Do I need to keep back squatting? : Setting goals and expectations.
By Andy Park DC,
Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) Specialist.
Do I need to keep back squatting? : Setting goals and expectations.
Over the last 5 and a half years we have seen various types of athletes and people who participate in different activities at our office. One of the sports we deal with often however, is powerlifting. if you are strictly powerlifting, you are doing a weighted back squat, deadlift, as well as the bench press. I appreciate the way this sport focuses on truly maximizing and challenging oneself to discover one’s full potential. With that said, recently, we have seen a fair amount of athletes who participate in powerlifting who we have found also have hip pain related to doing heavy back squats or rather how they are performing them. Back squats are not inherently bad for you. I want to clarify that right up front however, everybody’s body is different and the way you are squatting, may not be ideal for the person next to you.
Goal setting and Programming
When we establish that squatting is part of the issue for a given patient, the most common question I will ask is why are you doing it and do you absolutely have to keep doing it? If the patient is competing in powerlifting, and they must do a heavy back squat, then I would say to them that the next few months are going to look like a significant amount of rehabilitation and changing the specific way they back squat. If the patient is not competing however, and it is more recreational than anything, I would suggest to them that maybe they don’t need to do the back squat? Especially if it is something that has been bothering them for a long time and maybe they’re not super serious about powerlifting I ask maybe we just do a different type of squat? In those cases if they really felt strongly about it, we could also rehab their squat pattern and make it better for their body but again the question always boils down to is the result worth the investment? The squat pattern is important for day-to-day life. Yes, but there are so many different ways to load a squat pattern. And if you’re trying to grow tree trunk level legs, you can always do that via isolation on a leg press or maybe a belt squat that is going to allow you a little bit more flexibility in hip positioning and inherently keep your back stable.
All this to say this post isn’t even about squats really. It’s about understanding and taking the time to figure out. Why am I doing a specific thing in my specific activity? If you have trouble answering that question a good exercise is to ask yourself why do I exercise in the first place? Answer that and you will have the driving force and answer to these other questions too.
Movement is medicine
Most of the patients at our office are mainly exercising for health benefits, and to stay reasonably capable and strong. It is my professional opinion that you can do those things without doing back squats, crow poses, the splits, back flips or any other high-level, skilled movement that may be involved in your given sport or activity. You may find that with this one mindful practice of considering your movement, goals and expectations that you can optimize your longevity when it comes to participating in sport activity, or life itself.
If you’re an athlete or an active individual who is also experiencing an injury or want to improve your performance, then don’t wait any longer. Give us a call (773-296-2766) or text us at (773-692-0670) to book your FREE Discovery call or Movement Assessment today!
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