The posterior tibialis of the lower leg and foot and many smaller muscles in the foot and ankle also come into play. Because so many muscles are involved in a single exercise that is functional for daily living, the squat is one of the best exercises for improving your quality of life. Understanding the complex and coordinated muscle actions involved in squatting will help you maximize the benefits of your training and minimize the risk of injury. When you squat, the eccentric movement happens during the downward phase of the squat motion as you slowly lower your body.
During that phase, the muscles in the legs are lengthening to keep the pace of descent slow and controlled. Using the rope analogy again, a concentric movement would be similar to pulling a rope attached to a boulder.
As you work to pull the rope up, the boulder gets closer and closer, the same way a muscle shortens in a concentric contraction. You cannot use as much weight during the concentric portion of the lift, but you can generate more force. Related: Correct Posture for Squats. During the concentric shortening phase, you generate enough force for your muscles to work against opposing forces and produce movement. During the eccentric phase, there is still muscle tension, but at a lesser degree as your muscles lengthen.
A third action, isometric contraction, occurs when muscle tension is present but the muscles do not change length. But in compound exercises like squats, which involve numerous joints and muscles, a huge part of the job is eccentric.
Fitness Workouts Lower Body Exercises. By Michelle Matte. Michelle Matte. Michelle Matte is an accomplished fitness professional who holds certifications in personal training, pilates, yoga, group exercise and senior fitness. She has developed curricula for personal trainers and group exercise instructors for an international education provider. In her spare time, Matte writes fiction and blogs. A woman is about to perform a barbell squat.
We will not discuss the squat as it relates to performance, such as powerlifting. Instead, we will discuss the safest variation of the squat exercise for a fitness enthusiast seeking to improve technique and minimize faulty movement patterns and potential injury.
It is important to note variations of the squat exercise exist to maximize 1 repetition maximum 1RM potential, such as using an excessively wide stance with a toe out posture. This posture reduces the amount of hip and knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion needed to reach full depth.
While from a biomechanical perspective this variation enables the lifter to complete the exercise with higher loads because range of motion is reduced, it may not be the safest variation on articulating joint surfaces for beginning exercisers who have no desire for improving their 1RM. Experienced individuals or athletes seeking to improve 1RM can use these variations once properly instructed and have displayed adequate physical capabilities.
Hip Flexion: Decreasing the angle between the femur thigh and pelvis. This occurs from a standing position when a person elevates their knee toward their abdomen femoral-on-pelvic hip rotation or when bending forward from the trunk, as if touching their toes pelvic-on-femoral rotation.
Knee Flexion: Decreasing the angle between the lower leg tibia, fibula and femur. This occurs when a person bends their knee, bringing their heel closer to their thigh or butt. Ankle Dorsiflexion: Flexion at the ankle in which the top of the foot dorsal is brought closer towards the shin. The barbell squat is a compound, multi-joint exercise designed to target many muscles of the lower body and lumbo-pelvic-hip complex pelvis, low-back, and abdominals.
Table 1 provides a list of involved musculature. This is not an exhaustive list as the nervous system activates muscles in synergies groups rather than in isolation.
Many muscles are involved in the joint actions listed above. Avoid excessive cervical flexion, extension, or anterior translation jutting the head forward. Fully contract the gluteals in the standing position for maximal muscle recruitment. There is a wide variety of viewpoints within the fitness community concerning squat depth. Some teach the squat to a depth in which the thighs are always parallel to the floor.
Other gurus preach full squats below parallel. Conversely, other experts recommend a limited range of motion i. Due to individual differences in shape, size, and overall fitness, people inherently display differences in joint mobility, joint stability, and neuromuscular control coordinated muscle activation.
As such, a blanket statement regarding squat depth for all individuals is inappropriate at best. Individuals who display ample mobility and joint range of motion, combined with optimal joint stability, may be able to safely perform squats using a full or near full range of motion. In other words, each joint must exhibit proper range of motion for the efficient transference of forces throughout the body to produce ideal movement.
According to Schoenfeld , individuals with a history of patellofemoral injury should limit the depth of their squat. This recommendation is due to the fact that peak compressive forces at the knee occur at near maximum knee flexion angles. Moreover, muscular development of the quadriceps is maximized while performing squats to a depth with thighs parallel to the floor. There appears to be no benefit to quadriceps development if a person performs squats to a full depth below parallel.
Yet, Schoenfeld explains, hip development is maximized when performing below parallel squats and may be important for individuals needing to perform this movement pattern such as powerlifters or Olympic weightlifters. However, for a fitness client seeking to improve general fitness, below parallel squats are not recommended until adequate levels of stability and mobility are attained.
An easy test can be performed to identify ideal squat depth. A person should perform a barefoot squat using a mirror or a partner to evaluate his or her mechanics. You almost always need the eccentric movement first lowering down to parallel. There are a few exceptions. For example, to isolate the concentric phase of a pushup, you could lay face-down on the floor, then push yourself up. Or, if you're performing a deadlift, simply drop the barbell when you reach the top of the movement.
Specifically, there are a few reasons to focus on concentric movements :. Eccentric training is a popular tactic amongst personal trainers and fitness professionals. Because eccentric training increases muscle strength , it can help you conquer various resistance exercises — exercises that often seem beyond your athletic ability.
This is commonly known as "negative training. Negative training involves performing [extremely] slow eccentric muscle contractions to gradually build strength.
Examples include:. C oncentric , eccentric, and isometric training are all valuable to any training plan. There may be times where you want to strictly focus on concentric vs. Eccentric activation exercises — called negative training — can help build muscle strength.
Performing negative movements helps progress you toward an advanced movement, like pushups or pullups. Focusing on concentric training is far more rare, but can help build speed and power.
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