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Squat Therapy

THE WALL SQUAT

What is it: A squat performed whilst standing close to and facing the wall, with your hands against the wall but no other part of your body permitted to touch it.
How to do it: Stand a foot’s width (as opposed to a foot’s length) away from the wall in a shoulder width stance. Stretch your arms out above your head and place them against the wall, with your arms parallel. Send your hips back and lower yourself down under control into a perfect full squat, with your hands remaining against the wall, but not allowing your head or torso to touch the wall.
Focus On: Pushing your knees out and your chest up – both of which will stop you from hitting the wall and help you to keep your chest up and maintain optimal back position and torso angle whilst hitting a deep squat. Try to keep your arms as vertical as possible.
Advanced tip: Bring yourself closer and closer to the wall, until you can perform a full squat with your toes touching the wall.

THE GOBLET SQUAT

What is it: A squat with a kettlebell held like a goblet in front of your body.
How to do it: Pick up a kettlebell and hold it by the handles close to your body, so your elbows are pointing down and out. Stand with your feet in a shoulder width stance, Lower yourself down into a deep squat – your elbows should be inside your knees. Use your elbows to push your knees right out.
Focus on: Pushing the knees out, using the elbows to pry them open. This also really helps to open up the hips.
Advanced tip: Take a deep breath and drive the chest up – then relax the belly and let yourself sink down a little lower. Then take another deep breath, hold for a few seconds – then relax, sink even lower, and repeat 4-5 times.

THE BAR SQUAT

What is it: A squat using a racked bar, whilst standing close to it and with your hands/arms in constant contact with the bar.
How to do it: Stand a foot’s length away from the bar. Stretch your arms out and place them on the bar. Keeping in contact with the bar, lower yourself down into a perfect squat, using the bar as a guide to keep your torso upright.
Focus on: Form on the way down and the way up. On the way down, send your hips back and your knees out. This will help load up your glutes and hamstrings. Use the bar to help you keep upright whilst you remain in this position for as long as you can manage. On the way up, squeeze your glutes, and drive through the heels to rise.
Advanced tip: Bring yourself few centimeters closer to the bar and try again. Aim to use the bar simply as a guide, rather than gripping it with your hands at the bottom of your squat.

THE POLE SQUAT

What is it: A squat performed whilst lightly holding a vertical pole (you can use part of a squat rack/pull-up rig for example).
How to do it: Stand almost an arm’s length away from the pole with a shoulder width stance. Take hold of the pole with both and hands and sit back into the squat, using the pole to keep you upright and keep you from falling backward.
Focus on: Maintaining a beautiful, upright, deep squat with perfect form. Create a little movement at the bottom, using the pole to stabilize you. Whilst keeping your feet planted, move your body a little in each direction before bringing your weight back to the center. If you find a particularly tight spot, create smaller movement around that area. Continue for 2-3 minutes. This will help to loosen up and create a better bottom position for the squat.
Advanced tip: Take less and less of a grip on the pole with each squat, until you are only using your fingertips on the pole to guide you into position.