Welcome to the Blog!

Before you start this workout, have you read my blog that teaches you how to squat correctly?
No?!
Then go and read it first so you get the most out of this workout! 
Warm Up

• 10 Air Squats
• 10 Squat with a pulse
• 10 Squat Jumps​

20 minute AMRAP

• 10 x Bulgarian Squat (each side)
• 10 x Side Lunge with High Knee (each side)
• 15 x Squat Jacks
• 10 x Single Leg Glute Bridge (each side, legs crossed)
• 15 x Squat Thrust (bottom half of a Burpee)
• Wall Sit 1 minute

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes

The Squat is a functional movement, meaning most people would perform a squat every single day, from getting up and down at the kitchen table to eat your meals, to getting up and down off your office chair or just getting on and off the toilet! But.. do you squat properly! It is is a lower body exercise which can be done with body weight or with weights if you wanted to make it slightly harder. 

Squats like any other exercise you perform has its injury risks, therefore, it is important we perform the correct squat biomechanics. Not only will performing the correct squat biomechanics keep you injury free it will also allow you to perform a GREAT squat, hit the muscles we want and avoid overloading of particular structures susceptible to injury.

Things we need to be aware of when squatting to keep away from common faults…

1) Make sure lumbar extension is not lost when squatting as this can increase the chances of back injury (not rounding at the bottom of the squat also known as butt winking).

2) Make sure your knees DON’T track inside of your feet.

3) Make sure you reach at least parallel in a squat (providing you have the mobility to do so).

4) Make sure full hip extension is performed at the top of the squat. Hip extension is one of the most important movements in a squat, with glute activation being 80-120% of muscle voluntary contraction (MVC) in the concentric phase of the exercise (rising up), compared to 20-30% MVC in the eccentric phase (lowering).

​5) Heels need to be kept on the ground at all times.
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6) Stability and mobility of the joint is very important when performing a squat. These need to be balanced to allow the joint to move through full available range of motion and for the surrounding muscles to stabilize this movement, to avoid any       injury

​Are you performing these movements when squatting? 
​Its not easy to activate your glutes in a squat and your quads tend to take most of the load, however having the correct technique will allow you to get those glutes firing up and you will be getting so much more out of every rep.  
Before every squat try to remember these key points

• Grip your toes to the floor
• Slightly turn your knees out (not your toes) to activate the glutes
• Inhale lower yourself down keeping the chest up
• Squeeze you glutes at the bottom
• Exhale to stand

​If your not sure if your squatting correctly then come and and let me take a look! Any questions please feel free to get in contact. 
Thank you for reading, happy squatting and lets stay injury free! 
~X~