Written by Chad Wesley Smith
Struggling with shifting to one side during the squat? This can be a problem that takes pounds off the bar and increases injury risk. Here are 3 simple drills to include in your warmups to help address this problem. Also, performing band around the knees squats through your warmup sets can be beneficial and including more unilateral work like split squats will help.
90/90 Breathing w/ Foam Roller Rotation and Foot Lift
-Use Hamstrings to Raise Hips Off Ground
-Low Back Flush Against the Floor
-Breathe In Through Nose, Filling Low Back > Stomach > Chest
-Use Adductors To Rotate Foam Roller, Pulling Down with One Knee While Pushing Up with Opposite Knee
-Lift ‘Up’ Side Foot and Hold for 3-5 Count
-Exhale While Returning To Start Position
-Perform 3-5 Reps Per Side
Barefoot Band Around the Knees Squat
-Assume Regular Squat Stance
-Place Band Around Top of Shins or Bottom of Quads
-Actively Push Knees Out Against Band While Maintain Full Foot Pressure Against the Floor
-15 to 20 Reps
Reactive Neuromuscular Squat
-Assume Regular Squat Stance
-Place Band Around Waist
-Band Should Pull You In SAME DIRECTION As Your Tend To Shift
-These Can Be Done w/ Light Weight As Well
-Perform 10-15 Reps
