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Old 03-27-11, 06:52 PM  
Jane P.
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The traditional squat is a great overall lower body exercise, but it can irritate the lower back in a lot of people so be careful. Watch your form, and if you use a barbell on your back, add weight slowly. Holding dumbells at your sides is another option.
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Old 03-27-11, 09:32 PM  
marmalade
 
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Jane P is right, of course, that you get more glute work by going deeper, as I'd already said earlier -- to repeat the specifics, you have to go below 90° to get any significant glute involvement.

She's also right about it bothering some people's lower backs. That's a flexibility issue: when you go deep, if you don't have the necessary flexibility in your hips and/or ankles, you'll start to round your lower back, and that's a recipe for injury.

The answer is to never go past the point where your lumbar spine starts to round. Work unweighted until you can achieve the form at any given depth and keep it consistent going down and up. Over time you'll develop the needed flexibility for deeper squats.

Bottom line is you don't have to go ass-to-grass, if that's going to compromise your form. Just go as deep as you can can, knowing that below 90° is when you start to get any significant degree of glute vs. quad work.
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Old 03-28-11, 09:08 AM  
gladgirl
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Thanks again, ladies. Lots of great and helpful information. Stuff, I admit, I did not know.

Marmalade, the mini-band walk...you are referring to the lateral walk w/the bands around the ankle where you take a step sideways and then together and so on?
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Old 03-28-11, 02:43 PM  
marmalade
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Quote:
Originally Posted by gladgirl View Post
Marmalade, the mini-band walk...you are referring to the lateral walk w/the bands around the ankle where you take a step sideways and then together and so on?
Yes, or forward and backwards too. Here's a little video of variations:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHqv67XHYSo
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Old 03-28-11, 07:31 PM  
buffmama
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marmalade View Post
Jane P is right, of course, that you get more glute work by going deeper, as I'd already said earlier -- to repeat the specifics, you have to go below 90° to get any significant glute involvement.

She's also right about it bothering some people's lower backs. That's a flexibility issue: when you go deep, if you don't have the necessary flexibility in your hips and/or ankles, you'll start to round your lower back, and that's a recipe for injury.

The answer is to never go past the point where your lumbar spine starts to round. Work unweighted until you can achieve the form at any given depth and keep it consistent going down and up. Over time you'll develop the needed flexibility for deeper squats.

Bottom line is you don't have to go ass-to-grass, if that's going to compromise your form. Just go as deep as you can can, knowing that below 90° is when you start to get any significant degree of glute vs. quad work.
I watched Marianne's video on this in the last week or two but until I read your post I didn't connect squats to my lower back discomfort. My swing form has probably changed but I also started squating very low recently. I now stop the squat at the point where my spine rounds, have watched and re-watched videos on swing form, and restart KBs after a week off tomorrow. Hopefully this will take care of it.
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Old 03-30-11, 07:15 PM  
cardiomama
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
There is another squat variation that focuses on the glutes, I forgot about it earlier. Tony Horton calls it the 80/20 squat (think it has been referred to as a 1-legged squat by others): the working leg has about 80% of the body's weight on it, and the other leg is bent w/ the ball of foot on ground w/ about 20% of the bodyweight (so naturally the weight will not be distributed evenly). The bent leg can be placed close to the working leg or farther apart (depends on what feels best to you), and you would squat as low as you can, and complete reps on both sides. This can be a bodyweight exercise or weighted.
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Old 03-31-11, 11:11 PM  
CristinaS
 
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I highly recommend reading "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe. This book is worth every penny.
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Old 04-01-11, 06:59 AM  
Liz N
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You could do box squats - which utilize the glutes more effectively.
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