Why do Squats? Squats are undeniably beneficial for both general fitness and athletic development. They are fundamental for improved performance and reduction in injury risk, as well as maintaining good mobility and an active lifestyle. If you aren’t convinced yet, here are some of the benefits shown in studies: Reduction of injury risk & improved longevity - Increased ligament and tendon strength - Improved bone density - Development of the muscle groups in the lower back, hip and knee Improved Performance - Significant gain in strength, power and speed of the leg and hip muscles - Enhanced ability to carry out any movement with similar biomechanics. Something that can be overlooked is the huge benefits of squatting on the core musculature. What is the core and how does squatting benefit it? A well trained core is essential to not only better performance, but also to eliminating injury in daily life and during training. It is important to understand the purpose of the muscles considered to be part of ‘the core’ and how to train them properly, to benefit from a ‘strong core’. Core muscles: This zone may be much more extensive than you think and will include a large number of muscles which all work together. These must all be considered to understand how to properly train the core. The areas considered to be ‘the core’ are the lumbar spine, rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, internal and external obliques, the back extensors, quadratus lumborum, but also the psoas muscles which pass through the core to link the pelvis and legs, and the latissimus dorsi which link the shoulders and arms. Some also link larger muscle groups relating to the hip joint, for example the glutes and hamstrings due to the hip flexors frequently being recruited in core training movements. What is it used for? The primary function of the core is stabilization. A strong and stable core is what allows the body to balance and remain stable when force and movement is applied by the limbs, providing an efficient base for movement. The muscle groups have to be strong to be able to produce and transfer enough force to create the motor patterns that promote movement efficiency throughout the entire musculoskeletal and neural system, some research states that the core links upper body and lower body strength as stability allows for the strength to radiate out peripherally, presumably limiting a loss of energy caused by instability. With this in mind, it becomes apparent that it is less efficient to train the core with repetitive flexion exercises such as crunches which are performed lying down, and more relevant to train the core in positions which translate to sport specific or everyday life positions – for example standing, which requires maintaining correct spinal posture. It is also more appropriate to carry out exercises that need for you to strongly brace the core in order to halt movement and also to create movement. An example in this situation would be medicine ball throws and catches. So how do squats train the core? As a strong contraction of the core is required throughout the movement to maintain correct spinal posture, this increases the strength and stability of the core structures. A fantastic way of increasing the challenge on the core during squat movements is an overlooked squat progression: the overhead squat Overhead squats and the core Squatting already requires a lot of components: good proprioception and neuromuscular control in order to understand the most efficient movement patterns, dynamic flexibility and proper mobility in the ankles, hips and knees as well as the upper back, and of course a stable core. Overhead squats hugely increase the challenges and demands on the body. Maintaining weight overhead greatly shifts the centre of gravity higher, which the core must account for when keeping the body balanced and the spine in line. Having weight overhead also increases stress on the shoulder muscles and upper back, but also recruits much more of the core. Fully extending the arms above the head elongates the torso, meaning that the deep core structures and spinal erectors are forced in to stronger contractions to maintain thoracic extension. This means that your core gets an intense workout throughout the entire movement. The overhead squat is a movement that comes from the accessory exercises of Olympic Weightlifting training. The overhead squat is the ‘receiving position’ in the Snatch lift, so it is often included in workouts to help improve some common issues with Snatch technique. This means there are numerous other benefits to doing overhead squats if you are also someone who wants to try out Olympic lifting. These include: better stability and balance throughout the entire Snatch lift, improved confidence ‘getting under’ the bar to land in the overhead squat position, creating stronger support in the shoulders and upper back, and improved mobility and flexibility in the position which will make it more comfortable. Overhead squat technique If you want to give overhead squats a go, there are some things to bear in mind. Of course holding a weight overhead for any amount of time is going to be a challenge of upper body strength, so when you are new to this movement it MUST be done without weight. It also must be considered that the range of motion is different to back squats, and it is important to have good mobility in your ankles, knees, hips, upper back, shoulders and wrists. You may notice when trying this exercise out that you may struggle with the movement due to mobility or stability issues, it is common to experience difficulty even when proper form is followed, but practice makes perfect! If you start with no weight and gradually increase resistance over time you are sure to improve! So here is a walk-through of the movement so you can give it a try: Starting position: Start with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, typically this is something you will adjust through practice to a comfortable position. Your weight should be in your heels, you can check this by making sure you can wiggle your toes. Getting the weight overhead: The best way to try this movement out with no weight overhead is to grab a towel and pull it tight overhead between your hands and work your way through these steps in the same way. If you are using a bar, start with it on the backs of your shoulders as with a back squat. Your grip position needs to be wide, whatever you chose to hold overhead, so bear this in mind when holding your bar (or towel), your hands will probably be slightly further apart than your feet (so if you let the bar hang down it would fall in line with your hip crease, this translates to the Olympic Weightlifting Snatch lift). Push the weight overhead, make sure you never try this with a weight you won’t be able to comfortably hold overhead throughout the movement. The bar should be directly over the tops of your shoulders and locked into position, this is usually cued by ensuring you pull the inside edges of your shoulder blades tightly together. Squat: With the weight locked out overhead, simultaneously bend the hips and knees as with a normal back squat, keeping the chest up nice and high to keep the bar directly over the shoulders throughout the descent. Pushing your hips back as you move down will keep your centre of gravity over your shoulders and heels which should maintain a relatively straight line between them, perpendicular to the ground. Your knees must follow the line of your toes when you squat down, and not be falling inward or outward as you drop. The descent is complete when your thighs break a parallel line with the ground. It is important that your back maintains the correct curve, this is helped by ‘squeezing’ your core as much as possible. This can be seen in the picture, that your back maintains the same angle as your lower leg. To help core stability throughout the movement you should take almost a full breath at the top and hold it until the bottom, breathe out on your way back up.
Finishing: the movement is complete when you are standing fully with the bar still locked overhead, to get back up to standing the movement is the exact reverse of the descent, bring your hips back forward to rise up A couple of common issues you may encounter, such as your heels lifting from the floor when you squat down, and the bar coming forward from directly above the shoulders. If your heels are prone to lifting you are experiencing common mobility issues. You will benefit from placing a thin weight plate under your heels when you practice overhead squats to account for the lift – or even if you’re thinking about getting serious with Olympic Lifting, you will benefit from buying some weightlifting shoes! A drill to help with the bar coming forward is practicing overhead squats facing a wall, starting with your feet 2-4 inches away from the wall, and making sure your knees or the bar do not move forward enough to touch the wall, eventually moving yourself closer to the wall as you improve. Progressions For most people, your initial progressions will be gradually moving from no resistance overhead to carrying out the movement with the Olympic barbell, and then increasing the weight on the bar as you become strong enough. It is usual to start off with a towel, then a PVC pipe (often used for weightlifting technique work), then a low weight practice bar before moving on to a standard barbell. A progression exercise for barbell overhead squats is ‘paused overhead squats’, this is where you pause at the bottom position of the squat for a count of a few seconds, usually 3-5. This is widely considered by many weightlifting coaches to improve the stability and confidence of the lifter under the bar for Snatches. It is also considered to help with the flexibility of the hips and ankles which will help to make your overhead squats more comfortable. Overhead squats are considered more difficult with a narrower overhead grip, so some choose to attempt them with a narrower grip on the bar, or holding a weight plate or medicine ball above the head. This will increase the challenge on the core as stability becomes more challenging. Those looking for a real core challenge could try ‘single arm overhead squats’. These are carried out holding a dumbbell or kettlebell overhead with one arm. It is important to start light! As maintaining these weights overhead with one arm whilst squatting can be very challenging! The lifter may find it easier to hold the weight as close to the centre line of the body as possible, but always ensuring the elbow is locked out for a secure overhead position. Make sure you start off slow as you may be surprised how hard it is to maintain balance! References https://www.nsca.com/uploadedFiles/NSCA/Resources/PDF/Education/Tools_and_Resources/position_stand_the_squat_exercise_for_athletic_conditioning%20-%201991.pdf NSCA Position Paper: The Squat Exercise in Athletic Conditioning: A Position Statement and Review of Literature. T. J. Chandler, M. H. Stone. National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal. Volume 13 Number 5 http://myweb.facstaff.wwu.edu/chalmers/PDFs/Using%20the%20overhead%20squat%20for%20core%20development.pdf Using the Overhead Squat for Core Development. I. Hasegawa. NSCA’s Performance Training Journal. Volume 3 Number 6 https://www.nsca.com/education/articles/the_back_squat_a_proposed_assessment_of_functional_deficits_and_technical_factors/ The Back Squat: A Proposed Assessment of Functional Deficits and Technical Factors that Limit Performance. G. D. Meyer et al. NSCA Strength and Conditioning Journal. Volume 36 Number 6 https://www.nsca.com/uploadedFiles/NSCA/Resources/PDF/Education/Articles/NSCA_Classics_PDFs/Core%20Training%20Evidence%20Translating%20to%20Better.pdf Core Training: Evidence Translating to Better Performance and Injury Prevention. S. McGill. NSCA Strength and Conditioning Journal. Volume 32 Number 3 http://www.uksca.org.uk/UKSCA/RelatedFiles/PSC_33_Torso.pdf Myths and Reality: Training the Torso. I. Fletcher. UKSCA Professional Strength & Conditioning. Issue 33 https://www.nsca.com/uploadedFiles/NSCA/Resources/PDF/Education/Tools_and_Resources/FoundationsofFitnessProgramming_201508.pdf NSCA Foundations of Fitness Programming Core Strength : Learning the Overhead Squat T. Brown – NSCA Performance Training Journal. Volume 5 Number 5 http://www.goeata.org/protected/EATACD13/downloads/PDF/presentation-guyer.pdf Practical Application for Athletic Trainers: Overhead Squat Assessment and Rehabilitation M. S. Guyer Weightlifting Movement Assessment & Optimization – Catalyst Athletics (book) Q. Henoch https://www.catalystathletics.com/article/119/Overhead-Stability-in-the-Snatch/ https://www.catalystathletics.com/article/2042/Maximize-The-Stability-Security-of-Your-Snatch-Overhead-Pos/ https://www.catalystathletics.com/article/1964/Quit-Letting-Your-Shoulders-Sag-Overhead-in-the-Snatch/ https://www.catalystathletics.com/article/1769/Get-Cozy-Down-There-Improving-The-Snatch-Jerk-Receiving-Pos/ https://www.catalystathletics.com/article/1849/Mobility-for-People-Who-Hate-Doing-Mobility/ https://www.catalystathletics.com/article/2048/Stability-in-the-Bottom-of-the-Snatch-Jerk/ https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/the-real-world-benefits-of-strengthening-your-core
1 Comment
The Role of a Strength and Conditioning Coach The Strength and Conditioning Coach must identify and evaluate the physiological needs relating to either a whole sports team, an individual playing in a specific position as part of that team or an individual athlete. Once gaps between actual and ideal physical outcomes have been highlighted, the S&C practitioner is then responsible for designing and implementing periodised sports-specific programmes that will improve the athlete’s performance within that sport and reduce the occurrence of injury. An S&C Coach can potentially work with a very diverse range of athletes, as great as the number of sports that exist! Physical demands put on an athlete are often very different depending on the sport, position or role that athlete is playing and so no athlete will be trained in exactly the same way. Track and field, gymnastics, and martial arts athletes must be coached differently as they all use different movement patterns recruiting different muscles, train at distinct intensities and experience different forces on the body. Professional Tennis players must carry out repetitive short, high-intensity sprints that will end in a movement that requires great explosive strength. Rowers will train for strength, speed and a greater aerobic and anaerobic capacity. Shot-putters are more successful if they have enhanced muscular hypertrophy because the greater cross-sectional area allows them to produce more force and power. NFL athletes must excel at strength, power, endurance, speed and a great range of other physical components to become accomplished at their sport. As a consequence each sport has it’s own risk of particular injuries associated with these demands. The S&C Coach must communicate with other professionals as part of ongoing athlete monitoring. Ideally this involves an interdisciplinary approach, each professional exchanging up-to-date information with each other, rather than an athlete centered / multidisciplinary approach that can often lead to professionals contradicting each other and confusing the athlete. It is possible that the athlete has a very large number of support staff that are all working towards optimising the performance of that athlete. Head Coach, Technical Coaches, Nutritionist, Physiotherapists, Medical team, Sports Psychologists and sometimes even the athlete’s parents must work together to get the best out of a player. The extent to at which an S&C practitioner takes on other roles will depend on the support provided to the athlete by other professionals. However, as is necessary in all educating roles, it is crucial that a positive working relationship with the client is established quickly as the athlete will need to trust in the training decisions (research-based) made by the S&C Coach for the programme to be delivered effectively. Analysis of performance demands Biomechanics is the study of mechanical laws acting on a living organism. When looking specifically at sport we are talking about the physics involved in movement such as ground reaction forces, velocities, movement patterns, strength-to-mass ratios and joint angle generated muscle contractions. How does any of this affect sports performance? The easiest way to understand this is to look at a case example such as place kicking in Rugby. To be successful the kicker must be able to both move the ball at high velocity and also aim with great accuracy. Foot linear velocity, knee extension velocity and hip extension velocity have been found to be greater when kicking for maximum velocity. Ankle dorsiflexion and peak external rotation were found to increase kicking accuracy. These high velocity movement patterns need to be replicated and improved during training. Exercises that involve triple extension for example Olympic Weightlifting movements such as cleans will increase power output during hip and knee extension and could be used as part of a periodised programme for a Rugby kicker. Plyometric exercises such as hurdle jumping, drop jumps and horizontal jumps have also shown to improve kicking distance and are effective if implemented into a training schedule for a minimum of 12 weeks. Accuracy will suffer if the Coach only tries to improve the biomechanics of kicking distance without any focus on improving the external rotation of the foot during the kick. Physiological demands of training are to do with the fitness requirements of the athlete for optimal sports performance. When designing a programme for an athlete it is crucial to take into consideration both bioenergetic limiting factors that may reduce performance and the metabolic requirements of the sport. Bioenergetic limiting factors are the various energy stores and subsequent changes in hydrogen ions depending on the activity carried out. These include ATP & Creatine phosphate, muscle glycogen, liver glycogen, fat stores and blood pH. These factors are directly linked to the energy systems being used during the sport which in turn is dependent on the duration and intensity of the activity. The table below illustrates how duration and intensity affects the energy system that is required for an activity. Duration Intensity Energy system 0-6 s Extremely high Phosphagen 6-30 s Very high Phosphagen & Glycolysis 30 s – 2 min High Glycolysis 2-3 min Moderate Glycolysis & Oxidative >3 min Low Oxidative Each athlete will require very specific training to optimise the system most utilised in their sport or position. For example, a Rugby full back must be good at short distance sprints that last less than 30 seconds, most only covering a distance of 10m. Short distance sprints will place a high demand on the athlete’s phosphagen and glycolytic system. If the player cannot work well at this duration they will be unable to achieve many of the tasks required by that position such as reaching an opponent on time to carry out a tackle or meeting a high kick before the opposition. Combined sled towing and sprint training (SLED) has been shown to be effective for improving short distance sprints of 10m and 30m. Repeated incline sprints of 15m, 20m and 25m in sets of 5 with a work rest ratio of 1 : 20 may help improve acceleration mechanics as well as hitting the most active energy pathways. These would be effective methods for training this athlete as opposed to asking them to carry out steady pace 5km runs during each training session which would only use the oxidative system. Injury epidemiology refers to the analysis of injury within a sport by identifying common sites of joint or muscle injury and the causative factors. Injury location and frequency will vary dependant on the sport due to the specific movements patterns involved. Certain injuries such as lower body sprains or tendon tears are more frequent in sports that require rapid changes of direction, jumping and landing for example Basketball. The most common injuries in in this sport are specifically ankle sprains and knee injuries due to either rapid changes of direction or colliding with an opponent. It has been shown that proprioception exercises, balance training and strengthening exercises work well to reduce the rate of ankle injuries. Improving proprioception (the mind being able to sense where the body part is in space) can be achieved by carrying out single leg movements such as a squat on a wobble board. These can then be progressed to performing functional sport activities while in single-leg stance on the board. Mobility exercises can be used to improve the range of movement around the joint, the better the range the less risk of injury. They can be included at the beginning of resistance training sessions to prepare for movements under load. A particularly good exercise is to stand facing a wall with hands leaning against the surface, stretch one leg behind, with knee straight, and foot flat on the floor. Lean the body forwards until a stretch is felt in the calf muscle. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat three times. Assessment of an athlete’s capabilities Health and Lifestyle screening Questionnaires and diaries are inexpensive and convenient ways of monitoring an athlete’s lifestyle and health. This form of screening can reveal psychological and physiological variables that may affect performance, including sleep routine, quantity and quality, motivation, stress and anxiety, and also nutrition. Posture and movement screening The overhead squat is a common movement test for picking up problems in areas such as ankle dorsiflexion, hip mobility, thoracic mobility and glenohumeral mobility. During this test the participator must perform a deep squat holding a dowel above the head with fully extended arms. It is then possible to identify dysfunction by spotting any deviation from the technical model. Physiological fitness and performance tests 1 RM Clean and 1 RM Snatch can be an effective way of testing for maximal muscular power. The advantage of this type of field test is that it can be easier to administer, time effective and fairly inexpensive (providing there is access to a weightlifting gym). However, an athlete’s technique might be quite difficult to judge by eye as there is variation amongst individual lifters. The result of one lift could well be voided by another observer and therefore reduces the reliability of the results. These test are also very much limited by their parameters, maximal power can only be measured for the movements demanded to carry out the lift, the result may not be valid for muscular power involved in movement patterns that do not exactly replicate those carried out during the lift. The Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery test is often used to evaluate an athlete’s aerobic capacity by their ability to repeatedly perform intervals over a prolonged period of time. These multiple short distance running / sprint scenarios are common in field sports such as rugby and football. Cones are used to mark out a 20m and 5m section. Participants are required to run 20m and back as instructed by an audio recorded bleep, then follows a 10 seconds active recovery period where the participant can walk to the 5m cone and back before the next interval. The test is very easy to set up, requires minimal equipment and because it isn’t expensive, it can be used by the vast majority of sports teams regardless of their budget. Unfortunately this test is limited by the parameters that can be measured and may not accurately replicate real life game conditions. In many sports an athlete will frequently be required to sprint greater or shorter distances than 20m. Therefore, it may be better to adapt the test based on the typical conditions experienced by the sport or field position. The Skinfold thickness measurement field test is a very convenient tool that Coaches can use to analyse a client’s body composition as it can be carried out pretty much anywhere and relatively quickly. The most common sites assessed include triceps, subscapular, suprailiac, abdomen, thigh and bicep. The skinfold measures are taken two or three times at each site and then averaged, these values are then put into an equation specific to the number of locations measured to then determine body fat percentage. Skinfold analysis has it’s limitations as it can only be used to measure subcutaneous fat under the skin and not visceral fat found around the organs. This method has been found to be considerably less accurate than laboratory-based tests such as Dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and hydrostatic weighing. The information produced in this article has been collected from evidence based resources. These include research published by Sports Science journals, Strength and Conditioning course book material and textbooks produced in for the study of this field. No sources were used which appeared to have a conflict of interest (for example marketing or research bias) or which were not sufficiently referenced. References British Military Fitness Limited (2015) Level 4 Award in Strength and Conditioning Haff G. Gregory, Triplett N. Travis (2016) Essentials of Strength Training, National Strength and Conditioning Association http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/strength-and-conditioning-coach https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1428065 https://www.nsca.com/education/articles/3_field_methods_for_assessing_body_composition/ http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/apply-biomechanics-to-improve-techniques http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=1bd83d76-3cb7-490e-8082-fe44ca0d4c5f%40sessionmgr4009&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=123618980&db=s3h https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19966586 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22692118 http://www.irbsandc.com/?module=5§ion=24&subsection=60 https://www.acefitness.org/ptresources/pdfs/TestingProtocols/300YardShuttleRun.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3786241/ https://www.acefitness.org/continuingeducation/courses/support_items/OLC-PSM-ASI/AnkleSprainAugust2014.pdf http://www.innspub.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/IJB-V4N08-p269-276.pdf http://www.uhs.nhs.uk/Media/Controlleddocuments/Patientinformation/Medicinestherapiesandanaesthetics/Anklemobilisingexercisespatientinformation.pdf http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/physical-demands-of-tennis |
Author:
|
Canterbury Strength Weightlifting Club
|