Personal training for the beginner

Signs You Need to Improve Ankle Mobility

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Signs You Need to Improve Ankle Mobility

On a run, feeling great, out of no where there’s a weird pain in your ankle/knee. The usual response “oh it will work itself out,”  just push through it .  After the run calves are tight or maybe the dull pain comes back. You can barely walk the next day but you say “what a great run! I can really feel it.” Although it may feel like your making great progress (you know the all wise saying.. if you’re not sore you didnt do anything) these could actually be signs of something that is hindering your performance and adding up to a potential injury.

Sign of Ankle Dysfunction 1: Pain in Ankle, Knee, Hip

Pain is the most obvious sign that something is wrong. However, pain in your knee doesn’t necessarily mean the issue is your knee. Pain is a puzzle piece, the issue is the puzzle! Pain can make its way up to the knee and even the hip if the ankles are too stiff. Any time we walk, run, or jump the impact starts at the foot and ankle and then works its way up the chain. If the ankle lacks the mobility to absorb the shock of the impact it can send the shock up the chain to either the knee or hip. Leading to the knee or hip joint to overwork and compensate for the lack of mobility at the ankle leading to pain.

 

Sign of Ankle Dysfunction 2: Feet Turn Out

This is a big indicator that something is off. Even if you don’t feel pain, yet, with your feet turning out, it can be a sign of an injury brewing. Feet turning out is typically a sign of overactive calves and an under active anterior tibialis (shin area). If you have ever had shin splints this is one of the reasons why. This imbalance of the muscles of the lower leg causes the feet to not be able to dorsiflex properly. Lack of dorsiflexion doesn’t allow for proper force absorption when landing while running or jumping. This will also lead to the knees collapsing inward creating a lot of unwanted force at the knee joint. Repeat that motion over and over again and you have an injury waiting to happen.

Sign of Ankle Dysfunction 3: Your Calves are Always Tight

If your calves are sore or tight after each workout, there may be something wrong.  This tightness or soreness can lead to the problems described above, starting with your feet turning out and then eventually pain and injury. So be careful when going by the “feeling the burn” or “no pain no gain” theories. Though you must challenge your muscles to progress, soreness is not always a sign of positive growth. 

 

Stay tuned for next weeks article, tips on how to correct basic ankle dysfunction.

Written By:

Robert Jost

NSCA-CPT, ACE-CPT

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Training Aspects Personal Training and Sports Performance:

Visit us:
Inside of the Flyers Training Center
601 Laurel Oak Rd.
Voorhees, NJ 08043

Training Aspects’  personal trainers and sports performance coaches want you to accomplish your goals. You, as the personal training client, are a reflection of our personal training and group training methods! We are here to help you accomplish all of your personal training goals!  Our main training focus are people looking to increase performance, lose weight , lose body fat and increase lean muscle. Whether you live in Cherry Hill, Haddonfield,Marlton, or any of the other surrounding areas we are here to help you Move, Look and feel as you’ve always desired…

 

Ankle Performance and You

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Function and mobility of the ankle

The ankle, one of the smaller joints but bears a huge load.  1.5 times yourweight is being applied when you are walking or standing, and eight times your weight when running. The ankle is a hinge joint The three bones, the tibia the fibula and the talus come together with articular cartilage in between. The cartilage allows the bones to move against one another smoothly and acts a shock absorber. Although the ankle is only made up of three bones, it is one of the most commonly injured parts of the human body.

Many do not have adequate ankle mobility.  From a movement stand point, decreased joint mobility at the ankle joint or tibiofibular joint. When walking, running, skating, squatting, picking something up, ankle mobility can be the difference between moving properly and getting injured. It’s like Jenga, if the blocks are built over a strong foundation, the game continues. Once the base begins to tilt the end is near! When the ankle doesn’t move properly the knee is affected. Once the knee is affected, you guessed it, the hip also begins to suffer.

The ankle up the chain:

The inability to perform a proper stride forces the body to find different ways to complete the movement. Compensation pattern do not eliminate the load experienced when hitting the ground during running; they simply shift it to other parts of the body which can lead to pain elsewhere.

Knee pain

The human body is a kinetic chain, if the knee tracks properly over the ankle there should be limited wear and tear on the knee. What happens at one joint will have an effect at another joint. The joints not sitting properly and the lack of ankle dorsiflexion when running or walking can lead to an early bending in the knee, which in turn can disrupt the whole efficiency of stride pattern.

 

Hip/lower back pain

Reduced dorsiflexion can increase the duration of time in which the heel is off the ground. The result… a decrease in hip extension, not allowing the person to complete a a full stride through the hip, knee and ankle. It may limit glute activation and create the feeling of tight hamstrings and in turn develop an anterior pelvic tilt.

 

Stay tuned, the next few weeks, we will focus in on the signs of ankle dysfunction and and how to fix the problem to increase performance in life, sports and performance.

Written By: Kirill Vaks

Fitness Specialist

BA,CSCS,ACSM-cpt,NFPT-sns

 

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Training Aspects Personal Training and Sports Performance:

Visit us:
Inside of the Flyers Training Center
601 Laurel Oak Rd.
Voorhees, NJ 08043

Training Aspects’  personal trainers and sports performance coaches want you to accomplish your goals. You, as the personal training client, are a reflection of our personal training and group training methods! We are here to help you accomplish all of your personal training goals!  Our main training focus are people looking to increase performance, lose weight , lose body fat and increase lean muscle. Whether you live in Cherry Hill, Haddonfield,Marlton, or any of the other surrounding areas we are here to help you Move, Look and feel as you’ve always desired…

 

3 Things to Make Your Sports Season a Success

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Top 3 Things to Make Your Sports Season a Success

Athletes want to get compete on the highest level, get stronger and dominant their sport, doing whatever it takes. Great mentality to have for the  majority of the year. During the offseason, training can be at it’s highest intensity, your body will be able to recover properly in your down time. In season, that’s another story!  Practices and games and the “on the go mentality” increases stress on the body. Active recovery and proper nutrition needs to be a focus during the season. Here are the top 3 ways to get you there.

 Sports Success Tip 1: Adjust Your Training intensity

Decrease your training volume! During the offseason many athletes are working out 5-6 times a week. This is usually the right balance between getting in as much performance work as possible, while still allowing your body to recover. Once the season starts with increased practices and game days you’re going to need to scale back on the amount of training you’re doing. Some different ways to adjust your training load can be to lower the intensity, limit heavy weights, reduce number of training days and increase recovery methods. Focus on bodyweight mobility and strength.

Sports Success Tip 2: Increase Recovery Methods

Keeping your body fresh is most important! This is the time your body needs to be performing at its peak. The last thing you want is to go out on the ice or field and feel tight, sluggish, and under perform. Consistently going out to play with tight muscles and your body moving in-efficiently can lead to potential injures that will bring your season to a halt. No matter how talented you are, if you are on the sidelines, it doesn’t matter. Increasing muscle releasing, stretching and mobilizing combined with efficient body movement training can greatly improve performance and reduce injury risk.

Sports Season Success Tip 3: Pre and Post Game Nutrition

Athletes have a Go-Go-Go mindset, Plan your food and drink!  Food and water is the same as  fuel for a car. If you have a Ferrari you can’t put regular gas in it. As an athlete you are a Ferrari. Away game trips do not give you an excuse to eat poorly.  So make sure you make eating and hydration a priority. Carbs are your friend, give the body easy energy for the athlete. An in game electrolyte drink such Accelerade or bodyarmour can be beneficial in aiding endurance sports lasting over 1 hour 1/2 – 2 hours. Plenty of water, about 12-16 fl.oz per hour pre game. During the game have a mix between water an electrolyte carb drink. Post game drink 12-16 Fl.oz per pound lost, as well as, a protein, sugar, electrolyte combination to replenish lost fluids and nutrients and begin the rebuilding process. Then a meal an hour later.

Incorporate these 3 things into your in-season training and see a huge spike in your performance.

Written By:

Robert Jost

NSCA-CPT, ACE-CPT

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Training Aspects Personal Training and Sports Performance:

Visit us:
Inside of the Flyers Training Center
601 Laurel Oak Rd.
Voorhees, NJ 08043

Training Aspects’  personal trainers and sports performance coaches want you to accomplish your goals. You, as the personal training client, are a reflection of our personal training and group training methods! We are here to help you accomplish all of your personal training goals!  Our main training focus are people looking to increase performance, lose weight , lose body fat and increase lean muscle. Whether you live in Cherry Hill, Haddonfield,Marlton, or any of the other surrounding areas we are here to help you Move, Look and feel as you’ve always desired…

 

Workout of the Week: Kettlebell Flow, Training Aspects

Sports Performance Workout of the Week: Kettlebell Flow

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Workout of the Week: Kettlebell Flow

Looking for a new workout to pump up your sports performance? Give this non-stop high intensity kettlebell flow a try. Perform 5-10 reps of each exercise non-stop. Then jump into five 20 yard sprints. Repeat for 5 total rounds. This combination will really tax your breathing and muscular endurance prepping you for game-time situations.

 

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Training Aspects Personal Training and Sports Performance:

Visit us:
Inside of the Flyers Training Center
601 Laurel Oak Rd.
Voorhees, NJ 08043

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Training Aspects’  personal trainers and sports performance coaches want you to accomplish your goals. You, as the personal training client, are a reflection of our personal training and group training methods! We are here to help you accomplish all of your personal training goals!  Our main training focus are people looking to increase performance, lose weight , lose body fat and increase lean muscle. Whether you live in Cherry Hill, Haddonfield,Marlton, or any of the other surrounding areas we are here to help you Move, Look and feel as you’ve always desired…

 

Do You Have a Big Butt or Is It an Illusion?

Do You Have a Big Butt or Is It an Illusion?

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Do You Have a Big Butt or Is It an Illusion?

Wow, That girl has a huge behind (or that guy to be equal)! Your eyes may be deceiving you. Big butts, do lie. Lower back pain, tight hips, tight hamstrings are all signs of it. The issue may be your posture. An imbalance usually shown by the hips where your pelvis tilts down in the front and tilts up in the back.That tilting movement forces the lower back to arch, in turn you have a case of an anterior pelvic tilt.

Do You Have a Big Butt or Is It an Illusion?

What are Anterior Pelvic Tilt Muscle Imbalances?

As you can see from the picture the butt is sticking out, the lower back arches, the hamstrings pull up, hip flexors pull down, and the abdomen sticks out. This is a body full of muscular imbalances.

What are Anterior Pelvic Tilt Compensation Patterns?

Working out with these muscle imbalances causes compensation patterns, potential pain and tightness. The back arching causes overactivity of the low back muscles which in turn under-activates the abdominals. Which means your core isn’t working! The front of the hips pulling down over-activates the hip flexor muscles which causes the butt to stick out and under-activate the glutes and hamstrings. Here are a couple examples of anterior pelvic tilt during popular exercises.

Pain and Tightness Caused by an Anterior Pelvic Tilt

Working out while your hips are stuck in an anterior pelvic tilt may cause you pain, tightness, or you may not feel any issues. It’s like a piano hanging over the room by a string, it may stay up there for a bit but it will eventually snap. When it does, you will feel the consequences. Attack it now before a real injury occurs.

 

Does All Tightness and Pain Mean the Same Thing?

Nope! Tightness or pain in the back or hips is usually from the muscle being over active and in a shortened position. The hamstrings are a different story, refer back to the picture above and you can see the hamstrings are actually under active and lengthened. The Hamstrings are a long and especially in a anterior pelvic tilt case, overactive muscle group.

 

Don’t Stretch your Hamstrings!

If you have “tight” hamstrings  even though you stretch them, keep in mind, the hamstrings are actually already lengthened to their max leading to that feeling of “tightness”. Stretching them further won’t be beneficial and can actually make your compensation pattern worse. If you want to stretch them do it dynamically.

 

How to Combat Anterior Pelvic Tilt

The best method we have found is a combination of release, mobilize, stretch, activate, and integrate. This involves releasing and static stretching of the overactive muscles (hip flexors and lower back), the hamstrings you would still release but dynamically stretch. The dynamic stretch will limit over lengthening. Mobilize the hip joint. Activate the under-active muscles (glutes and abdominals). Then integration of all of these muscles properly into your exercise routine and/or sport.

 

If you are a performer, athlete or simply looking to get rid of some pain. Assess yourself. If, when standing, your hips are not in neutral position but tilting up instead, then, congratulations, you have an anterior pelvic tilt! We have some work to do!

 

Check back for the video solution to an anterior pelvic tilt.

Written By: Robert Jost

Fitness Specialist

NSCA-CPT, ACE-CPT

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Training Aspects Personal Training and Sports Performance:

Visit us:
Inside of the Flyers Training Center
601 Laurel Oak Rd.
Voorhees, NJ 08043

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Training Aspects’  personal trainers and sports performance coaches want you to accomplish your goals. You, as the personal training client, are a reflection of our personal training and group training methods! We are here to help you accomplish all of your personal training goals!  Our main training focus are people looking to increase performance, lose weight , lose body fat and increase lean muscle. Whether you live in Cherry Hill, Haddonfield,Marlton, or any of the other surrounding areas we are here to help you Move, Look and feel as you’ve always desired…

 

5 great hockey training specific exercises

5 great hockey training specific exercises

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Hockey performance 5 great exercises:

There are many great training techniques that may be extremely helpful for any hockey player looking to increase performance. However, the integration of the exercises chosen is what makes the difference between a successful program and a Mens health training routine.

 

 

Single leg dead lift:

A great core and stability exercise, as well as, a great way to incorporate bilateral training and focus on individual sides. A regular Dead lift is also a great exercise for straight power through the body.

Heavy Kettlebell swing:

Hockey is based of power. Hip speed and mobility allows for the greatest hits, most efficient stride, highest velocity shot, athletic movement is based of the hips. Kettlebell training in general is great for hockey training, but a heavy kettlebell swing is a great way to develop all aspects of the game.

 

Medicine ball rotational slam:

Weight transfer, is often an underrated ability. Medicine ball rotational slams may help with shooting power, hitting and accepting hits. Moving with the ball, transferring weight, understanding how to generate the most power in your slam through full range of motion, if applied properly will take your game to another level.

Boxing:

Boxing is the ultimate sport of movement. Each punch thrown is based of the last. Understanding how to be efficient is the name of the game.  Learning to throw punches effectively and efficiently forces the athlete to learn how to load properly, turn the hips and transfer the weight, connect and then without missing a beat repeat. Reaction time is another great benefit!

Pull chop press :

A great core exercise and another great exercise to focus on proper weight transfer. Instead of sit ups and crunches try this Athletic exercise.

 

5 great hockey training specific exercises

There are many great exercises but there are also a wide range of not so great exercises. When training for Hockey or sport, weight transfer, stability and power are essential.

 

Kirill Vaks
BA,CSCS,ACSM-cpt

 

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Training Aspects Personal Training and Sports Performance:

Visit us:
Inside of the Flyers Training Center
601 Laurel Oak Rd.
Voorhees, NJ 08043

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Training Aspects’  personal trainers and sports performance coaches want you to accomplish your goals. You, as the personal training client, are a reflection of our personal training and group training methods! We are here to help you accomplish all of your personal training goals!  Our main training focus are people looking to increase performance, lose weight , lose body fat and increase lean muscle. Whether you live in Cherry Hill, Haddonfield,Marlton, or any of the other surrounding areas we are here to help you Move, Look and feel as you’ve always desired…

 

Workout anywhere- Playground ninja warrior

Workout anywhere- Playground ninja warrior

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Workout anywhere- Cherry Hill Playground Ninja Warrior:

No Gym membership, No babysitter to watch the kids, no problem! Each person has a priority list. If fitness/healthy lifestyle is on that list then there are no excuses! To help you find some solutions, This next batch of Wednesday articles will focus on working out anywhere and everywhere. There is no need for weights, machines, specific equipment. Whether your schedule is full of family, work, events, school, we’ll give you some ideas on how to stay active without specifically taking time out to go to the gym.

Workout anywhere- Playground ninja warrior

Coming back from a weekend where Training Aspects trainers, clients and family members took a trip to Blue mountain and took part in a spartan race! We decided to hit the playground, the ultimate gym. The video below might be a bit advanced for some but the intensity of a workout is up to you. Body movement is the main goal, Train movement not muscle.

 

Written By: Kirill Vaks

Fitness Specialist

BA,CSCS,ACSM-cpt,NFPT-sns

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Training Aspects Personal Training and Sports Performance:

Visit us:
Inside of the Flyers Training Center
601 Laurel Oak Rd.
Voorhees, NJ 08043

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Training Aspects’  personal trainers and sports performance coaches want you to accomplish your goals. You, as the personal training client, are a reflection of our personal training and group training methods! We are here to help you accomplish all of your personal training goals!  Our main training focus are people looking to increase performance, lose weight , lose body fat and increase lean muscle. Whether you live in Cherry Hill, Haddonfield,Marlton, or any of the other surrounding areas we are here to help you Move, Look and feel as you’ve always desired…

 

How Much Does Hydration Really Affect Muscle Strength?

How Much Does Hydration Really Affect Muscle Strength?

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Hydration and Muscle Strength, Does It Really Matter?

How Much Does Hydration Really Affect Muscle Strength?

Whether you are strength training, looking to lose weight, or going for athletic performance your hydration levels will dictate how well you do. Your muscles are comprised of 70-75% water. Just a 3% dehydration of a muscle can lead to a 10% decrease in muscle strength and performance. Imagine if your water levels in your muscle were only 60-65%? Your performance could drop by 30-40%! So next time you’re about to workout ask yourself did you have enough water? Check back next time for the recommended amount!

 

Written By: Robert Jost

Fitness Specialist

ACE-cpt, NSCA-cpt

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Training Aspects Personal Training and Sports Performance:

Visit us:
Inside of the Flyers Training Center
601 Laurel Oak Rd.
Voorhees, NJ 08043

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Training Aspects’  personal trainers and sports performance coaches want you to accomplish your goals. You, as the personal training client, are a reflection of our personal training and group training methods! We are here to help you accomplish all of your personal training goals!  Our main training focus are people looking to increase performance, lose weight , lose body fat and increase lean muscle. Whether you live in Cherry Hill, Haddonfield,Marlton, or any of the other surrounding areas we are here to help you Move, Look and feel as you’ve always desired…

 

Beware! Some Fitness Facts Could Be Myths!

Beware! Some Fitness Facts Could Be Myths!

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Top 5 Exercise Myths Everyone Should Know About!

 

 Training Aspects Resolves fitness myths

Exercise Myth #1 -You burn more fat exercising at a lower intensity

This is a tricky one because science technically says this is true. Lower intensity or “steady state” exercise does primarily use fat stores for energy, whereas high intensity exercise primarily uses carbohydrate stores for energy. Then how can this be a myth?

Personal Trainer Tip to Burn Body Fat

 In order to burn a pound of fat you need to burn 3,500 calories. High intensity exercise is still the king of burning calories. Not only will a ½ hour, high intensity workout burn more calories than an hour, low intensity workout, it will also boost your calorie burn for up to 24 hours after you are finished the workout!

Exercise Myth #2 – Crunches will reduce your waistline

 Again this myth comes back to overall calorie burn. Crunches only target one small muscle group. It is a low intensity exercise and will not burn many calories. In order to reduce your waistline and burn off that belly fat you need to engage in high intensity exercises.

Personal Trainer High Intensity Exercise Tip

Jump squats, squat to press, burpees, kettlebell swings and kettlebell snatches. These moves still utilize core stabilization and greatly increase your overall calorie burn to help slim your waistline!

Exercise Myth #3 – Exercising 7 days a week is the only way to get results  

This one couldn’t be further from the truth. You may see some results in the first week or two, but then you’ll burn out quickly. Rest is just as important as exercise. If you’re not allowing your body the proper rest, it won’t be able to recover and grow stronger for the next workout. You will always feel fatigued and beaten down, which is the exact opposite of how exercise should make you feel.

Remember: there is no perfect number of workouts, it varies for each individual.

Personal Trainer Weekly Exercise Tip

 Beginners can start with moderate exercise at least 2-3 times a week. Intermediate exercisers can workout 3-4 times a week. Advanced athletes can workout up to 6 times weekly, but they will still need at least one rest day.

Exercise Myth #4 – If your goal is to lose weight, stay away from lifting weights

This is a terrible myth that must be corrected once and for all. Resistance training is an essential part of any successful fitness plan. Resistance training will help you lose weight, gain strength, and improve overall fitness.

Personal Trainer Weight Training Tip 

Resistance training not only increases lean muscle mass, it also helps promote fat burning. The more lean muscle you have the more calories and fat you naturally burn doing nothing! Add exercise to all that lean muscle and you have a fantastic fat burning machine!

Exercise Myth #5 – You will continuously see the same results for months on end

We all wish this one was true but unfortunately the body doesn’t work that way. The principle of diminishing returns does not allow for this to occur. Your body only has so much fat it is willing to lose, it needs a certain amount of fat to function correctly and keep you healthy. This is why it becomes much more difficult to lose weight as your body fat decreases.

Personal Trainer Tip to Overcome Stagnant Results

Change up your workouts. Sometimes the reason for your lack of results is a stagnant exercise routine. If you have never tried kettlebell training or battle rope training,  then give it try. These exercises are high intensity and could kick your results into the next gear!

Don’t fall for all the myths, stories and lies out there, do your own research and find the facts!

Training Aspects Get Results

Written By: Robert Jost

Personal Trainer

NSCA-cpt, ACE-cpt

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Training Aspects Personal Training and Sports Performance:

Visit us:
Inside of the Flyers Training Center
601 Laurel Oak Rd.
Voorhees, NJ 08043

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Training Aspects’  personal trainers and sports performance coaches want you to accomplish your goals. You, as the personal training client, are a reflection of our personal training and group training methods! We are here to help you accomplish all of your personal training goals!  Our main training focus are people looking to increase performance, lose weight , lose body fat and increase lean muscle. Whether you live in Cherry Hill, Haddonfield,Marlton, or any of the other surrounding areas we are here to help you Move, Look and feel as you’ve always desired…

 

Squat

The Squat: Are You Squatting Correctly?

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Should Everyone Be Squatting Exactly The Same?

 

The squat is a very popular exercise among personal trainers. Whether you do a bodyweight squat or a burpee, squat form is involved. The squat is a very effective exercise but if form is incorrect, it may lead to various lingering injuries. Each person is unique, therefore, anatomy may play a role in the correct form. We are going to break down the basic anatomy of the hip joint,  guidelines to follow when squatting, and the reasons why squat form may vary by individual.

Basic Anatomy of the Hip Joint

The hip joint is a ball and socket joint. This type of joint allows for fully rotational movements throughout all planes of motion. The top of the femur bone, called the femoral head, inserts into the acetabulum (hip socket) of the pelvis. The joint is then held together by the labrum and surrounding muscles. This creates the movement friendly ball and socket joint.

Guidelines to Follow When Squatting

There are still a few guidelines to always follow when performing a squat properly.

Hips/Butt Back – Your hips and butt should be moving back as you progress through the squat. This engages and increases the activation of the glutes and hamstrings.

Weight in Heels/ Toes Up – This prevents your body from leaning too far forward and decreases the pressure in your knees reducing the risk of injury.

Chest Up/Abs Tight – This promotes an erect, neutral spine and improves core stability and good posture when squatting.

Why Everyone’s Squat Will be Slightly Different

Although each person has the same bones, their structure and placement in the joint can vary greatly. Bones may have longer and bigger femoral heads (check picture below), the angle of the femoral head can vary, and their acetabulum (hip socket) may point downwards instead of straight out. Taking bone variability into consideration, squat formation may vary. Some people will feel more comfortable with a wide stance, while others will do better with a narrow stance squat. This is where a knowledgeable and experienced personal trainer can help. Don’t fear the squat! Adapt the squat to your body and you will see great results this year!

Written By: Robert Jost

Personal Trainer and Fitness Specialist

NSCA- cpt, ACE-cpt

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Training Aspects Personal Training and Sports Performance:

Visit us:
Inside of the Flyers Training Center
601 Laurel Oak Rd.
Voorhees, NJ 08043