Squat Mechanics: A deep-dive on core
Efficiency /ɪˈfɪʃ(ə)nsi/ noun. cost of input vs. useful output.
If I ask you to push me, but you can only do so with either an iron rod or a pool noodle, which do you pick?
Hopefully you picked the iron rod: have a think about why. In that system, there are 3 components: you, myself, and the connecting implement between. You might be strong as nuts, but if the implement folds, I’m not going anywhere. How efficiently you transfer force is dependent on the relative stiffness of the intermediary.
So how do we make our squat efficient in a similar way?
To start, we need to view the system as a whole, and how its discrete parts contribute to the system.
In a squat, we again have 3 broad components:
The thing we’re trying to move, i.e. the bar.
The thing producing force to do the moving, i.e. the hips and legs acting against the ground.
The thing connecting the force producer to the thing we want to move, i.e. the trunk (or core if you prefer).
Your legs and hips might have a really high capacity to produce force, but if you haemorrhage most of it before it has a chance to act on the bar then we’re driving with the handbrake on. If we can transfer a higher percentage of produced force, we can squat heavier loads for more reps, and chase down more adaptation and get a hell of a lot stronger.
Our working definition for trunk in this context is ‘everything below the bar and everything at/above the pelvis’.
We know that in order to transfer more force and squat heavier, we need to be able to create more trunk stiffness.
The question is, how do we promote trunk stiffness? Peep the vid to find out.