In order to improve your squat, you need to make sure that your form is correct. Follow these tips to improve your squat form:
1. Keep your back straight.
2. Keep your head up and eyes focused forward.
3. Keep your chest lifted and abs pulled in.
4. Avoid leaning back too much, and keep a slight bend in the knees.
5. Use your abdominal muscles to resist lean backwards at the bottom of the squatting motion.
6. Keep your back and hips stationary throughout the entire movement.
7. Avoid leaning too far forward or leaning your weight on your toes.
8. Use your thighs and glutes to power the squatting motion.
9. Keep your back straight and abs pulled in as you slowly lower yourself down into the squatting position.
If you want to improve your squat form and get below parallel, mobility and stretching are key
Make sure to warm up and stretch before each squat session. Focus on stretching your hips and ankles to increase your range of motion. Also, practice squatting with a lighter weight and work on maintaining a neutral spine position throughout the entire movement. Finally, focus on pushing your knees out as you descend into the squat to help you hit the correct depth.
This mobility routine has been designed to help improve your squat by mobilising your hip flexors, glutes, quads and hamstrings. Adding this into your workout plan can help you to achieve better results when it comes to squatting. By focusing on all of these major muscle groups you ensure that you are fully prepared for any type of squats you may encounter during your routine.
Ankle Rocks
Lie down on your right side with your left foot back and flat on the ground. Place both hands lightly on the floor in front of you and use your core muscles to slowly drive your knees towards your toes, then back again. Make sure to keep your core engaged and only flex forward as far as you feel comfortable. When you have finished, repeat the exercise on your left side.
Wide Stance Rocks
The quadruped position, often referred to as the all-four position, is a beneficial stretching exercise for the hips and lower back. To perform this stretch, begin by getting on your hands and knees with your wrists placed directly below your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. Then widen your knees out until they are slightly wider than hip-width apart. Put your forearms down on the floor, then rock forward while slowly lowering your pelvis towards the ground. When you feel a comfortable stretch in your hips, rock back and rest your glutes over each of your heels.
Repeat for several cycles for a deep yet gentle stretch to alleviate tightness in the lower body.
T-Spine Rotations
Get ready to do the quadruped chest opener! Begin by getting into an all-four position with your knees underneath your hips and hands beneath your shoulders. Place your right hand on the side of your head, neck, or upper back, whichever is most comfortable. Keep a neutral spine and a tight core while you lift your elbow and open up your chest to the sky. Then bring it back down slowly and in control. Your gaze should follow your elbow as you go through the movement. Make sure to repeat both sides for equal benefit.
Split Stance Rock to Tall Split Kneel
Set up in a kneeling side lunge position with your bent knee under your hips. Keep your core braced and chest up as your hinge at the hips and sit your bum back to your back foot. Squeeze your glutes and slowly reverse the movement, driving forward extending your hips. Repeat the stretch on both sides.
Toe Touch to Squat
To perform a toe touch stretch, begin by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and squatting down until your arms are inside your knees and your hands are on top of your feet. Then, slowly lift your hips while straightening your knees and transitioning into a toe touch position. Your range of motion will dictate how far you should slide your hands up from your feet, whether it be to the ankles or shins. Remember that this stretch should never be painful, so always adjust accordingly depending on what feels comfortable for you.
Before and after your squats, spend some time focusing on priming your body
Increasing your range of motion, flexibility and overall strength and power is within reach - these seemingly small practices are often overlooked, but can have a huge impact on improving your weightlifting performance.