Why You Should Squat

Summary

This video script delves into the anatomy of squatting, highlighting its status as a comprehensive exercise engaging multiple muscle groups. It discusses the roles of muscles around the ankle, knee, and hip during squats, emphasizing the importance of proper breathing and core engagement for spinal protection. The script also touches on the involvement of lesser-known muscles like the pelvic floor and diaphragm, and hints at a follow-up video exploring individual differences in squatting ability.

Takeaways

• 👑 The squat is considered the 'king of exercises' due to its high intensity and the large number of muscles involved.
• 🦿 Squats involve complex movements around the ankle, knee, and hip joints, with specific muscles contracting differently during the descent and ascent.
• 🦶 The gastrocnemius and soleus muscles in the calves are active during squats, even though they are not typically thought of as the primary focus.
• 🦵 The quadriceps, consisting of the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, rectus femoris, and vastus intermedius, are heavily involved in knee movement during squats.
• 🌐 The hamstrings and gluteus maximus are primarily responsible for hip movement, with eccentric and concentric contractions controlling the descent and ascent of the squat.
• 🌬 Proper breathing is crucial for protecting the spine during squats, with the diaphragm and pelvic floor muscles playing key roles in stabilizing the lumbo-pelvic region.
• 💪 Core stabilizers such as the external oblique, internal oblique, and transverse abdominis are essential for maintaining spinal integrity during the squat.
• 🧘‍♂️ Spinal extensors, including the iliocostalis, longissimus, and spinalis muscles, help maintain an erect spine and prevent flexion during squats.
• 🤔 The adductor magnus muscle, particularly its adductor head, plays a significant role in hip adduction and contributes to the squat movement.
• 🚫 It's important to avoid improper breathing techniques that could compromise stability and increase the risk of injury during squats.
• 🔍 The script suggests that understanding the anatomy and biomechanics of squats can lead to improved performance and reduced risk of injury.

Q & A

Why is the squat often referred to as the 'king of exercises'?

The squat is often called the 'king of exercises' because it involves a high intensity and a large number of muscles, making it a highly effective compound exercise for overall strength and muscle development.

What are the three main joints of the lower limb involved in a squat?

The three main joints of the lower limb involved in a squat are the ankle, knee, and hip joints, each of which moves through a range of motion during the squat.

What is dorsal flexion of the ankle and how is it involved in squatting?

Dorsal flexion of the ankle is when the top of the foot comes towards the sky, as if pulling the foot off a gas pedal. In a squat, the ankle moves into dorsal flexion when lowering down and into plantar flexion when standing up.

Which muscles are primarily active during the ankle movement in a squat?

The muscles primarily active during the ankle movement in a squat are the gastrocnemius and the soleus, which are part of the calf muscles.

What are the four individual muscles that make up the quadriceps (quads)?

The four individual muscles that make up the quadriceps are the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, rectus femoris, and vastus intermedius.

How do the quadriceps muscles contract differently when lowering down and standing up from a squat?

When lowering down in a squat, the quadriceps muscles undergo an eccentric contraction, actively lengthening to control the movement. When standing up, they undergo a concentric contraction, shortening to extend the knee.

What is the role of the hamstring muscles in a squat?

In a squat, the hamstring muscles primarily work at the hip. They eccentrically contract when going into hip flexion (lowering down) and concentrically contract to bring the body up into hip extension.

How does the gluteus maximus muscle contribute to the squat movement?

The gluteus maximus muscle eccentrically contracts during hip flexion (lowering down in a squat) and concentrically contracts to extend the hip, helping to stand up from the squat.

What are the core stabilizers and spinal extensors that help protect the spine during squatting?

Core stabilizers like the external and internal obliques and the transverse abdominis help stabilize the lumbo-pelvic region. Spinal extensors, such as the erector spinae group (iliocostalis, longissimus, and spinalis), help maintain an erect spine during squatting.

How does proper breathing during a squat help protect the spine and improve performance?

Proper breathing during a squat, by creating increased pressure in the abdominal cavity, helps to reinforce the abdominal muscles and stabilize the lumbo-pelvic region, thus protecting the spine and potentially allowing for more effective squatting.

What is the role of the adductor magnus muscle in squatting and why might it cause soreness in the inner thighs?

The adductor magnus muscle is involved in adduction of the hip and also contributes to hip movement during a squat. It eccentrically contracts when going into hip flexion and concentrically contracts to help stand up. Its involvement in deep squats can lead to soreness in the inner thighs.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️ Anatomy of Squatting

This paragraph delves into the squat exercise, often hailed as the 'king of exercises' due to its intensity and the extensive muscle engagement it requires. The focus is on the anatomy of squatting, highlighting the muscles involved and how they contract differently during the descent and ascent of the squat. It emphasizes the importance of proper breathing to protect the spine and enhance squat performance. The paragraph covers the roles of the ankle, knee, and hip joints, and the muscles that mobilize them, including the gastrocnemius, soleus, quadriceps, and intrinsic foot muscles. It also introduces the concept of concentric, eccentric, and isometric muscle contractions.

05:01

🦵 Muscles in Posterior Thigh and Core Stabilization

This section examines the muscles in the posterior thigh, specifically the hamstrings, and their role in squatting, primarily at the hip rather than the knee. It also discusses the gluteus maximus, one of the largest muscles in the human body, and its function in hip extension during the squat. The paragraph further addresses the importance of core stabilization for spine protection when squatting, especially under load. Core muscles such as the external and internal obliques and the transversus abdominis are highlighted for their role in stabilizing the lumbopelvic region. Additionally, the paragraph introduces spinal extensors, including the erector spinae group, which are crucial for maintaining an erect spine during squats.

10:02

💨 Breathing Techniques and Pelvic Floor Engagement

The paragraph discusses the significance of proper breathing techniques in squatting for both spine protection and performance enhancement. It explains how to breathe downward into the belly and brace the core as if preparing for an abdominal punch, creating intra-abdominal pressure that reinforces the lumbopelvic region. The role of the pelvic floor muscles and the diaphragm in this process is explored, emphasizing their importance in stabilizing the spine and enhancing the squat's effectiveness. The adductor magnus muscle is introduced as an often overlooked muscle that contributes to squat performance and can cause post-workout soreness in the inner thighs.

15:02

📚 Conclusion and Future Content Tease

In conclusion, the paragraph summarizes the importance of squatting as a high-reward exercise due to its engagement of multiple joints and muscles. It thanks viewers for their support and teases upcoming content, including a follow-up video on squatting and another on back pain prevention during squats. The paragraph also invites viewers to engage in the comments section and look forward to the next video, which will provide further insights into squatting and individual body types' suitability for the exercise.

Keywords

💡Squat

The squat is a fundamental exercise in strength training, known as the 'king of exercises' due to its comprehensive engagement of multiple muscle groups. In the video, the squat is dissected to reveal the anatomy and mechanics behind the movement, showcasing its intensity and the extensive muscle activation it requires, which is why it is considered a high-reward exercise.

💡Anatomy

Anatomy is the branch of biology that deals with the structure of organisms and their parts. The video focuses on the anatomical aspects of squatting, detailing the muscles and joints involved in the movement. It explains how different muscles contract during various phases of the squat, emphasizing the exercise's holistic impact on the body.

💡Muscle Contraction

Muscle contraction refers to the process by which muscles generate force and move parts of the body. The script explains different types of muscle contractions, such as eccentric (muscles lengthening), concentric (muscles shortening), and isometric (muscles active without changing length), during the squat, illustrating the dynamic nature of muscle engagement in this exercise.

💡Quadriceps

The quadriceps, or 'quads,' is a group of four muscles at the front of the thigh responsible for knee extension. The video script describes the role of the quads in squatting, highlighting their eccentric contraction as the knee bends and concentric contraction as the knee straightens, which is central to the squat movement.

💡Hamstrings

The hamstrings are a group of three muscles at the back of the thigh that function in knee flexion and hip extension. In the context of the video, the hamstrings are shown to play a crucial role in the squat by eccentrically contracting during hip flexion and concentrically contracting during hip extension.

💡Gluteus Maximus

The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the human body, located in the buttocks. It is primarily responsible for hip extension. The script explains how the gluteus maximus is engaged in the squat, contributing to the concentric phase of the movement as the hips extend.

💡Dorsal Flexion

Dorsal flexion is the movement of the foot that brings the top of the foot towards the shin, which occurs at the ankle joint. The video script describes how the ankle moves through dorsal flexion when lowering into the squat and plantar flexion when standing up, indicating the ankle's role in the squat's range of motion.

💡Core Stabilizers

Core stabilizers are muscles that help maintain the stability of the spine and pelvis during physical activity. The script mentions the importance of core muscles like the external oblique, internal oblique, and transversus abdominis in protecting the spine during squatting, emphasizing the need for a strong core to perform the exercise safely.

💡Erector Spinae

The erector spinae is a group of muscles and tendons that run along the spine, responsible for its extension and stabilization. The video script identifies the erector spinae as key spinal extensors that help maintain an erect posture of the spine during the squat, which is vital for proper form and preventing injury.

💡Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that support the pelvic organs and are involved in various bodily functions, including controlling urination and defecation. The script explains the pelvic floor's role in conjunction with the diaphragm to increase abdominal pressure during squatting, which aids in stabilizing the lumbo-pelvic region.

💡Diaphragm

The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped muscle that separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity and plays a crucial role in breathing. The video script describes how the diaphragm's contraction increases the volume of the thoracic cavity, aiding in proper breathing during squatting and contributing to the stabilization of the core.

💡Adductor Magnus

The adductor magnus is a large muscle in the inner thigh responsible for hip adduction. The script discusses the muscle's involvement in squatting, particularly its role in hip movement and how its activity increases with deeper squats, which can affect an individual's squat performance and comfort.

Highlights

The squat is often called the 'king of all exercises' due to its intensity and the large number of muscles involved.

Squats engage almost everyone should include some form of squatting in their exercise routine.

The anatomy of squatting involves the cavers to show the majority of the surprising muscles involved.

Breathing properly during squats can protect the spine and improve squat performance.

Dorsal flexion and plantar flexion of the ankle are key joint movements during squats.

The gastrocnemius and soleus muscles are active during squats, even though they are often overlooked.

Intrinsic foot muscles become more active when squatting barefoot.

The quadriceps, consisting of four individual muscles, are primarily involved in knee mobility during squats.

Eccentric and concentric contractions of the quads are crucial for controlling the squat movement.

The hamstring muscles are primarily working at the hip during squats, not just the knee.

The gluteus maximus contracts eccentrically and concentrically to facilitate hip extension in squats.

Core stabilizers like the external oblique, internal oblique, and transversus abdominis are essential for spine protection during squats.

Spinal extensors, such as the erector spinae group, help maintain an erect spine during squats.

The pelvic floor muscles and diaphragm work together to increase abdominal pressure and stabilize the spine during squats.

Proper breathing technique during squats is vital for spine protection and squat effectiveness.

The adductor magnus muscle is involved in hip adduction and plays a significant role in squatting.

The video will also cover how body type and certain muscles can affect squat performance in future content.

Transcripts

the squat is often nicknamed the king of

all exercises and this is because there

are few other exercises that compare to

the squat as far as intensity and the

sheer number of muscles that are

required to perform this movement which

means you could definitely make the

argument that almost everyone should

include some form of squatting as part

of their exercise routine So today we're

going to dive deep into the anatomy of

squatting by using the cavers to show

you the majority of the surprising

muscles involved with squats how those

muscles have to contract differently

when lowering down versus Rising back up

and even discuss how breathing properly

can protect your spine and also make you

a better squatter we've definitely got

some anatomical awesomeness to cover so

let's do

this so when we're talking about the

squat we'll focus mainly on three joints

of the lower limb as well as talk about

stabilizing the spine but when I go down

to say like a barbell squat position if

I lower down we'd look at my ankle my

ankle would be in what's called dorsal

flexion and if you haven't heard of

dorsal flexion before when your foot's

off the ground dorsal flexions when the

top of the foot comes Towards the Sky

like when you're pulling your foot off

the gas pedal but in a squat position

because the foot's planted that movement

comes because the tibia slides over the

foot now when I come back down again to

that lower position dorsal flexion of

the ankle my knee is flexed and then my

hip is flexed but when I stand up my

ankle goes into a little bit of plantar

flexion the knee knee extends and the

hip extends now the reason I went over

those joint movements is because there

are multiple muscles or specific muscles

I should say they're going to be

involved in mobilizing or moving each

one of those joints so let's start with

the muscles that mobilize the ankle now

admittedly most people don't think about

working their calves when squatting but

these muscles are technically active

during a squat so let's quickly cover

some of the main ones here you can see

the most superficial muscle of the

posterior calf called the gastrock nemus

as well as part of the Sol with which

most of it lies deep to the gastrus so

on this side we've removed the superior

bellies or Superior portion of the

gastrock so you can see the upper

portion of that Solus kind of looks like

a soulfish here now how are these

muscles active during a squat now I

often like to show students the length

changes that occur with a muscle kind of

using a rubber band throughout various

movements or certain exercise movements

and so let's use this rubber band as we

go down into a squat position now

remember we already talked about the

ankle going into dorsal flexion when I

lower down and then plantar flexion when

I come up and so the gastrock and Solus

how they would be active as I go down

into the squat especially the Solus

because my knee gets bent we're going to

see that these muscles will

eccentrically contract or lengthen as

I'm stretching the rubber band there and

as we stand up into plantar flexion

those muscles will concentrically

contract or get shorter now I'll get

into more detail about concentric

eccentric and isometric contractions

when we talk about the thigh but what's

crazy about this is that we could

technically get into even more muscles

that are active during a squat

especially like the intrinsic foot

muscles like if you were to even squat

Barefoot those foot muscles would become

even more active now there are 12

intrinsic foot muscles on the bottom of

the foot or the sole of the foot so

we're going to actually save the foot

muscles for a foot dedicated video but

again most of the muscles that we're

talking about down in the calf and the

foot aren't going to be the main focus

of the squat because most most people

think about those thigh muscles being

engaged during a squat especially these

anterior thigh muscles that we call the

quads technically the quadriceps quad

means four seps means heads so we're

going to actually see the quads are made

up of four individual muscles we have

the vastest lateralis out here on the

side we have the vastest medialis on the

inside and then the rectus florus here

and the fourth quad muscle that we'll

see is if I slide that rectus Fus out of

the way you can see underneath there

there's another muscle and I'll touch it

with the tip of the probe and this is

called the vast

intermedius now the quads are primarily

going to be involved in mobilizing the

knee during a squat so let's Orient this

rubber band as if it's one of the Quad

muscles and as I lower down to that

flexed or again lowered position you can

see the rubber band actually lengthens

this would be considered an eccentric

contraction of the quads eccentric

contractions are when the muscles are

actively lengthening think of it as like

controlling the movement controlling

ourselves down and as an FYI our muscles

tend to really respond well to Centric

loading from a strength and hypertrophy

perspective but let's say I decided to

hold the bottom of the squat which I'm

doing now and feeling a little bit of

the burn this would be considered an

isometric contraction the muscle's

active but not changing its length but

when we need to stand up and extend the

knee with the quads the quads will

shorten and we call that a concentric

contraction but let's go back to some of

the thigh muscles specifically the

muscles on the posterior thigh and we

can take a look at these on the Cav by

magically flipping the Cav over so here

you can see we've turned the body over

we're looking at a posterior view of the

thigh and we've got the hamstrings on

both sides here and let me actually hook

the hamstrings with the probe here and

you can see we've got three muscles that

actually make up each hamstring we've

got the biceps forus the semiosis and

look at why it got called the semiosis

you can see this long cylindrical Tenon

this is an FYI the semiosis Tenon can be

used as an ACL graft and then we have

the

semimembranosus and you can see why it

got its name membran is because of this

membrane wide broad tendon here now the

hamstrings do mobilize the knee with

certain movements but in the case of the

squat they're primarily going to be

working at The Hip now I apologize that

you're going to have to deal with the

back side of my body here for a second

but let's put the rubber band In the

orientation of one of the hamstrings and

as we come down into hip flexion the

hamstrings will eccentrically contract

on the way down but then concentrically

contract shortening and bringing us up

into hip extension the gluteus Max

Maximus does something similar but let

me show you the gluteus maximus you can

see it here on the left side as well as

here on the right one of the largest

muscles in the human body so in the case

of the squat if I make my makeshift

rubber band glutitis Maximus similar to

the hamstrings as we come down into hip

flexion the glutitis Maximus will

eccentrically contract and then when we

come back up it'll shorten or

concentrically contract to bring us up

into hip extension and so that takes

care of the main muscles involved in the

squat at the knee and the hip but we

also need to protect our spine when

we're squatting especially if we're

loading up with a barbell we don't want

to be twisting or folding forward at the

lumbar spine or anywhere at the spine

for that matter and so we need some core

stabilizers and some extensor muscles

for the spine some core stabilizers like

the external oblique is active as well

as the internal oblique and another

muscle called the trans verus abdominis

which helps us to kind of create this

natural weight belt in our abdomen to

really stabilize I our lumbo pelvic

region and protect that spine now I did

mention some spinal extensors spinal

extensors would do a movement so let me

show you what flexion looks like flexion

of the spine looks like this I'm trying

not to get my hips involved because that

would be something else but your spinal

extensors will contract and pull you

upright and keep your spine erect in

this position that we want our spine to

maintain as we go down with a squat

especially for loading with the barbell

or some other form of weight but let me

show you these spinal extensors on this

CAD Cav dissection so to orient you to

this particular Cav dissection you're

looking at a posterior view or the back

side of the body and we've removed some

pretty familiar muscles on this right

side like the lausus dorsi the lats have

been removed the trapezius often

nicknamed the traps has been removed and

obviously you can see the right upper

limbs been removed to expose these long

strapl likee muscles that are part of

this erector spiny group and they're the

true back muscles and what I mean by the

true back muscles is they actually

mobilize the spine with that spinal

extension that I showed just a second

ago but there again are three muscles in

this erector spiny group we have the

ilio costalis between my probe then we

have the longissimus and then we have

the spinalis right along the spine here

now I'll often give my students little

pneumonics to help them remember the

names of certain muscles like these

because one starts with i another starts

with L and another one starts with s we

would often say I love school or I love

soccer but the pneumonic that seemed to

stick the most with students for some

reason was I love sex and I guess that

makes a little bit more sense because

they are part of the erector spiny Group

after all but what's remarkable about

all of this is all the muscles that are

involved in creating this amazing

compound exercise movement that we call

the squat and so we might as well add

two other muscles to this list because

these muscles are going to be extremely

important for protecting us and we don't

think about these muscles really when we

squat but they are very important and

one's technically a muscle group and

that muscle group is the pelvic floor

the pelvic floor muscles form this bowl

within your pelvis and they help to

support your pelvic organs and they also

contain some sphincters like a urethal

sphincter so you can control when you

pee and choose to when you choose to pee

when you want to pee and they also are

engaged when you contract your abdominal

muscles so think about Contracting the

obliques and the transverses that we

talked about earlier and that will also

Shore up that pelvic floor but let's

pause on the pelvic floor muscles for

just a second because they are going to

work in conjunction with the next muscle

the diaphragm so you can see the

diaphragm here it's this Dome shaped

muscle and we T typically think of the

diaphragm is the breathing muscle

because it is the breathing muscle and

so when the diaphragm contracts it pulls

down in this direction and that will

increase the volume of the thoracic

cavity and so if we have more space up

here that allows air to rush in and fill

the lungs with more air because now they

have more available space to fill when

the diaphragm pulls down in this

direction but what happens when the

diaphragm pulls down in this Direction

let me show you on this angle let's say

this hand is the pelvic floor and this

is shored up because we're Contracting

it with the abdominal muscles and the

diaphragm contracts and pushes downward

that's going to increase the pressure in

that abdominal cavity you can see kind

of how that would work by pushing

downward we're going to increase the

pressure here and we actually want to

increase the pressure with in the

abdominal cavity while we squat think of

as think of it as if we increase the

pressure in here the abdominal muscles

are going to have more to reinforce

themselves on or to kind of push against

if you will and so that will help us to

shore up even more our lumbo pelvic

region and to stabilize and protect our

spine now one thing that I want to talk

about is how to breathe now you don't

want to get a bar on your back when

you're squatting and do some weird

breathing where you're like opening up

your ribs and shrugging your shoulders

up or anything like that you want to

think of almost like breathing downward

into your belly and so how you could

test to do this is if you put your

fingers on your obliques and you breathe

properly like a lot of people do it in

through their

nose you want to kind of feel

your abdominal muscles wanting to push

out but when you squat think of these

two words breathe and brace so if you're

at the top of the squat you're going to

breathe Embrace and think of almost like

bracing like if somebody's going to

punch you in the stomach because if you

knew somebody was going to punch you in

the stomach

you'd and you'd brace that and that's

kind of what you want to do with the

squat here so if I get the barbell on my

back here again we're going to think

breathe and brace so breathe in and hold

go

down now the exhale is you can start to

Exhale when you get close to the top of

the squat or you can wait till you get

to the very top but you don't want to

breathe out all your

air when you're at the bottom and most

vulnerable because then you're going to

lose that connection in your lumbo

pelvic region and not be able able to

stabilize your spine so it's pretty

incredible to think that breathing

properly one will help you to protect

your lumbo pelvic region and two you'll

likely be able to be a more effective

squatter and potentially even squat more

W weight obviously safely now again the

pelvic floor and the diaphragm are

muscles that you could kind of think of

as protecting you and making you a more

effective squatter but again we

typically think of the thigh muscles and

the glutes as the muscles that were

really working with the squat and there

is one last muscle I do want to talk

about with squatting and it's a muscle

people don't typically think about and

this muscle will also be important for

our next video called built the squat

because we're also going to do a video

on why some people might be a little bit

better built for squatting than others

but let's talk about this last muscle

have you ever done a squat workout and

afterwards you've noticed like the

inside of your thighs are sore well you

can think a muscle called the adductor

Magnus for that soreness abductor

because this muscle will be involved in

adduction of the hip which is bringing

the hip into towards the midline and

Magnus because it's a huge muscle now

this adductor Magnus does more than just

getting involved in adducting the hips

it does something very important for

squatting and let me show you this

muscle on this cadav section so I

actually need to glove up for this one

because I need to move the hamstrings

out of the way but you can see this big

muscle called the adductor Magnus here

on the left and you can even see it over

here on the right now there's two heads

to this muscle one of the heads the

fibers are more oblique or in a diagonal

orientation going in this way towards

the femur on both sides if I showed you

on me be going in like so on my left and

going in like this on my right but the

other head that you can see specifically

right here is called the cond head and

this head's very important as an FYI

it's called the cond head because it

attaches to this bump called the

adductor tubric on the medial cond dile

of the femur hence called the cond head

but this cond head the fibers are not

oriented in that oblique Direction

they're going more vertically mimicking

the fiber orientation of the hamstrings

and so this cond head is very important

to mobilizing the hip of the squat as

well and so when we talk about the

adductor Magnus it's very similar to

what the hamstrings would do again I

apologize for the backside view again

but if we were to do this the adductor

Magnus will also eccentrically contract

when we go into hip flexion and then

concentrically contract to help bring us

up and it gets even more active or more

worked the deeper you go in a squat and

this muscle can get a little bit

involved in limiting some of your

movements depending on your body type

but we're going to wait and talk more

about how your body type and certain

muscles like the adduct or Magnus can

affect how you squat in our next squat

video which will also cover why some

people could be a little bit better

built for squatting than others but more

importantly what you can do to make

yourself a better squatter regardless of

your body type so stay tuned for that

next video but hopefully today's video

helped to give you a strong anatomical

foundation on squatting and why

squatting can be such a bang for buck

exercise just based on all the joints

and muscles required to perform this

exercise movement so thanks for watching

and supporting the channel if you are

watching this video a week or two after

we released it I'll link the next squat

video here as well as link a video on

back pain to help motivate you to

protect your back during squatting and

I'll see you down in the comments and in

the next video