Squat Science

The squat, a movement that most believe is a fundamental pattern to humans; a movement that we should strive to train and maintain for performance and just general wellness.

It is also a topic of much debate when it comes to HOW to perform a squat...

• What stance?
• What width?
• What toe angle?
• What bar position?
• What variation?
• How deep?

I've worked with close to a thousand athletes and guess what… they all squat differently.  Different stance widths,  different foot positions, different depths, different variation preferences, different bar positions, etc.  

I'm tired of hearing athletes being told they MUST squat a certain way or there is only ONE way to squat… that is rubbish and certainly isn't rooted in science. 

Let's think about this - do you really think someone 6'6 should squat the same as someone 5'2?  Should someone with long femurs and a short torso squat the same as someone with short femurs and a long torso?  Should someone with retroverted hips squat the same as someone with anteverted hips?

If I have a group of 20 athletes and had them all squat with a stance of their preference, to a depth they felt comfortable, with a toe angle that allows the most freedom - you know what I'd find?  20 different squats with different widths, foot angles, depths, trunk angles, etc.  

So why do coaches, PT's still try to jam a square peg into a round hole by thinking there is only one way for people to squat?  You NEED to squat with toes forward, in a shoulder-width stance, to a parallel depth!

Now I'm a man of science, not just anecdotal evidence, so let's see what some of the literature on anatomy and skeletal structure of the hips says and how this may effect the squat

• The femoral neck/head isn't the same in every person.  Zalawadia et al (2010) demonstrated that as much as 24-degrees difference in anteversion and retroversion is common.  Zalawadia also noted that these differences of anteversion and retroversion can differ from side to side - not all hips are symmetrical!  

With sooo much potential variation is peoples hips, not to mention potential side to side difference in the same person - you still think everybody's squat should look EXACTLY the same?  Femoral and acetabulum structure will play the main role in ones ability to squat in certain positions to certain depths - NOT a universal preference made up by some person. 

• Laborie et al (2012) noted that anteversion and retroversion isn't strictly contained to the femoral head, it can also be present in the acetabulum.  They looked at  over 2000 samples of centre-edge angles of the acetabulum  and found angles differed from 20.8-45 degrees

Again, how can we expect someone with a 20.8-degree anteversion to squat the same as someone with a 45-degree retroversion?

• Knutson (2005) looked at leg length, and found that about 90% people have a discrepancy with the average difference of about half a centimeter.
• Flanagan  & Salem (2007) examined different kinetic variables in the squat of 18 experienced lifters. They looked at many things including average joint moments at the hip/knee/ankle, ground reaction forces in each foot, center of pressure for each foot, and maximum flexion angle at the knee/hip/ankle. They found many things (some statistically significant, others not) including side to side differences in center of pressure, ground reaction forces, and joint moments at the ankle, knee, and hip (especially the hip). The researchers concluded that NOBODY was balanced and every subject demonstrated differences in at least on of the joints (ankle, knee, hip)

It is COMMON that people squat with asymmetries and differences from side to side.  It's normal to have someone feel and perform better with one toe angled out/in, staggered forward/backward,   externally/internally rotated compared to the other.

If pain isn't present - THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS - and it's likely aiding in performance, comfort, and health.  We aren't symmetrical beings and sometimes forcing symmetry may actually be taking someone out of their "neutral".  

Want to see what these differences actually look like?  Check out the below photos and see how these skeletal structures can differ and visualize how they'll dictate an athletes optimal squat.

If we tried to take these people and squat them in a toes forward, shoulder width stance, to parallel, what do you think would happen?

Some would ace the test, while others would fail miserably… why?

Much of it would have to do with this structure - NOT some mobility, stability, strength, motor control dysfunction, but rather something they CANNOT change - their bone structure.

We seem to be in a stage where we see someone whose can't squat deep, or prefers a wide stance, or turns their feet turn out, or has butt wink and we jump all over them with how their "insert joint/muscle" is tight/weak and needs soft-tissue, mobility, or activation work, BUT in many situations, no matter what correctives, or soft-tissue, or crazy mobility you throw at the athlete - they just won't be able to squat in certain positions.

Let's wet our whistle with a little bit more literature

• Elson and Aspinal (2008) showed what is tremendously obvious for coaches that actually work with people - there are vast differences in range of motion in hip flexion and extension - meaning some people are just better suited for deep hip flexion (deep squat), while this position would cause massive problems for others. 
• D'Lima et al (200) demonstrated that differences in femoral neck/head thickness (as little as 2mm) could impact hip flexor ROM by 1.5-8.5 degrees.  
• Lamontagne et al (2009) looked at people with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAI) and squat ability and concluded due to anatomical variations at the hip such as cam or pincer, there are plenty of lifters who will never be able to deep squat with proper form.

So should everybody squat to parallel or ass to grass?  Should everybody have the same stance width and toe angle?

NO!!!

Some have a tendency to squat deep, while others have tendency for hip extension.  If we force them to parallel or ass to grass we may be forcing bone on bone or a hip impingement - not good things.   The only people that NEED to squat to parallel are powerlfiters, it's a requirement of their sport.  As for athletes, there is no rule book that says you have to squat to parallel or beyond - it's not a requirement nor is it going to make or break performance.

Again, ones ability to squat to different depths in different stances can be explained by their skeletal structure - NOT necessarily mobility or soft tissue or strength issues.  It also means trying to say everybody should squat the SAME WAY is a terrible thought process and could actually be causing more harm than good.

Here's a quote from the great Stu McGill, considered the World's foremost expert on spinal health - "The most important matter on all of this is the depth of the hip socket. If people are looking up on the internet, depth of the hip socket and squat ability, they won’t find it. They have to go to the hip dysplasia literature. What they’ll find is that there are groups in the world with very shallow hip sockets (allow greater hip flexion) and some with deep hip sockets (make it difficult for deep hip flexion)."

Even the World's expert says it's structure that dictates deep squat ability, it's NOT some universal standard.

​Insert pictures of strong peeps, lifting heavy things and what do you see?

No identical stance, depth, toe angle, etc. 

​Why again do we try to force people to squat a certain way, to a certain depth?  Coach athletes as individuals. 

Let's look at some more myths that pertain to squatting

Knee's Can't Go Beyond The Toes

Here is another myth is purported in all areas and there’s little evidence to support this claim. The knees passing beyond the toes is not some universal point where all of a sudden the stresses on the knee become dangerous and every point before that is safe. 

You know what's even more?  Artificially restricting or trying to prevent forward movement of the knees may be detrimental to the hips and back. Fry et al (2003) looked at the effect of restricted squats where a wooden board was placed in front of the lifter that didn't allow the knees to track past the toes.  

​What did they find?  

Restricted Squat

As expected, the board restricted setting reduced torque on the knees, but increased torque at the hip and low back.  So you take stress on one joint, only to increase it at another - so pick your poison.  
The researchers concluded, "Exercise technique guidelines should not be based primarily on force characteristics for only one involved joint (e.g., knees) while ignoring other anatomical areas (e.g., hips and low back).”  

Artificially or cueing an athlete to change their natural mechanics may effect the joint being cued, but those forces and torque need to go somewhere.   

While shear forces have been shown to increase in the deep squat position with forward knees, the body can handle them appropriately without risk for injury (Schoenfeld (2010)).   The most thorough review of squat depth on knee pain showed the demands on these tissues in a deep squat are well below the maximum that those tissues can withstand (Hartmann et al (2013)).  THEY AREN'T DANGEROUS!
​
Plus, every Olympic lifter of all-time, theoretically should have messed up knees and some PT would tell them they're lifting wrong…

Squat Stance and Squat Variation

Guess what - the type of squat you use isn't vastly different from each other.  EMG between a front squat and back squat aren't that different and some studies even showing NO STATISTICAL DIFFERENCE in muscle activities between front and back squats.  (Contreras et al (2016); Gullet et al (2009)).  In general, the front squat will lead to slightly more quad activation and thoracic extension strength; while back squat slightly more glute/hamstring activation, but again, the EMG difference between the two isn't likely a good reason for choosing one over the other.

How about wide stance vs narrow stance?

Wide stance squats tends to activate greater adductor and glute compared to narrow squat, with no difference between quad activation (Escamilla et al. (2001); Paoli et al (2009); Steven & Donald (1999)).  Swinton et al (2012) recently demonstrated exactly this as the researchers showed EMG results for glute activation were significantly higher in a wide stance compared to a narrow stance.  These EMG results also showed that quadricep activation between the stances were identical - concluding, muscle activation wise, a narrow stance isn't superior to a wide stance.

How about toe angle or hip angle?

Ninos et al. (1997) found no difference in vastus medialis activation between barbell back squats with two different hip rotation angles (feet pointing outwards vs. feet pointing forwards).  While, Pereira et al (2010) found externally rotating the hip to 30 and 50-degrees resulted in greater hip adductor activation with no change in rectus femoris activation, leading the researchers to conclude that squatting to 60-90 degrees of knee flexion with 30 degrees of external rotation maximized muscle activation.

Again, there is NO LITERATURE supporting the NEED to squat with toes forward! Rather than squatting with your toes forward or pointed out to a predetermined degree and forcing your knees and hips to follow along, you’re better off seeing what hip and knee position feels the strongest and most comfortable, and letting that determine how far out you point your feet (Nuckols (2016))

In a great review of all the variables that effect muscle activation of a loaded back squat, Clark et al (2012) concluded, research of common variations such as stance width, hip rotation, and front squat do not significantly affect muscle activation.  Turning the toes out, however, only changes the activation of the adductor muscle group. The glutes and quads (the main movers in the squat) are not significantly activated to a greater extent by any of the variables (Clark at el (2012)).

So we've seen, specific squat variations - wide, narrow, toes forward, toes out, depth - aren't make a break factors when it comes to muscle activation, joint stress, or performance.

So again, why would be ever think there is only one way to squat and what would make this way superior?  The fact is, there isn't a single strategy to squat and instead should be dictated upon by the individuals unique skeletal structure, limb lengths, past injury history, mobility/stability factors, and biomechanics.

Here's just a small list of things that influence squat mechanics 

• Foot Wear (elevated heel vs flat heel)
• Long Tibia vs Short Femur
• Short Tibia vs Long Femur
• Short Femur vs Long Torso
• Long Femur vs Short Torso
• Body Mass
• Stance Width
• Toe Angle
• Foot Size (Length)
• Cueing
• Anterior vs Posterior Chain Strength
• Specific Joint Mobility and Stability Strengths and Weaknesses
• Bar Position

Linked below is a really cool that demonstrates how different body part lengths, stance width, bar positioning, etc effect the outcome of a squat will look like - again it's basic biomechanics - http://mysquatmechanics.com

Here are some pictures of how simply changing levers, stance width, ankle mobility, and bar position effect the end look of a squat

All-In-All

The goal of this article is to demonstrate there is no universal way to squat and we need to work to allow and find our athletes optimal way to squat based on their individual anatomy, levers, mobility/stability needs, past injury history, etc - and NOT try to pigeon-hole everybody into a certain way of squatting.

Please share this with anybody you think would benefit and let's stop the squat stupidity from spreading. 

 PS - Below are some squat assessment videos on what we might use to assess our athletes to find their best squatting stance. 














References:

 Clark, D. R., Lambert, M. I., & Hunter, A. M. (2012). Muscle activation in the loaded free barbell squat: a brief review. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 26(4), 1169-1178.

Contreras, B., Vigotsky, A. D., Schoenfeld, B. J., Beardsley, C., & Cronin, J. (2016). A comparison of gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, and vastus lateralis electromyography amplitude in the parallel, full, and front squat variations in resistance-trained females. Journal of applied biomechanics, 32(1), 16-22.

Escamilla, R. F., Fleisig, G. S., Lowry, T. M., Barrentine, S. W., & Andrews, J. R. (2001). A three-dimensional biomechanical analysis of the squat during varying stance widths. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 33(6), 984-998.

Flanagan, S. P., & Salem, G. J. (2007). BILATERAL DIFFERENCES IN THE NET JOINT TORQUES DURING THE SQUAT EXERCIS. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 21(4), 1220-1226.

Gullett, J. C., Tillman, M. D., Gutierrez, G. M., & Chow, J. W. (2009). A biomechanical comparison of back and front squats in healthy trained individuals. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 23(1), 284-292.

Hartmann, H., Wirth, K., & Klusemann, M. (2013). Analysis of the load on the knee joint and vertebral column with changes in squatting depth and weight load. Sports medicine, 43(10), 993-1008.

Knutson, G. A. (2005). Anatomic and functional leg-length inequality: a review and recommendation for clinical decision-making. Part I, anatomic leg-length inequality: prevalence, magnitude, effects and clinical significance. Chiropractic & osteopathy, 13(1), 1.

Lamontagne, M., Kennedy, M. J., & Beaulé, P. E. (2009). The effect of cam FAI on hip and pelvic motion during maximum squat. Clinical orthopaedics and related research, 467(3), 645-650.

Ninos, J. C., Irrgang, J. J., Burdett, R., & Weiss, J. R. (1997). Electromyographic analysis of the squat performed in self-selected lower extremity neutral rotation and 30 of lower extremity turn-out from the self-selected neutral position. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 25(5), 307-315.

Nuckols, Greg.  http://strengtheory.com/how-to-squat/. 2016

Paoli, A., Marcolin, G., & Petrone, N. (2009). The effect of stance width on the electromyographical activity of eight superficial thigh muscles during back squat with different bar loads. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 23(1), 246-250.

Pereira, G. R., Leporace, G., das Virgens Chagas, D., Furtado, L. F., Praxedes, J., & Batista, L. A. (2010). Influence of hip external rotation on hip adductor and rectus femoris myoelectric activity during a dynamic parallel squat. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(10), 2749-2754.

Schoenfeld, B. J. (2010). Squatting kinematics and kinetics and their application to exercise performance. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(12), 3497-3506.

Steven, T. M., & Donald, R. M. (1999). Stance width and bar load effects on leg muscle activity during the parallel squat. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 31, 428-436.

Swinton PA, et al (2012) A Biomechanical Comparison of the Traditional Squat, Powerlifting Squat, and Box Squat. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 26(7):1805–16​​

Understanding Muscle Physiology

The job of a strength and conditioning coach is to improve on-field performance which means improving movement skill.

Producing movement is a result of the unique ability of muscle to contract and shorten/lengthen its tissues and cause skeletal movement. Movements come from the ability of the body to generate tension and force. It is dependent on muscles, tendons, and the nervous system. The nervous system communicates to the muscles how and when they should contract. The muscular system contracts to generate tension and transmits this tension (along with the help of tendons) to the skeletal system to create movement.

The amount, speed, and frequency of force and consequently movement depend on the certain factors outlined below.

Motor Unit Recruitment

The recruitment of motor units is the basis for producing force. Motor unit recruitment relates to the number of motor neurons innervated during a muscle contraction. The ability to recruit more motor units equates to higher forces generated. Athletic movements occur as a result of skeletal muscles acting upon the skeletal system and using them as levers. These muscular contractions occur as response to signals sent from the nervous system.

Size Principle

The recruitment size and area of a motor neuron is directly related to the size of its axon; the larger the axon, the greater the amount of stimulation required. This principle is fundamental to the understanding of power because the size of the soma is indirect in proportion to the size of the motor unit or the number of the muscle fibers innervated by the alpha motor neuron.

Smaller motor units innervate less muscle fiber and produce smaller amounts of force which causes them to be recruited first.  Larger motor units on the other hand produce greater amounts of force.  As each muscle possesses a wide variety of motor units ranging in size, motor units are recruited in ascending order of size in what is referred to as “Henneman’s size principle”. The amount of load and how fast the weights or implement is lifted play a major role in determining the number of motor units and muscle fibers get stimulated. This is why heavy weights and/or power movements are essential to athletic output and used primarily in training.

Rate Coding

Rate coding is the term used to describe the frequency of signaling from the central nervous system to the motor unit. Basically it is how quick that signal is received from the nervous system until it results in a muscle contraction. Obviously increasing signal frequency can result in greater power production because of an increase in the firing rate of motor units. It has been shown that increased rate coding leads to higher rates of force development.

Rate coding is a quality that will improve over time with repetitions and neuromuscular adaptations. But if the signal frequency reaches too high of speed that the muscle fibers cannot completely relax between the bouts of signals, rate coding will be undermined and contraction efficiency and power will be reduced.

Synchronization

Synchronization is how well the nervous system manages to fire the muscle fibers in concert with one another, with more synchronized firing patterns leading to higher levels of force generated. The more motor units that can simultaneously activate can lead to performance gains. Motor unit synchronization may not directly enhance maximal force output, but it may be most related to performance in rate of force development and movements that require coactivation of multiple muscles at the same time.

Stretch-Shortening Cycle

The stretch-shortening cycle takes advantage of the elastic properties of the muscle-tendon units. Tendons don’t actually contract but act as a bridge between muscle and bone to aid and add extra force to contractions. Tendons are especially useful during stretch-shortening actions and their high elastic properties. Essentially tendons act similar to springs - they stretch and store energy during eccentric contractions and snap back during the concentric portion.

Power and speed can increase through this stretch-shortening cycle and can easily be seen in the difference between a depth jump and a static vertical jump. The depth jump takes advantage of the SSC while the static vertical jump doesn’t utilize these key elastic components.

This process works due to specific mechanoreceptors, such as muscle spindle fibers, responding to the muscle being stretched and send signals to the central nervous system. This communication causes a signaling of the muscle fibers to contract to prevent potential overstretching. This involuntary contraction allows for higher power and faster speeds of movement.

Sarcomeres in Series

The amount of force output within a muscle group is dependent on the number of
sarcomeres arranged in series (more sarcomeres running in series allows for each sarcomere to contract over a smaller range of motion to produce a given change in overall muscle length.  Multiple studies have also shown that faster athletes consistently exhibit longer muscle fascicles than their slower peers. This is why we train, dynamic resistance training has been shown to increase fascicle length, and conversely speed.

Motor Units in Muscle Groups

Every muscle in the body is different in terms of the number of motor units and muscle fibers it innervates due to its action, role, and need. Smaller, finer muscle groups and areas will contain less muscle fiber per motor unit due to its need for small, precise movements. These can be seen in your eyes and fingers. Larger muscle groups that need to be able to produce large amounts of strength and power will contain 1,000 or more muscle fibers per motor unit.

All or None Principle

When a motor unit is recruited all of the muscle fibers it innervates will contract. There is no half-way or partial contraction. If a signal is sent to stimulate that motor unit, every single fiber it innervates will contract; this is the all or none principle.

Force-Velocity Curve

The classic force-velocity curve demonstrates that as the velocity of movement increases the force produced is decreased. Basically it states something that we all know, as the weight gets heavier; we can’t move it as fast. One thing that is important about the force-velocity curve is that we train on all spectrum's of the curve, to get a maximum training benefit. Effectively we want the line to move up and the right. By doing so are able to produce more force at higher speeds, which effectively increases power and speed, and this is the goal for almost every sport.

Training only one end of the spectrum will help improve that specific quality, but may not affect the whole spectrum. Basically working on strength will give a bigger ceiling for speed development, and working on speed will benefit strength and RFD. One without the other will not produce maximal outcomes, and this curve can be a reminder of the interplay between physical qualities. The force-velocity curve is also a good guideline for coaches to structure their training. It leads into periodization, sport specificity, player position specificity, and loading schemes. Is your training and progressions attacking the whole curve, or are you just living in one area? There should be dedicated time to improving all of these qualities, to what degree will depend on the sport, athlete, and your coaching philosophy.

“The Goal Is To Move The Curve Up And To The Right”

Understanding the basics of muscle physiology allows for better programming and better outcomes for athletes.  Improving sports performance comes down to understanding physiology and how the nervous system operate under the demands of sports.

Go Get 'Em!

Essentials of Baseball Performance

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At Building Better Athletes, we got our start working with primarily baseball athletes, in particular pitchers.  About half of our population is baseball athletes, we work as the Sports Performance Specialists for an area University pitching staff, and we regularly consult with baseball teams/clubs on proper development and care of baseball athletes.

For anybody who has worked intensively with baseball athletes knows the unique demands baseball presents and conversely how specific and specialized the training for these athletes needs to be.  You can definitely mess up a baseball player by performing wrong things in the weight room.  The interplay and intricacy of throwing/pitching and hitting is very detailed and throwing un-needed stresses or quarks into the interplay is a recipe for disaster.

It's always interesting to see athletes comes to us, whether it be HS or college, and they describe their previous or even current training program to us, and literally it could be considered negligence on behalf of the coach/team.  Many of the things we see, especially depending on the quality of coaching, are probably doing more harm than good and setting many of their athletes up for failure or injury.

Then we ask if their is any individualization in the program or if the coach has ever seen you with your shirt off and evaluated your glenoid-humeral movements, thoracic spine movement, or rib cage/lumbar spine relationship to overhead movement.  To this day, we've never had an athlete tell us yes to either one of those questions and it's funny because this information should be directly used to what the training program should look like.

If an athlete has a depressed scapula, then things like deadlifts, farmer walks, Olympic lifts, and cueing down and back are all wrong.  If an athlete has valgus sign at the elbow, then things like Snatch's, Jerk's, barbell Back Squat, and most OH lifting should be avoided.  If an athlete presents anterior tilt and protraction of their scapula, then benching is a big no-no.  The list goes on and on, yet we never see a HS and even many college programs take any of this into consideration, and it's no wonder their athletes are searching elsewhere because they don't see actual on-field performance enhancement or they got hurt. 

Go Get 'Em!

Getting Ready for the Golf Season

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The weather is starting to get nicer and nicer, and for many this means it's time to dust off those golf clubs from the garage and start hitting the links.

If you haven't been doing anything all winter, well you're in luck because you still have some time to get ready before getting on the course.

You might be asking, get ready for what?

Well Golf of course.  One of the biggest mistakes seen with golfers is just stepping into the driver's box and going.  No preparation, no progression; just go from 0-60mph and hope for the best.

Training for golf is still a work in progress for many, but taking the time to get in golf shape will go a long ways in improving not only your golf game, but ensure health and safety.

Golf is notorious for low back, hip, and shoulder pain.

Why?  It's pretty obvious when you consider the massive speeds of joint motion and the demands this puts on stability and control.  Compound this with the majority of golfers being under prepared for these demands and you have a mixture for potential problems.

As we like to say,

Earn the Right to Rotate!

The golf swing is like driving a Lamborghini at 100mph - it's freakin' poetry in motion.

But before we can get behind the seat of that Lambo, you need to pass the required driving tests and master the car at lower speeds.

Same for the golf swing - you can't just put the Driver in you hands and expect things to be peachy.  You need to master the lower ends of movement and exhibit proper range of motion and control before you start trying to get on the green in 2.

Let's go over how you can start to prepare yourself for the springs golf game.

Movement

The first objective we try to create is a quality base of movement.  If you can't move well, you can't perform well.

We want to be able to move in all directions and perform basic movements like squats, lunges, skips, shuffles, crawling, etc.

This movement will develop a good base in which a golfer can build specific skills on.  It's also an opportunity to build general conditioning and improve work capacity.  If we can build this base, all other skills will be optimized more fully and it will give you the ability to play strong for 18-holes.

Mobility

Mobility is HUGE in golf - just think about what the hip, spine, shoulder, and ankle go through on a typical swing.  These range of motion demands put a big burden on the body to safely reach these positions for optimal performance.  Here are typical areas of need...

Thoracic Rotation - During the back-swing the thoracic spine must rotate to create hip and shoulder dissociation in what is known as the X-Factor.  This X-Factor is what creates rotational power and if a golfer lacks thoracic rotation they'll lose out on power or will compensate somewhere else in the body.

The lumbar spine often compensates for this lack of thoracic rotation and we know the lumbar spine tends to favor stability.  The thoracic spine has greater range of motion potential than the lumbar spine and when we start "stealing" this range of motion from the lumbar spine, bad things often result.  Is it any question lower back pain is the #1 injury seen in golfers?

X-Factor From the World's Best

Hip Internal and External Rotation - During the back-swing, your rear hip needs internal rotation and the lead hip need external rotation.  As a golfer progresses down through their swing this rotation switches and during the follow through the lead leg needs internal rotation and rear leg need external rotation.  If the hip lacks this external/internal rotation during any of these phases, the swing mechanics will be altered, power will be lost, or again the body will compensate.

Of the two, lack of internal rotation is seen more often than external rotation.  It's no question why many golfers will turn their toes slightly outward, as this decreases the stress of internal rotation.  But this can only go so far.  If you can't reach maximal hip internal rotation, your back-swing and follow-through will be shortened and it's pretty easy to see how this can effect your swing detrimentally.

Shoulder - The shoulder may not seem like a vocal point of the golf swing, but it's importance can't be understated. In fact a study by Loook et al, 2013 showed how important the shoulder is during the golf swing. Here is a quote from their study

"while golf does not require an extremely demanding arm action, it does, however, entail highly synchronized rotator cuff muscle activity so as to protect the shoulder complex, especially during the downswing. These findings agree with research that also considered the activity of the scapular muscles in the upper back region (levator scapulae, rhomboid, trapezius, serratus anterior) throughout the golf swing. These data indicate that the upper, middle, and lower trapezius muscles work collectively, assisting in the retraction of the scapula throughout different sections of the swing"

The shoulder really is a neglected body part in golf, but it plays an important role in the power and consistency of a golf swing.  

Ankle - Another often forgotten joint during a golf swing is the ankle.  The ankle helps to transfer forces into the ground, and it also plays an important role during the many parts of the swing.  If the ankle lacks range of motion, often times the foot or knee will compensate and this can lead to many of the knee issues seen in golfing. 

Bretzel: The Best Golf Stretch Ever?!

We love the bretzel for all athletes, but especially golfers.  It targets just about all of the areas of need and mimics the demands of rotation needed for golf.  Give it a try and you'll why we love it!

Stability
 
After mobility it's vitally important to work on stability, specifically rotary stability.  Stability is the ability to control movements and resist unwanted movements.  If a golfer lacks stability, it reduces the ability to control the various positional demands seen during the golf swing.  This reduced control can potentially put specific joints in harms way.

If a golfer can't control the requirements during the back-swing, then this position may be causing harm.  Golfers need to be strong and stable in these large movements in order to ensure health and safety.  Some of our favorite methods include band/cable chops, lifts, and pallof presses.  Another easy movement is the side plank as this requires no equipment and can be done anywhere.

Pallof Press

1/2 Kneeling Chop

Strength

Golf is a lateral and rotational sport and thus it requires strength and power in these movements.  If you can train in these movements your golf game will improve.  A typical workout of bench press, bicep curls, and leg extensions does you no good for golf.  Your workout needs to improve your lateral and rotational abilities and this will help lead to maximal carryover and direct improvement on the course.  Here are some starting points that will help improve your strength for golf.

Lateral Lunges - This will help improve the drive and power created by your rear leg.

Turkish Get-Ups (TGU) - TGU's are an all encompassing exercise that really targets everything a golfer needs.  Kind of like the Bretzel, the TGU may be one of the best exercises a golfer can do.

Be warned though, it's a tough exercise and involves different steps, but once you master it, great things will happen to your golf game.  Check out THIS ARTICLE on the details of the TGU

Here's a great first progression to perfect before you start adding weight

Med Ball - Using med balls are a great way to develop the rotational power that is key during the golf swing.  This is also a great way to groove the golf sequence and perfect the sequence of hips, torso, shoulders, arms, to club.  HERE are some of favorite variations.



Single Arm Variations - Performing single-arm variations is a great way to challenge the body unilaterally and also apply some rotational forces in the body.  This will improve the bodies stability and control, but it will also improve the bodies ability to work unilaterally.

Single Leg Variations - Just as single-arm variations are important, so are single-leg variations.  Being able to control single-leg variations help to improve stability and control of the hip, knee, and ankle.  Plus single-leg variations are athletic and can help many golfers gain the strength needed for their game.

Learn More!

For even more info check out this Prezi

Wanna Be A Strength Coach: Know These!

I feel like most peoples perception of a Strength Coach is setting up some racks and throw people into squatting and benching.  No rhyme or reason, just make athletes work their tails off and that's it.

It's a poor perception and the field of S&C is actually a very in-depth field of work that requires coaches to know much more than basic exercise.  A particular aspect I feel all coaches should know is anatomy.  Specifically functional anatomy aka how muscles, bones, soft tissue actually work during human movement.

It's more than knowing you work your biceps during curls, it's knowing the true functions of muscles and understanding how movement is king.  If you know this functional anatomy, you have the tools to essentially figure out everything else and use this knowledge to drive your program.

The following set of questions below is what we give to our interns at the beginning of their internship to get a baseline of what they know.  When they leave us they must score 90% of higher of this test otherwise we fail them on the internship.

It's amazing how much people with 2-3 years of college education struggle with this basic information. These are things every coach should know like the back of their hand and it's your job to study your ass off so you do know this stuff.

Take the test and see how you fair?

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What is SAID?  What does it mean?

Name these bones

   Upper Leg  -

   Upper arm -

   Shin –

   Collarbone –

   Knee Cap -

What are the 3 regions of the spine and how many vertebrae are in each?

What are the top 2 cervical vertebrae called?

Name the 3 hamstring muscles?

Name the 3 quad muscles?

Name the 3 energy systems and their typical durations of activity?

What does anaerobic mean?

What does aerobic mean?

What is the central nervous system?

What is the parasympathetic nervous system?

What is the sympathetic nervous system?

What is the function/joint action of the gluteus maximus during athletic movements?

What 4 muscles consist of the inner/deep core?

What are your hip flexor muscles?

What are your hip extensor muscles?

What are the 4 rotator cuff muscles?

How many calories are in a gram of fat, carb, protein, alcohol?

What is Wolff’s law?

Show the following joint actions

   Spinal flexion and extension

   Shoulder flexion and extension

   Hip Flexion and Extension

   Dorsiflexion and Plantarflexion

   Shoulder Internal Rotation and External Rotation

   Scapular Depression and Elevation

   Scapular Retraction and Protracton