{"id":3437,"date":"2019-04-09T12:11:46","date_gmt":"2019-04-09T17:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.northwestpharmacy.com\/healthperch\/?p=3437"},"modified":"2019-04-11T10:02:05","modified_gmt":"2019-04-11T15:02:05","slug":"become-friends-with-squat-rack-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northwestpharmacy.com\/healthperch\/become-friends-with-squat-rack-part-1","title":{"rendered":"How to Become Friends with the Squat Rack (Part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Graduating to the squat rack is a big moment in strength\ntraining. It may feel intimidating at first. But when you prepare for that\nfirst barbell squat well before you step up to the rack, you can crush your\ngoals with confidence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the first of a two-part series focused on barbell\nsquat basics and essentials. In part one we will focus on joint mobility, which\nis a key component in the success of your squat. The ankles, upper spine,\nshoulders, and hips need to flow during a good squat. Read on to learn why\nthese joints are important and how to improve your movement within them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prepping the Body to\nSquat<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Getting the body ready is crucial to a successful squatting\nsession. These key indicators will help you know whether or not your body is\nprepared to take on the demands of the barbell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ankle Flexion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Though the hips and knees are thought to be the prime joints\nin squatting, your ankles play a crucial role in creating positive adaptions to\nthe squatting pattern. If the ankle\njoints<\/a> don\u2019t move on the sagittal plane, or the division of the right and\nleft side of the body, stable joints such as the foot and knee will compensate.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a few reasons the ankle may feel stuck including bony\nlimitations and joint mobility limitations in the talocrural joint (the actual\nankle) and the tibiofibular joint (where the tibia meets the fibula). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bony limitations\u2014such as bone spurs, a fused ankle from\nsurgery, or an ankle injury from an accident\u2014may cause restrictions within the\nankle joint. The only way to determine if you have one of these is with\nimaging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to lack of mobility, most often the direct\nankle joint is to blame. But if the ankle moves and you feel a pinching\nsensation causing limitations, you may want to consult with a physical\ntherapist as your tibia may be behind the hindered mobility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thoracic Spine\nMobility<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The plague of desk work has many of us hunched over\nkeyboards and phones all day. This can do a number on the ability for our spine\nto flex, extend, and rotate. To keep the chest upright in a squat rather than\nfolding forward as you descend, the thoracic<\/a> spine\n(or mid-spine between the shoulder blades) needs to extend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a lifter can\u2019t achieve a slight arch in the thoracic\nspine, then the lumbar (or lower spine) takes the brunt of the load. This can\nlead to low back pain and issues in the hip joints along with sciatic nerve\nproblems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Shoulder Mobility<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you experience shoulder pain during a squat, a few things\ncan come into play. Sometimes the culprit of shoulder pain is lack of thoracic\nmobility, discussed previously. Another cause of shoulder pain is working out\nthe shoulders too soon before you squat. If this is the case, try to space out\nyour shoulder routine from your squatting routine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An often-overlooked cause is lack of shoulder mobility,\nespecially external\nrotation<\/a>. This means you can\u2019t tip the shoulder blades back to get your\nhands in the right position on the bar.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hip Mobility <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The hips move<\/a> in\nseveral different ways during a squat. They flex and extend on the sagittal\nplane, meaning you bend through the hip joint as you lower into a squat and\nstraighten back to standing. But the hips are always required to rotate internally\nand externally as you move through different parts of the squat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot can happen in our hips, including structural\nrestrictions and soft tissue limitations. Bodies are unique in structure, and\nno two hip formations look alike. The form and position of how the femur fits\ninto the pelvis may cause a natural restriction, which can\u2019t really be\nimproved. This isn\u2019t to say someone with natural restrictions can never squat\nheavy, but squat depth may be limited. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other soft tissue limitations may include tissue entrapment,\nsuch as impingements, or excess stiffness where the tissue refuses to budge.\nThis may take more work and effort to fix before you can safely and comfortably\nsquat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Putting it All\nTogether<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Work through these mobility exercises as a warm-up for\nsquatting and lower-body workout routines. The more you improve your mobility,\nthe stronger and more confident you will feel when stepping up to the squat\nrack for the first time. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Graduating to the squat rack is a big moment in strength training. It may feel intimidating at first. But when you prepare for that first barbell squat well before you step up to the rack, you can crush your goals with confidence. This is the first of a two-part series focused on barbell squat basics […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":3445,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nHow to Become Friends with the Squat Rack (Part 1) - Health Perch<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.northwestpharmacy.com\/healthperch\/become-friends-with-squat-rack-part-1\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Become Friends with the Squat Rack (Part 1)\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The more you improve your mobility, the stronger and more confident you will feel when stepping up to the squat rack for the first time.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.northwestpharmacy.com\/healthperch\/become-friends-with-squat-rack-part-1\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Health Perch\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/healthperch\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-04-09T17:11:46+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-04-11T15:02:05+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.northwestpharmacy.com\/healthperch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/health-perch-squat-rack_og.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kellie Davis\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"How to Become Friends with the Squat Rack (Part 1)\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"The more you improve your mobility, the stronger and more confident you will feel when stepping up to the squat rack for the first time.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.northwestpharmacy.com\/healthperch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/health-perch-squat-rack_og.jpg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@healthperch\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@healthperch\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kellie Davis\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northwestpharmacy.com\/healthperch\/become-friends-with-squat-rack-part-1\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.northwestpharmacy.com\/healthperch\/become-friends-with-squat-rack-part-1\",\"name\":\"How to Become Friends with the Squat Rack (Part 1) - 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