The air squat is one of the most important movements that we do. ?If you do not have a good air squat all of your other movements will suffer. ?Not to mention, overuse injuries that could occur from loading a bad squat. As Coach Glassman mentions- how can you expect to overhead squat before your air squat is developed? And how can you expect to snatch without a great overhead squat? If you think you have a good air squat, you are most likely wrong. ?Everyone could use more air squat walk. ?Many of us practice squat therapy everyday.
Here are 23 ways to improve your air squat ? taken from the CrossFit Journal: Squat Clinic. Read these 23 points and next time you are in class ? we want you to see you figh
ting to get into that perfect air squat position.?Lazy squatters will be prosecuted.
1. Start with the feet about shoulder width apart and slightly toed out.
2. Keep your head up looking slightly above parallel.
3. Don?t look down at all; ground is in peripheral vision only.
4. Accentuate the normal arch of the lumbar curve and then pull the excess arch out with the abs.
5. Keep the midsection very tight.
6. Send your butt back and down.
7. Your knees track over the line of the foot.
8. Don?t let the knees roll inside the foot.
9. Keep as much pressure on the heels as possible.
10. Stay off of the balls of the feet.
11. Delay the knees forward travel as much as possible.
12. Lift your arms out and up as you descend.
13. Keep your torso elongated.
14. Send hands as far away from your butt as possible.
15. In profile, the ear does not move forward during the squat, it travels
16. Don?t let the squat just sink, but pull yourself down with your hip flexors.
17. Don?t let the lumbar curve surrender as you settle in to the bottom.
18. Stop when the fold of the hip is below the knee ? break parallel with the thigh.
19. Squeeze glutes and hamstrings and rise without any leaning forward or shifting of balance.
20. Return on the exact same path as you descended.
21. Use every bit of musculature you can; there is no part of the body uninvolved.
22. On rising, without moving the feet, exert pressure to the outside of your feet as though you were trying to separate the ground beneath you.
23. At the top of the stroke stand as tall as you possibly can.
What have you done lately to improve your squat? Post comments below!
Credit to The CrossFit Journal: Squat Clinic
Mason and Justin playing with some stones! ?Click here to check out our Flickr Photostream!
