The #1 Thing Most People Forget While Doing Squats

That one thing you're forgetting!

First off, I'm not going to talk about any particular form of squats in this post. So, if you like your regular free squats, weighted, goblet, sumo, or whatever, it really doesn't matter because this will apply to each and every one.

The topic of this post actually started a couple months ago. My wife Danielle and I were talking about our workouts and our progress with the Body Beast program we were doing with our challengers. In our conversation she mentioned having some lower back pain and some knee discomfort when doing her squats. So we started discussing form! If you've been working out or squatting for very long you’re probably aware of proper squat form. But if you’re not... here's a quick refresher!

Keep your head and chest up, weight or upper torso held over the center of gravity, squat down pushing the glutes back with heels down while keeping the knees over the toes. Bring hips and thighs down parallel with the floor and press back up. Pretty simple, but it's so simple, a lot of these things get overlooked, and that’s where issues start to arise.

(TIP: set up a mirror or record yourself to see how your form is and where it might need some improvement.)

Now, after watching her I realized Danielle's form wasn't really the issue of her pain at all. It was her focus. Her form was actually pretty good but while she was working out I asked her a question that when she answered, told us both why she was hurting.

"Are you consciously squeezing your butt when coming up out of your squat?" She thought for a moment and said, "Hmm, you know what, I don't think I am."

This happens to a lot of people, (even myself) but especially to those who are new to this exercise. The motion is simple to do, but so simple it becomes loosely focused upon and lazily done unless you’re really focused on what it is you’re doing. I know several folks who first thought squats were just for the legs, which it does involve the legs, but it is most definitely a BOOTY BURNING exercise when done correctly!

So, if you know you have good form and are experiencing lower back pain, be sure you’re SQUEEEZING that booty when you’re coming up! When you are coming up out of your squat, tell yourself “flex the glutes.” It releases that direct pressure on the lower back muscles and vertebrates and you’ll probably be surprised how much easier it is and actually how much more weight you can actually lift when your consciously intent and present in this exercise!

Stay strong, stay healthy, and stay smart and use your butt! ;)