Muscle & Fitness Australia - Issue 352 - June 2017

26 MUSCLE & FITNESS JUNE 2017

TRAIN FORM CHECK

KNEE VALGUS

Knee valgus – when the

kneescaveinwardsasyou

explodeoutofthehole–is

commonforguyswithweak

hips and glutes, as they’re

notabletokeeptheknees

rotatedoutwards.Youwon’t

be able to lift as much weight,

sinceyourformisoff,and

you’ll risk injury in your

ligaments. Wrap one mini

band around your knees, and

then walk laterally, keeping

your feet apart. Do this before

every squat workout.

GETTY IMAGES

5 reasons

your squat

sucks

Even if you’re an all-star squatter, keep a lookout for

these five common blunders.BY BRAD BALDWIN

COMMONLY REFERRED

to as the king of leg exercises, the

squat is a go-to for building strength,

power and mass. But it’s important to

give yourself a form check every so

SQUAT

STUMBLES

often with such a taxing move since

even the slightest screw-up can

lead to major injury. Here are five

problems you didn’t know you

might have and how to fix them.

OVERARCHING

While your back will never

be entirely neutral during a

squat, overarching creates

instability in your lumbar

spine, lessening your ability

to handle heavy weight.

This often stems from

not bracing your core.

THE WRONG GRIP

Your grip could be the

difference between a personal

record and a missed lift. Place

your hands as close to your

shoulders as possible while

still being able to pull your

elbows down towards the floor.

This creates a stable base

and keeps your torso upright.

YOUR BUTT WINKS

A butt wink – when a

lifter’s hips dip down

and in at the bottom of

a squat – is caused by poor

hip mobility, decreasing force

production and risking injury

of your lower back. Try the

pigeon stretch: on all fours,

rest your left leg behind

you, bringing your right leg

in front of you and rotate

it so that it’s flat on the

ground at a 90-degree

angle. Lean forward to

increase the stretch. Hold

for 90 seconds per side.

YOU’RE TOO SLOW

Increase power by

focusing on moving any load

less than 60% of your one-

rep max as fast as you can

during the warmup sets of

your squat workouts.

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HOW

TO BRACE

Before you squat, take

a “belly breath” and

tighten your abs and

lower back. Imagine

you’re tucking your

ribs into your

shorts.