The squat is performed all over the world in gyms and off couches.

They are many variations: back squat, front squat, overhead squat, Goblet squat, box squat, safety bar squat and sumo squat to name a few. It's an awesome test of strength, control and flexibility.

There is a LOT of information out there about "the perfect squat" and what it should look like. 

This article will discuss why some of this information is FALSE and what YOU can do to make your squat better

MYTH #1 - Feet Forwards "Feet forwards" might be a good cue for some people but definitely not the majority. Most people will be comfortable squatting with their feet turned out 20-30 degrees.

Although feet forward will reduce the incidence of a foot collapse, it will also increase the incidence of excessive foot supination too much pressure on the outside of the foot

Turning out 20-30 degrees will allow the foot to be planted in neutral where it's most powerful It also improves hip positioning, allowing for better depth and reducing the incidence of pinching hips.

Don't believe me? Try it out for yourself.

​With our athletic clients, we use a simple "Hip Scour" to find the best position for the hip to be in during the squat. To perform this, lie on your back and flex one hip to your chest.

Begin to "scour" or circle the hip to find the position which is most comfortable (usually gives you most hip flexion range). This gives you an idea of the best squat width and foot position for YOUR body - it's not going to be the same for everyone! Pop on up and test your squat with the new stance

MYTH #2 - Knees Behind Toes The concern for forward translation of the knee is that it will give you knee pain. It's true that with increased knee-bending, knee joint and ACL stresses also increase. But it's important to consider the role of the hamstrings and posterior thigh during knee flexion.

These important group of muscles act to pull backwards on the shin and "balance" out the forces on the knee. If you initiate the squat with your knees bending first, you are likely not to be using your posterior thigh muscles to their potential... this will increase the pressure on your knee joints

If you initiate the squat with your hips, this will balance out the forces around your knee joint by loading your glutes and hamstrings first. Maybe that's why the best squatters have big butts?

It's impossible to keep your knees behind your toes for a full-depth squat without compensating in one way or another - common examples are going up on your toes, or by leaning your body forwards excessively.

Think about it: knees behind toes means your bodyweight is going backwards... so either you fall over on your butt, or you lean forwards a lot (or reach arms forward) to stay balanced.

For some of our clients, simply allowing them to let their knees go in front of their toes slightly improves their squat dramatically.

​Check out this remarkable image below - it explains everything:

MYTH #3 - Knees Out! Last but not least, "knees out" is a common cue that we hear everyday at the gym.

Its intention is to prevent the knee from collapsing inwards during the squat which increases stress on the medial aspect of the knee. But there are a couple problems: 1. If cued for the wrong athlete, it will cause him/her to excessively supinate the foot 2.

Can cause excessive tibial torsion rather than its intended hip rotation Both of these things can cause the knees to hurt during the squat You'll know this cue is for you if you feel excessive pressure on the inner side of your foot/heel or big toe, or your knees travel towards each other (uncontrolled) during the squat.

A cue that I've found to work better is "open your groin" (borrowed and modified from one of the best Powerlifters ever, Ed Coan) in order to activate the deep rotators of the hip rather than the lateral thigh (tight ITB and hamstrings, anyone?)

However, if you don't have a medial foot/knee collapse, DO NOT use this cue when squatting! This is a really common misinterpretation that can negatively impact your performance.

​Here is the amazing Barbell Physio himself, Dr Zach Long, demonstrating this idea. It's hard to see with shoes on but he has more weight towards the outside of his feet by overdoing the "knees out" cue. Note: Zach is doing this intentionally to educate his readers in his EXCELLENT blog post here (https://www.thebarbellphysio.com/the-truth-about-squat-depth-injury-rates-the-knees-out- cue/)

Do any of these apply to you?

There is no one-size-fits-all method to coaching and treating injuries - each athlete is different and must be coached differently!

The BEST way to see if any of these corrections are appropriate for you is by TESTING them under a light/no load. If you liked this content, feel free to drop us a Like and follow us on Facebook @ActivTherapyCasula for the latest updates.

​Happy Squatting!

If you're serious about training, you'll know what the shoulder press is. Also called the military press, there are many variations including the seated press, dumbbell press and push press.

Because of the challenging nature of the movement, there are many people who will either avoid this exercise or injure themselves doing it.  

Believe it or not, there is A LOT more going on when you lift a weight over your head than you might initially think. We won't go through that today because I know you're not that interested... you just want to lift heavy weights safely, right?

So lets jump into a routine that will take you 10 minutes or less to improve your shoulder press strength.

Minutes 0-2 - Shoulder

Circles Start with a general warm up to get the blood flowing through your shoulders. This will make it easier to change the tissue around the shoulder in preparation for the next 8 minutes of this routine.

Begin with small circles which will get bigger and bigger. Make sure you are always in control of the movement rather than flailing your arms wildly. Change directions and repeat for 2 minutes.

Minutes 2-4 - Pec Minor + Collarbone Release

You will need to invest in a massage ball if you don't have one already. These muscles act to pull downwards on the shoulderblade which limits the ability for you to move your arm over your head (in a shoulder press motion)

Releasing these muscles can produce dramatic improvements in shoulder function. Follow the under-surface of the collarbone from the shoulder all the way to the chest.

Simply place a massage ball (or similar) on these muscles and slowly and gently roll over them, thinking about releasing all the tension from them. They can be VERY sore so be careful not to add too much pressure - more pressure is NOT better.

​Spend 1 minute each side and move on to the next sequence

Minutes 4-6 - Rhomboids Release

Using the massage ball, release these muscles while lying on your back or against a wall

Once again this can be very sore so be mindful with how much pressure you are applying.

​Work on the inside border of your shoulderblade and slowly work your way up towards your neck, spending 1 minute each side for a total of 2 minutes.

Minutes 6-8 - Thoracic Extension

Place the foam roller in the middle to upper part of your back Interlock your fingers and support your head as you slowly see-saw over the foam roller.

You may hear a few clicks which is okay as long as they are not painful. Gently make your way up and down the upper back/thorax in the same manner.

It may help to breathe in and out deeply, imagining all that tension leaving your body on the exhale.

​An important tip is to always keep the ribcage down rather than letting it lift upwards in order to protect your lower back Spend 2 minutes on the roller before moving on

Minutes 8-10 - Single Arm Press

Now that you've released the tight muscles holding you back, you need to train the correct muscles to help move your shoulder blades and give you a really solid overhead press.

Using a LIGHT weight (3-5kg for most people), carry the weight with the upper arm parallel to the ground and the forearm vertical (90/90 position).

​From here, use your shoulder to press the arm over your head. I find this drill very useful for teaching the shoulderblade how to contribute to the motion correctly Perform 2 sets of 10-15 each side

So there you have it!

Give this routine a try before any of your upper body or shoulder pressing days and see the difference it can make. If you liked this content and would like to find out more,

Follow us on Facebook @ActivTherapyCasula for the latest updates.

If you've been to a gym before for long enough, you will know what this exercise is. It's basically picking an object (usually a loaded barbell) off the ground. Some people will say it's GREAT for building strength in the back.

Others say it's DANGEROUS. Can it be an excellent strength builder and dangerous at the same time?

The deadlift is primarily a hip movement, which means it requires you to hinge from the hips in order to generate power It also requires the legs to drive through the ground in order to get the bar up and movin.  At the same time, you need to be able to stabilise the trunk so that the power from the hips and legs actually transfer into the bar moving upwards - this is the KEY STEP which a lot of novice lifters get wrong. Instead of effectively bracing the spine to resist movement, they are actually using the back to pull the heavy weight off the ground!

Now you might get away with this for a while... until you injure a muscle/ligament/nerve/disc The best way to move a heavy object off the ground is to use the BIG muscles of the lower body (glutes, quads, hamstrings) while keeping the trunk (deep core) stable

But why do so many people get it wrong?

I believe we are becoming more and more sedentary as technology advances and starts to become an essential in our lives rather than a privilege. Prolonged sitting postures encourage the deep core stabilisers of the trunk to become weak and we lose our ability to move safely and effectively So when we encounter the task to pick something heavy off the ground, your body will choose its most comfortable way to do it.

For a lot of people, this is with a rounded back and straight legs How do we fix this problem and lift safely?

Here are 4 steps that you can implement immediately:

​#1 REST (from poor biomechanics) The only time I will ask my athletic clients to take a complete rest from training is if they are not safe to do so due to medical reasons I will however, always ask them to take a rest from doing certain movements if they are not moving properly and safely. This is because you body REMEMBERS how you move... If your deadlift sucks and you continue to practice, your deadlift will continue to suck. You will be much better off in the long run if you can get your technique spot-on, reducing your injury risk and making you a stronger athlete as you destroy your weaknesses

#2 Reduce the Weight

Leave your ego at the door If you can't handle the weight safely, it's time to take a couple of plates off the bar. Decreasing the weight will allow you to work on your technique and really OWN the movement.

One of my CrossFit clients came in to see me with persistent back pain from doing heavy deadlifts. Now this guy is STRONG, with a 200kg deadlift and 130kg squat clean.

Anyway, I showed him how to deadlift at the clinic by using his hips properly. I think he did 3 sets of 10 repetitions at only 40kg that day. He hasn't felt soreness in his glutes that badly for a long time! 2 weeks of daily rehab work and he hasn't had any back issues since.

#3 Modify Your Movement

If you're still struggling with the barbell deadlift, don't fret - MODIFY!

There is always an alternative movement or exercise for you to practice with. My personal favourite is the Kettlebell Deadlift which you perform by holding the handle of the bell. This is great for technique practice because you don't need to bend as far down, and you get used to the proper and most direct path (straight up and down) for the weight to travel.

​So ditch the barbell next workout, and perfect your form using a kettlebell or dumbell

#4 Get Assessed

An experienced set of eyes is invaluable... you need to find out how you're moving and if it is correct or not.

Start off by taking a video of yourself performing the deadlift. If you're experienced enough you may pick up a few technique errors to work on. Otherwise ask your trusted coach/personal trainer/therapist and get their opinion.

If you don't have a coach or a therapist, FIND ONE! You're training at the gym to become a healthier version of yourself... it's absurd to me how anyone who values their health doesn't have a trusted team of health professionals looking after them If you want to learn more about how you can improve your deadlift,

Our Foundations of Back Health guide is perfect for you! It's a 5-Step detailed guide with illustrations to help you improve your movements Fill out your details and download it here: www.activtherapy.com.au/back-healthfoundations.html

Now let's do some lifting!