30 DAYS OF SQUAT! (Day 28) - Shoes

I've worn a lot of different shoes over the years when squatting.

My favorite shoes are my Adidas Adistar weightlifting shoes - they were expensive but I've been wearing them for over 10 years and I expect to be able to wear them for another decade. They will need to be re-soled, but that is a pretty small expense really.

I bought a pair just like these a couple of months ago - still ugly, but more shoe-like in appearance and feel

I like squatting moderate (but not heavy) weights in Vibrams. I've had a pair for about five years now and I hated them at first, but grew to appreciate them. Recently, I found a nice pair made of leather with laces for something like $60 on clearance. Some advice with the Vibrams: Get toed socks and wear them every time you put on the Vibrams unless you want everyone to smell you coming 10 feet away. Also, when purchasing them, make absolutely sure the sizing is right and take your time acclimating to them.

For what it's worth, I've never been a big fan of Chuck Taylors or squatting barefoot though I tried to like them. Chucks just never felt comfortable and I always felt like my feet would slip inside the shoe slightly - not something you want when squatting heavy. With bare feet, I always felt "naked" and worried that sweat and/or a lack of a grippy sole would not be the best means for grounding a solid base. I realize that both have their fans and that's fine - it's just an opinion.

30 Days of Squat (Day 21) - Neoteny

Benoit Mandelbrot coined the term "fractals" to describe the kaleidoscope-like, self-similar, self-repeating geometric shapes that are visible everywhere in nature. With the squat, what are the essential components (the FRACTALS) that we see repeated in healthy, athletic movement?

In a strong and healthy squat, we see:- healthy, uninhibited extension-  solid posture- external rotation of the arms and hips- engagement of the glutes and lats- solid breathing patterns 

From Squat Talk by Boris Bachmann

Although, squatting is not always "fun", when done well, it has all the characteristics of playful movement. The squat is play... Just something to ponder...

30 DAYS OF SQUAT! (Day 20) - "Sit Back"

I made the following video a while back because I kept hearing people giving the cue "sit back" to people who were squatting with a high-bar position. For most people, unless they have a relatively very short torso, this is going to make it very difficult to maintain posture (lumbar curve).

It should be obvious that, if you have an exaggerated hips-back squatting style, your upper body has to lean forward to compensate and keep the weight centered over your foot. Simple physics dictate that (unless you are on a Smith machine) you will not be able to maintain an upright upper body position without falling on your butt.

If you are going to squat with the hips back and (consequently) a lot of upper body lean, then lowering the barbell on the torso will be a much more advantageous position for almost everyone (mobility permitting).



So, what if I CAN'T handle a low-bar position? The options, as I see them, are to develop a more upright (sit-down) position which may necessitate more hip and hamstring mobility work, or continue to sit back and strengthen the crap out of your posterior chain to compensate for the position of weakened leverage.