Busting Common Exercise Myths: Part 2 - The Perfect Squat

Is there a perfect squat form for everyone?

If you’ve been around a gym or done much exercise in your life, it is likely you have tried to adjust your squat form at one point or another. Maybe you have seen videos of fitness influencers on social media and tried to copy what their squat looks like.

In our heads, the ideal squatter often has their toes facing forward, feet shoulder width apart, knees stay behind their toes, chest up, back straight, and no “buttwink” (curving of the low back as it drops at the end of a squat).

Unfortunately, this isn’t the perfect form for everyone, and there isn’t a one size fits all perfect squat form. This is due to the differences in our anatomical build. We all have different anatomy in our spine, hips, knees, pelvis, and ankles, and everyone has different levels of function and mobility at each of these joints.

One of the easiest examples of differing anatomy is the angle at which our legs naturally sit. When in a natural position (I.e., laying flat on your back with your legs down and relaxed), some people’s feet will naturally face straight up and forward while some will naturally sit with their toes pointing outside away from their bodies. By forcing everyone to put their toes forward, we may be putting them in a position which is less natural for their specific body anatomy. Individuals whose feet naturally fall towards the outside when in this position may feel more comfortable with their toes pointed away from their bodies when squatting, rather than having their toes facing forwards.

Another good example of this is ankle mobility. Individuals with tight ankles may have a difficult time going into a deep squat as the don’t have a large enough range of motion through the ankle joint to allow their knees to move forward. There are a couple of ways to adjust this. Firstly, these individuals should be working to improve their ankle mobility. However, some people may not be able to improve their ankle mobility a whole lot, and that is okay! People with tight ankles may benefit from raising their heels when they squat. This may mean using a small wedge or small plate under the heels- this will allow them to squat much deeper as their ankles are less limited.

The last example we will talk about is the length of your femur (aka your thigh bone). Online, we often see individuals being praised for how deep they can go in a squat- but this is not something everyone will be able to do safely or comfortably. Individuals with longer femurs will naturally have to lean forward more in their squat to stay balanced and offset the weight or their body. Individuals with longer femurs also may not be able to squat down quite as deep, as they will be unable to stay upright due to the weight of their body or barbell pulling them backwards.

The important thing to remember here is there are anatomical features that CAN NOT BE CHANGED and that is not a bad thing!

This means no squat form is better than another. The best squat form is the one that is safe and feels right for your body.

We don’t expect you to know the length of your femur, hip angle or ankle mobility. If things aren’t feeling right in your squat, play around until they feel better. Here are some things you can try:

• Depth - short calf muscles and femur length will affect how deep you can go in your squat, so adjust to find the right depth for you

• Foot angle - pointed straight ahead or pointed outside? This will often be based on your hip anatomy and the amount of torsion on your shin bone

• Foot width - femur length and the width of your pelvis play in here as well, so feel this one out. A wider stance is more stable and requires less distance to travel.

• Type of squat - different types of squats (front squat, barbell back squat, goblet squat, box squat, sumo squat, etc.) demand different body positions, depending what muscle group you want to target

• Ankle position - tight calves or limited ankle mobility may require doing things a bit differently, such as a heel elevated squat

While there is no perfect squat form that works for everyone, there is absolutely a perfect squat form for your body! If you are unsure of where to start or how to perfect your squat form, our registered kinesiologists would be happy to work with you to create an exercise program which matches your exercise goals and injury specific recovery needs.

Give us a call at (778) 630-8800, email us or book online to seek treatment from a physiotherapist or to work with a registered kinesiologist.

Happy squatting!

Busting Common Exercise Myths: Part 1

There are a lot of myths out there surrounding exercise. While online and social media resources can be great for providing exercise ideas, inspiration and routines, not all the information we see online is reliable. Today we are going to chat about some common myths we hear in clinic about exercising and get to the truth behind them.

Myth 1: You can spot reduce fat 

Truth: It is a common misconception on the internet that you can use certain exercises to reduce fat in one part of the body- for example, doing sit ups or crunches to reduce stomach fat. Unfortunately, you cannot spot reduce fat.

Think of it like driving a car- you can’t only use gas from the right side of your tank! When we drive the whole tank empties, and when we work out, we burn calories from all over the body. This may result in a loss of fat from some area quicker than others- for example, the abdominal area is one of the first areas to decrease fat for many people.

However, don’t let his confuse you- you can still target muscle growth in certain body parts, but this is a completely different process! Fat cells do not magically transform into muscle cells or vice versa. By working out we burn calories from all over our body, which can help reduce fat, and by strength training we can increase muscle definition in certain areas.

Myth 2: Lifting will make you bulky

Truth: Lifting heavy weights will not make you bulky!

Lifting weights is actually a great way to lose weight if that is your goal. When we lift the appropriate weights, our body will begin to build muscle. Muscle has a higher metabolic rate than fat, meaning when we lift weights our body will naturally burn more calories, even at rest.

At the end of the day, bulkiness or weight gain comes down to calories in versus calories out. If you are putting more calories into your body then you are burning, then you are will likely gain weight. If you are burning more calories than you are eating, you will lose or maintain your weight. To gain a lot of muscle bulk, you would need to greatly increase your caloric intake as you increase your strength training. 

Myth 3: No pain, no gain 

Truth: This is a tough saying that we hear a lot in clinic. However, it is important to differentiate between types of pain and understand that this is not always true! While it is okay to work through some types of pain, it is important to learn to differentiate between different types of pain such as delayed onset muscle soreness, muscle fatigue, and pain related to an injury. 

Firstly, it is totally possible to have an excellent workout without being sore afterwards. Other indicators of a good workout to look for may be how difficult the workout feels, whether you are able to lift heavier weights than you previously could, or if you can do more reps than you previously could.

Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) tend to be muscle soreness which occurs between 24-48 hours after a workout and dissipates within 2-5 days. DOMS are normal and a type of pain we are okay with! However, we don’t want severe pain which lasts outside this time frame, pain which comes with excessive swelling, or pain that continues to worsen for days after a workout.

And again, remember you can still have a good workout without having bad DOMS!

In clinic, we normally try and avoid any sharp, pinching, or tingling type pains. A general rule of thumb to keep in mind is to not let your pain increase above 2 on a pain scale while completing an exercise. For example, if you come in with baseline shoulder pain of 2/10, we typically wouldn’t want to push this pain past a 4/10 with any of the exercises we complete. However, this may vary between injuries and exercises, so always listen to your practitioner’s advice first and foremost! 

Need some help with your exercise routine? Book with our kinesiologist online, by email or at (778) 630-8800.