Dynamic Assessment of the Squat

It's hard to believe we are almost through February and into March. Which means almost 2 months of training in the books for many of us. And I think it is time we begin to discuss Injury and Performance.





As the weather continues to improve and the day's get longer . We sometimes get caught up in doing too much too soon or too much all the time. So it's good to know a few things about your body and how it works to keep you moving.





I'm going to keep it as basic as possible with most of my references, so as not to confuse and or lose you.





The first and foremost thing to work on for everyone is their Flexibility. A LONG Muscle is a Strong Muscle, so Stretch. If you need some guidance. I Coach a Mobility and Flexibility class, Saturday mornings from 9:30-10-30 at B2B.





My Number 1 Assessment is the Dynamic Movement the Squat. It gives the coach a good idea of the Athlete/Client's lower body function and Range of Motion limitations.





Some faults we will see and the affected muscles associated with these compensatory movement patterns are as follows:

• Feet move outwards: Tight Calves and Peroneals(outside of lower leg),Bicep Fermoris(hamstring).


• Heels come off the floor. Possible tight muscles : calves (gastroc/soleus)or hip flexors


• Knees Drop In: Tight hip ab/adductors


• Unable to reach Full ROM with Squat movement: Quads overactive and or Weak.

Mike Y showing us a Good Solid Squat

So if you need to improve your Squat. Make sure and spend some extra time daily to stretch Dynamically. That's a fancy way of saying Move while you stretch. The body is constructed to move efficiently and it needs to be challenged daily.