BOXROX brings you the ultimate squat warm-up guide. This will be your checklist before you attempt to perform any movement that requires you to squat. Bookmark this, save it somewhere, and come back to it every time you need to flex that lower body.
This warm-up guide for the squat will help you during snatches, deadlifts, clean and jerks, or just a normal squat.
A proper warm-up should be trying to maximize performance. The side effect would be injury reduction. It’s all about being efficient and effective with the time you have.
Some of these warm-ups are stretching exercises. It is important not to stretch continuously for longer than 30 seconds. It will increase flexibility, but it will also decrease performance and muscle growth.
This squat warm-up guide is divided into four areas to focus on. Each area will have a couple of exercises that you should be doing. Choose the ones that tackle your weaknesses.
The four areas to focus on are:
- Soft tissue
- Mobility
- Coordination and stability
- Barbell warm-up
These exercises were thought out by Dr. Aaron Horschig, a physical therapist, coach, and creator of the Squat University.
Overall, the entire warm-up should take less than 15 minutes.
1. Soft Tissue
Here is where the foam roller becomes your best friend to release tightness, soreness and inflammation of the muscle tissue. It improves mobility without decreasing performance. The harder the foam roller, the more effect it will have on your body tissue.
You should focus on the quads, inner thighs and calf muscles. This entire session should take no longer than two minutes, but you can skip to the mobility exercises if there are no tight spots on your legs.
Quads
First, lay on your stomach and put your quads on top of the foam roller. Slowly, roll your quads along the tube and try to find a spot that hurts more. Stay on it for a couple of seconds and finally roll out. Always make small and slow movements to work deeper into the tissue.
Inner Thighs
For the inner thigh, you want to focus on a muscle called the adductor magnus, close to the groin.
Still laying on the stomach, your leg will bend to a 90-degree angle while on top of the foam roller. Do not alleviate the weight on the foam roller by shifting your weight to the leg which is touching the ground. Same as before, find a more tense spot and focus on that for a couple of seconds, always with small slow movements on the roller. Repeat the process on the other leg, if necessary.
Calves
Lastly, check for soreness with the foam roller on your calves. While sitting on the ground, place one calf on top of the roller. You can cross your legs and apply pressure from one foot on top of the calf in contact with the foam roller. Again, slow movements and for a short period.
2. Mobility
World`s Greatest Stretch
It has this name for a reason. It targets every major muscle on the body, while it lengthens and stretches simultaneously.
Lunge forward with your left leg and place your right hand aligned with the left foot. The right knee should not touch the floor. In this position, squeeze your glutes as hard as possible and relax. Contract and relax about three times before continuing the exercise.
Take your left arm and drop it down as far as possible and reach to the right. This stretches the upper back. From that position, you rotate outwards and reach your left hand to the ceiling. Repeat 3-4 times, then switch to the other side.
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Goblet Squat Warm-Up
Grab a weight plate of around 10 kg (it can be a kettlebell) and hold it in front of your body. Perform a deep squat with toes straight forward, resting elbows on your knees. The weight should offset your body weight allowing you to sit into a deep stretch. Hold the position for 30 seconds.
Then use your glute muscles to lift your body and raise your elbows from the knees, bend your legs to less than a 90-degree angle, hold the movement for about five seconds and return to the initial position. Rest and repeat five times.
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Move one knee forward, beyond the line of the toes to feel a stretch in the back of the calf muscles. Keep feet flat on the ground. Hold it for 10 seconds. Repeat on the other leg.
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3. Coordination and Stability
For these next exercises, you will need a resistance band in order to activate your core and correct stability issues your body might have.
Lateral Single Leg Lifts with Band
Put the band around your ankles, hinge on the left leg by thrusting your hip backwards and pushing your chest forward, knees aligned with the body. This is is a normal single leg deadlift, but you will kick your leg sideways utilizing the resistance band to engage your muscles.
Kick with your right leg out and bring it back. The hip on the left side should feel the entire workout, not the leg that is kicking out. Keep stature straight the entire time. Do two sets of 10-15 repetitions on each leg.
Lateral Band Walk
Keep the band around the ankles and get into a quarter squat position. Keep knees aligned with feet at all times. Take three steps to the right and three steps to the left. Repeat the process five times.
Banded Squat Warm-Up
Raise the resistance bands from your ankles to your thighs, just above the knees. You will perform a slow squat with a couple of pauses while the resistance band around your thighs.
Feet jammed on the ground, knees driving slightly outwards. Keep your feet stable aligned with your knees.
Start by hinging the body forward and pausing in position for two seconds. Lower your body until your legs bend to a 120-degree angle and hold the position again for two seconds. Continue lowering your body, pausing when your legs hit the 90-degree angle mark, and finally until you lower your core into a deep squat.
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After deep squatting, raise your body slowly and hit that 90-degree angle with your legs once more. Pause in the position, and go back to the deep squat. Pay attention to your feet, knees, and glutes throughout the entire process to understand if one side is working more than the other. Finally, slowly go back to a standing position.
Because of the resistance band, the body drives out against it, your body works more precisely on the hips, specifically the glute medius and parts of the lateral glute max.
4. Barbell Squat Warm-Up
Do not jump straight into putting weight on the barbell. You should do a couple of sets with the barbell alone to prime your body to move as efficiently as possible.
The first set should be performed without shoes to prime your foot stability and get a feel for the barbell. Here you should notice if there is any movement holding up your body from performing the exercise correctly.
Deep Squat Warm-Up
Rest the bar on your neck and shoulders, do the first deep squat and sense the feet gripping the floor. Stay low and feel the glutes turning on. Drive your knees to the side of the body.
Perform the contract/relax exercise again – go up a couple of centimetres and squeeze your butt cheeks and return to a deep squat position. Finally, stand up. Put your shoes on and perform the same exercise once more.
Now you are ready to lift weight knowing you properly warmed-up for a squat.
