DOLCE DIET LIFESTYLE:
3 Moves to Improve Your Squat
by Samantha Coogan, MS, RDN, LD
If you can’t air squat to depth or with an upright torso, doing loaded squats will be out of the question. Incorporate these drills into your warm-up/workouts in order to improve your squat depth and positioning. Mobility is key in performing a proper squat, so take some extra time to perfect it.
Wall Squat
• Facing a wall, stand a foot’s width away with feet shoulder-width apart.
• Stretch your arms out above your head and place them against the wall.
• Push 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.
• Try to keep your arms as vertical as possible.
• The more advanced you get, the closer you can start to the wall (goal is to eventually be able to do these with your toes touching the wall).
Goblet Squat
• Hold a kettlebell by the handles close to your body, so your elbows are pointing down and out.
• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
• Now lower yourself down into a deep squat with elbows inside your knees.
• Use your elbows to push your knees right out and hold in this bottom position for 10 seconds and repeat for 5-10 sets.
• The more advanced you get, the deeper you’ll be able to squat. To start, go to a range of motion that is comfortable for you.
Pole Squat
• Stand almost an arm’s length away from a pole/squat rack with feet shoulder-width apart.
• Hold of the pole with both and hands and sit back into a squat, using the pole to keep your torso upright.
• Hold at the bottom position for 10 seconds and repeat for 10 sets.
• If you find a particular tight spot, stay in the bottom position, but move around at the bottom to loosen up.
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