Barbell Squats
1. Warm your knees up with a few minutes of stationary cycling before making your way to the squat rack. Position your squat bar on the power or squat rack. The bar should be about mid-chest level when you are facing it. If you are going to work out alone, make sure that you set the height of the lower safety bar of the power rack about 2 inches lower than the bottom position of your squat. If you have a partner to train with, the spotter should stand behind you and be prepared to help you keep you from getting stuck on your way up and also helping you put the bar back on the rack at the end of the set.
2. You may find that the barbell will be uncomfortable as it rests on your upper trapezius, and this will detract from your ability to concentrate on your quadriceps muscles. Most gyms will have a bar pad that you can wrap around the middle sections of the bar before setting up for the squat. Alternatively, you can wrap the center of the bar with a towel or place the towel across your upper trapezius so the bar will rest on the towel. If you wrap the bar, be certain that it will not loosen during your set.
3. Grip the bar firmly with a wide grip. Place your head under the bar and bend your knees slightly. Position the wrapped bar high across the shoulders and the upper trapezius muscles (but not on your neck).
4. Keep your head up and tighten your back. Place your feet about shoulder-width apart. Lift the bar from its starting position on the power rack, by extending (straightening) the knees. Make sure you have full control of the weight before moving into position.
5. Take one step backward, just enough to clear the upper rack supports, so that you will not hit it during the exercise. Place your feet a little wider than shoulder-width, with the toes pointed slightly outward. Keep your head up and your back straight and tight, but maintain its natural curves. Again, make sure you are in control of the weight, not the reverse, before beginning the squat.
6. Control the weight as you slowly lower your buttocks toward the floor by allowing your knees to flex. Continue squatting downward until the tops of your thighs are parallel to the floor or when your knee angle has reached 90 degrees.
7. After you have reached the bottom, stand up in a smooth, fluid movement. Stop just short of fully locking out the knees to a straight position. This will maintain the tension on the anterior thigh muscles as well as the buttocks. Keep your back tight and flat and your head up both on the way up and on the way down.
You should not feel intimidated by doing squats. You might see different types of athletes use versions of squats, but they do so because they recognize that this is a very important exercise for strengthening and improving their lower body. Squats are an excellent way to simultaneously work all four quadriceps muscles and the gluteus maximus of the buttocks and hips, especially during the ascent phase of this exercise. However, the relative degree of muscle activity differs among these muscles. The tension in the vasti muscles diminishes as you approach the top portion of the lift (with the knees straightened). Conversely, the rectus femoris is less active at the bottom (flexed knee and flexed hip position), but becomes more activated when the hip and knee are being extended. Since the gluteus maximus muscle is such a strong extensor of the hip, it is very active during the upward push of the squat.
By keeping your head up when squatting, you will ensure that your back is straight and flat. Excessive forward flexion of the torso might make things a bit easier, but this also increases the risk of lower back injury. While a little hip flexion is reasonable during squatting, this should not be excessive.
The vastus lateralis will achieve a slightly greater activation if you bring both feet close together with the toes pointing slightly inward (thus, a medial rotation of the hips which bring the knees close together), because of an increased stretch on this muscle during contraction. This will accentuate the firmness on the lateral part of your thighs. A wider foot placement and especially pointing the toes outward (lateral rotation of the knee and hip) will increase the preferential contractile activity of the vastus medialis above the medial side of the knee.
Sure, squatting will not be easy, but you do not have to go the gym dreading your workout either. It is not necessary to have the cardiology team on call at the end of your sets. You should not feel exhausted at the end of your set, but then it should not be a cakewalk, either. Do your squats early in your exercise session when your energy is high and try to push yourself a bit so it is a challenge to get 12-15 repetitions in your set. After 3 sets of this kind of effort, it will be enough and you can move on to the next exercise. Because you will be activating a lot of muscle with this exercise, you will begin to see a difference in your lower body in less than eight weeks. By the time spring is here, you will have acquired a new firm and extremely shapely lower body, and soft thighs and hips will be only a distant memory.
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