upper body still and just rely on your legs to push yourself up. If you can't do this, it means this movement is too difficult for you. You should return to easier movements and keep exercising.
11.Some people find that they have to lift their heels when squatting, so they simply put boards or bricks under their heels. This is a bad habit. The need to lift your heels has nothing to do with balance ability or body structure. The reason why this happens is simply because your foot lacks flexibility and your Achilles tendon is not flexible enough. If your ligaments and tendons are very stiff and your feet cannot fully flex when squatting, your heels will lift involuntarily. Be sure not to use something like a plank, and you should stretch your calves frequently until you can do squats without any assistance.
12.As mentioned above, squats can exercise many muscles, including the largest muscles in the human body. This is the biggest advantage of this movement. However, it also has a disadvantage, which is that practicing this movement requires a lot of hard work. This is one of the reasons why the squat fell out of popularity and many alternative exercises have emerged. Grit your teeth and get through it, and over the course of a few months your body and mind will get used to the pain, and the practice will become more and more tolerable. Heck, you might even fall in love with squats.
13.When practicing squats, I like to extend my arms forward. This helps to maintain balance when the movement reaches the lowest point, because it can share part of the body weight to prevent the body from falling backward, especially for taller people. For example: some people who practice squats with their own body weight like to put their hands on their hips, shoulders or cross them in front of their chests. For certain people, The exercises are not mentioned, just do whatever you feel comfortable with.
14.Many guys are afraid of squats because they think they will aggravate old knee injuries. In fact, the opposite is true. When doing full squats, the increased blood flow removes accumulated waste products, restores old injured tissue, and relieves pain. The knee and surrounding muscles and tendons will become stronger and more flexible, making further injuries less likely.
15.The most common knee injury is a torn ACL. The anterior cruciate ligament is the ligament that runs throughout the knee joint and holds it together. The ACL is often completely or partially torn when your feet are flat on the ground and your knee twists violently. Anterior cruciate ligament injuries are common in football, soccer, wrestling, and martial arts. In fact, this disease is common in all contact sports. The knee joint is complex, and sometimes when the ACL is torn, the meniscus (fibrocartilage) is also torn. If the ligaments are not surgically reconstructed (or even if they are), the injured knee can be very unstable and sometimes dislocate. Squats will not worsen an ACL injury, but may actually help with recovery. As long as your feet are positioned correctly, your knees will be in a good position during the squat and will not become unstable and dislocated. Squats work the quadriceps, which can replace the ACL and stabilize the knee during other activities. If you suffer an injury and do experience pain when squatting or locking your knee during a squat, this is usually due to fragments of cartilage< /span>. If this is the case, continuing to practice will not help and you will have to have surgery to remove the fragment. This is a minimally invasive surgery and you can leave the hospital on the same day. If you encounter this situation, don't continue to suffer, go to the hospital!