{"id":63725,"date":"2017-11-30T07:15:01","date_gmt":"2017-11-30T12:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=63725"},"modified":"2017-12-07T11:22:46","modified_gmt":"2017-12-07T16:22:46","slug":"proper-squat-form-ace-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/proper-squat-form-ace-test\/","title":{"rendered":"How Strong Is Your Squat? Try This Trainer-Backed Test"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Learn
Photo: Courtesy of the American Council on Exercise<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On paper, the squat is as basic as it gets: You go down and then stand back up. But this booty-burning<\/a> exercise is actually pretty complex. Squats require you to recruit more than just your glutes to get low, especially when you add weight. The functional movement pattern<\/a> demands strong hamstrings, quads and core<\/a> \u2014 not to mention good mobility in the ankles, knees and hips. With all those moving parts, you might be wondering: Does my squat form make the cut? Enter: the American Council on Exercise (ACE)<\/a> bend and lift screen.<\/p>\n

Jacque Crockford<\/a>, MS, CSCS, ACE-certified personal trainer, says, \u201cThe bend and lift screen not only reveals whether you have proper form, [it can help] exercise newbies address postural weaknesses to prevent injuries.\u201d According to Crockford, proper squat mechanics include: trunk and shins parallel to each other and the ground when at the lowest point; heels remaining on the ground with knees tracking in the same direction as the feet; and thighs parallel to the ground.<\/p>\n

Chances are, one \u2014 or more \u2014 of these cues are off. And the test below will reveal the source. Just remember to start with the basic bodyweight squat. \u201cBy finding the right squat mechanics<\/a> prior to loading the body with external weight, it will reduce the risk of injury and prepare the body to engage the correct muscle groups,\u201d Crockford says. \u201cThis will allow for improved power and strength development leading to increases in performance.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How Low Should You Squat? (And How to Improve It)<\/a><\/p>\n

The ACE Bend and Lift Squat Test<\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Here\u2019s how to do the bend and lift screen at home or the gym with the help of the trainer or a friend:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Place two broomsticks or dowels on the floor outside of each foot.<\/li>\n
  2. Squat down to grab the broomsticks and lift them off the floor, while maintaining a squat for one to two seconds.<\/li>\n
  3. Have your trainer or friend observe the position of your feet, knees, hips, torso and back <\/strong>and write them down.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    RELATED: <\/strong>6 Squat Variations for Total-Body Strength<\/a><\/p>\n

    \"How
    Photo: Courtesy of the American Council on Exercise<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    5 Ways to Score Proper Squat Form<\/h2>\n

    Based on your assessments, follow these tips from Crockford to land proper squat form from the ground up.<\/p>\n

    1. Feet<\/h3>\n

    If your heels lift off the ground\u2026
    \n<\/strong>Squats don\u2019t require any fancy footwork, but your positioning says a lot about how solid your squat is. Your feet should be be a little     wider than hip-distance<\/a> or shoulder-width apart and firmly on the ground. \u201cThe bend and lift screen is a great way to see if the heels raise, or knees track improperly prior to loading the body with weights,\u201d Crockford says. As you lower your body to the ground, you want to keep your weight on your mid-foot and heels. This positioning helps you activate other muscle groups instead of putting extra pressure on your feet and ankles when you squat lower.<\/p>\n

    Ankle mobility<\/a>, or ankle dorsiflexion (the ability to lean your shins toward your toes without lifting your heels off the ground), is also a factor in your squat. Ideally, you want 40 to 45 degrees of dorsiflexion for a proper squat. As you stand back up, move your shins away from your toes (plantar flexion), and keep your feet firmly on the ground.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    2. Knees<\/h3>\n

    If you collapse your ankles and knees inward\u2026.
    \n<\/strong>It\u2019s all about that base, and when it comes to proper squat form, that includes the positioning of your knees. Your glutes are the primary mover of a squat, but if you\u2019re squatting lower than your body can handle, it will make you feel weak in the knees (and not in a good way). Proper squat form requires     your knees<\/a> to grow slightly further apart as you lower your body, rather than collapse inward (valgus knee position). As you get low, Crockford says your glutes should be engaged to prevent pronation (aka rolling inward) of the feet. \u201cPlacing a band on the thighs above the knees and pushing outward during the squat motion will help engage the external rotators of the lower body,\u201d Crockford says.<\/p>\n

    3. Hips<\/h3>\n

    If you lead with your knees instead of the hips\u2026
    \n<\/strong>A strong squat starts with a hip hinge, shooting your booty back behind you. If your hips aren\u2019t cooperating, tight hip flexors could be the culprit. \u201cThe hip flexors help to pull you down during the lowest portion of the movement. A squat with a limited range of motion might be from weak hip flexors,\u201d Crockford explains. You\u2019ll know how strong your hip flexors are when you can squat lower, and your knees grow farther apart during the eccentric phase of the squat. \u201cDynamically     stretching the hip flexors<\/a> prior to loaded squats is key to achieving depth and eccentric strength,\u201d Crockford says. As Crockford suggests above, squat with a resistance band<\/a> around your thighs, just above your knees. \u201cThis will help to activate the external rotators of the hip when standing. Deadlifts<\/a> are also a nice addition to the squat, which helps to increase the strength of the posterior chain,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

    4. Torso<\/h3>\n

    If your chest falls forward\u2026
    \n<\/strong>Your body should have a forward lean of about 45 degrees during squat. If you find that you\u2019re leaning any more than that, it\u2019s likely due to weakness in the     core<\/a> and\/or lack of upper-body mobility, Crockford says. \u201cTo correct this, I recommend doing a front squat, which places additional forward load on the body. You can also do it with a dowel across your shoulders to keep the chest up and back,\u201d she says. \u201cDecreasing the range of motion<\/a> is always a good place to start.\u201d As you\u2019re driving your hips back, brace your core by contracting your abdominal muscles to keep it engaged. This will help prevent your torso from collapsing and will keep your body upright.<\/p>\n

    RELATED: <\/strong>4 Moves for a Better Back Squat<\/a><\/p>\n

    5. Back<\/h3>\n

    If you overarch or round your back\u2026
    \n<\/strong>Squats can put pressure on     your spine<\/a>, especially when you add weight, so it\u2019s important to have proper form to protect your low back. Keep your shoulders down and back to help prevent overarching and rounding your posterior. Or, try holding a dowel overhead to help loosen tight back muscles and activate them. \u201cThe trunk angle should ideally be parallel to the shin angle at the lowest point of the squat. To maintain this angle, keep your gaze forward (not down or up) and neck neutral,\u201d Crockford says. Once your shin and trunk are parallel, you can increase the depth of your squat.<\/p>\n

    Read More
    \n<\/strong>    50 Butt Exercises to Sculpt Stronger Glutes
    \n<\/a>    So You Want to Do a Pistol Squat\u2026Here\u2019s How
    \n<\/a>    Lower Body Blast: 5 Moves for Your Butt, Hips and Thighs<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Proper squat form is about more than getting low. Does yours make the cut? Try the ACE bend and lift screen to put your squat mechanics to the test.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":63730,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6,14],"tags":[32,289,76,281,341,343],"class_list":["post-63725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-strength-training","tag-bodyweight","tag-exercise","tag-personal-trainer","tag-strength-training","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/90"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}