Hiking Strength Series – Squats!
Kicking off the Hiking Strength Series is the movement most effective for building strength and stability – the Barbell Back Squat. Hiking and backpacking through rugged terrain or maneuvering steep elevation changes can be physically taxing. Squats will strengthen the legs, improve hip drive and fortify the core allowing you to power through any technical terrain with confidence. When trained consistently it will work and develop the entire body, improving strength, mobility, coordination and even endurance. If there was a single exercise to work each week, this would be it.
There are three general styles: bodyweight squats, front squats and back squats
Bodyweight Squats – Unloaded (non-weighted) squats are great for developing technique, warming up, stretching, and of course, burning calories.
Front Squats – The barbell is positioned in front of your body and rested on your shoulders at your collar bone. This keeps your body more upright and places more emphasis on the quadriceps. Front Squats will be covered in a later post.
Back Squats – This position rests the barbell behind your head on your shoulders, at or just behind your traps.
The sketch below from Starting Strength (Rippetoe, 2007) shows the general bar positions in the front squat (left), back squat (right). Notice how the bar is centered over the foot in either position.
Bodyweight Squats
Stand with feet shoulder width, toes pointed slightly outward, arms held out front to maintain balance.
Keeping your abs tight and eyes staring straight ahead, break at the hips and sit back, lowering your body till the crease of your hips is lower than your knees.
Driving through your heels return to a fully extended standing position.
Back Squats
With a bar positioned in a squat rack slightly lower than shoulder level, center up and take your grip. Find the notches on either side of the bar and ensure hand placement is even on both sides.
Dip under the bar and find a solid position with the bar on your shoulders, for me it is right behind the traps on a shelf created when pulling my arms back.
Work your body underneath the bar, take a half breath, tighten your abs and stand up.
Take a step back and to the side with one foot, then the other, hitting your stance without further exertion or shifting around.
Exhale and take another breath, hold it and tighten your abs again. Slowly break at the hips and squat back and down.
When the crease of your hips is below your knee, pause and drive back up through your heels.
Take another breath, take another rep or rack the weights.
Cues:
Eyes – keep your head in a neutral position with eyes fixed on a point 6-8 feet in front of you.
Grip – grab the bar evenly; use the rings/notches on the bar to set your hands in the same spot on either side, grip tightly with a solid wrist.
Core – Maintain a tight core with a neutral to slight arch in your back throughout the duration of the movement
Feet – Shoulder width to slightly wider, toes pointing out, keep your weight back on your heels and try not to roll to the ball of your feet
Depth – Goal depth has the crease of the hips below the knees for full range of motion
Knees – Keep your knees pointed out over the toes, as you squat your knees should track over your feet, resist caving inward
Drive – After reaching bottom depth, drive through your heels back to standing position
Breathe – For weighted squats I’ll generally hold my breath as I descend and drive up, then near the top of the movement exhale out
Set/Rep Schemes
We’ll review more when the actual programs are released but in general:
Learning to squat: 3×10 (3 sets of 10 repetitions) or 5×8. Use a weight that allows you to perform the movement properly as your technique develops, but not so light that you are not challenged
Strength building: 5×5 or 5×3 scheme. Make the weight heavy enough that the last few reps are difficult to complete. To further gains, on the last set keep going, if you hit 8-10 reps add weight the next week.
Issues:
Flexibility – Tight hips and ankles may limit mobility and prevent that deep low position. In a later post we’ll cover mobility drills to improve range of motion, for now just continue to work each time to get lower and lower while keeping your heels planted.
Knees – When driving up to the standing position, often the knees will have a tendency to cave inward, resist and force them out to track along the angle of your feet
Back – Maintain a solid back, if you feel your back rolling or hunching over the weight may be too much for you, drop down and continue to work technique and build core strength
Wrap Up:
Squats are the probably the best total body compound movement. Adding these into any exercise routine will improve all other aspects of it. There are many more variations, adjustments for body types and adaptations available. I encourage you to check out some of the other resources below and I’ll be covering more on the squat in later posts. Squats may take a while to get used to and get comfortable with, but with continued practice and effort you’ll grow to truly appreciate and enjoy this ultimate exercise.
Hiking Strength Series
Resources:
Rippetoe, M. (2007) Starting Strength, Wichita Falls, TX. The Aasgaard Company – One of the best resources out there for basic barbell movements
Nerd Fitness – How to Squat Properly – good article from the folks at Nerd Fitness https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2014/03/03/strength-training-101-how-to-squat-properly/
CrossFit Videos/Articles – www.CrossFit.com is a great resource for technique tips and advice; also most CrossFit gyms can provide excellent coaching to hone technique
