Hi everyone, I’ve uploaded a video of me squatting and screen shotted a frame from it that I think best shows my back positioning. Basically when I squat I have an aching pain in the crease between my leg and groin (I think it’s tight adductors) so I’ve been doing a lunge style stretch in between sets to loosen up.
Another problem I have is the typical lumbar rounding near the bottom end (not so clear with a hoody on), ill try and upload a new video next week sometime. Is this likely caused by tight hamstrings, as being a student I am sat down a lot…
If you request a video of something specific (front squats, body squats, overhead squats, lighter squats) and you think it might help you critique me then I am happy to oblige.
Any wisdom would be great fully received!
Thanks Harvey.
Video didn’t upload sorry for double post.
Google femoral anterior glide syndrome. The solution is strengthening your glutes in isolation (via hip thrusts or glute machines).
The glutes externally rotate your femurs so if they are weak or not firing, your femurs will internally rotate causing the knees to bow inwards.
The lumbar rounding is due to the hamstrings firing, which pull the pelvis into posterior rotation which in turn flattens the lumbar spine.
The hamstrings are firing to assist the glutes in hip extension because the glutes are not strong enough to do all the work themselves. If the glutes are strengthened, the hamstrings will stop firing and your lumbar spine will stop rounding.
Another trick to get the lumbar spine to stop rounding is to activate your hip flexors by using them to actively pull yourself down into a squat position. The hip flexors actually cause the lumbar spine to extend rather than flex when they are activated. A trick to teach yourself to do this is to attach a stretch band to the top of the squat rack and hook it under your armpits so it is tight and then squat down against the resistance. Do this after you have strengthened your glutes though, because your hip flexors are probably still sore from being pinched and need a little time for recovery.
Smallmike - that is incredible advice! I am pretty sure you have answered my problem clearly and in detail, I appreciate that tremendously! I shall now work on my glutes and get back to squatting! Happy days!
