Contributed by certified Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor Anne Pedicini
When done correctly, squats are a great lower body exercise for your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glute muscles. This exercise can be performed with heavy weights at a gym or home in your backyard. However, poor squat technique can put tremendous strain on your knees and put the athlete at risk of serious injury. Today, we demonstrate the proper squat technique and form from setup to finish.
Squat technique
Start position
Your feet should be pretty much square under your shoulder. You want to stand up on the ball of your feet in an athletic position with a slight bend in your knees.
Finish position
Your knees should form a 90 degree angle towards the ground. You do not need to go any lower than this as you may risk injury in doing so. You will also notice that the back is almost at a 40 degree angle and the arms are raised up to maintain balance and posture. Note that this form is exactly the same if you are using a weighted barbell or squat rack. Raise and straighten your back to the start position and repeat for a set of 8-15 reps depending on your fitness level.
Video
Written by: Anne Pedicini
Certified Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor with over 12 years experience
annepedi@comcast.net
