You know those videos shared on facebook where everyone is completely obliterating the guy in the video because he’s not squatting to full depth (i.e. not ass to grass or at least not parallel) because they think they know SO much more than he does? Nothing gets me more riled up than reading any of the comments under mockery videos so sit tight because this might be a (semi) rage-infested rant. Here we go.
Important things to consider:
–Uninformed people giving half-assed opinions. Now this is true for any field, however the confidence at which people spew this information is astounding. The moment anyone sees something that doesn’t fit how they think it should be done, it’s made to be a mockery. We can assume it’s simply human nature. Now, we can’t stop people from giving their opinions however, we can stop judging people who are doing things a bit differently than we are. There’s a famous quote that goes something like “Always assume the person knows something that you don’t’ by Jordan Peterson. When we do this, suddenly, we appear a lot smaller than we thought we were. We are not putting ourselves down, instead we’re opening ourselves up to learning more.
–The legitimacy of the exercise itself: Anyone who looks at the man in the video probably thinks he’s doing the exercise wrong. However, half squats are a completely legitimate exercise. Now, before you start going around doing half-squats and if you’re just starting out, you should not incorporate them into your daily workouts because of the risk of injury. However, here’s why they’re great. By doing barbell half-squats, we strengthen the power position, i.e. the position in which we can exert the maximal amount of force in the shortest period of time, which is especially useful for athletes that require a certain amount of power in their sport (e.g. runners, olympic weightlifters, basketball players, etc).
-Limited mobility: Again, if you’re just starting out, achieving proper form in an exercise is hard (at least for most people with limited mobility). But it’s what we’re supposed to do right? So does that mean we just don’t do the exercise? Not exactly. Now, it depends why your mobility or your flexibility is limited. Maybe you have tight ankles? Or maybe you have knee pain? Or tight calves? These issues have to be addressed. However, here’s where we tie it all together. When you have these issues and you try performing a squat, it’s not going to look like an amazing squat right off the bat. You might not be able to go to parallel, just yet. For many people, it does not happen overnight. However, when you’re doing an exercise, do it to the degree to which you’re capable of for the time being. But here’s the kicker, you have to carry it out with the aim of ultimately achieving proper form, you don’t have to rush it but it should be the objective above all else. Before you know it, your body will move easier and effortlessly while form will be second nature to you.
Marie
Marie Writes (A Fitness Blog) 