Pre Squat Warm Up Routine (NO MORE STIFF SQUATS!)

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If you are going to squat you want to make sure that you have a warm up routine in place to prepare your body to do so. The squat is one of the most effective but demanding exercises you can do to build your lower body. Because of the fact that there are many joints involved in executing a good squat, you have to be sure that your joints are able to work together to avoid dangerous compensation and breakdown.
In this video, I show you a pre squat warm up routine that you can do in literally 2 minutes before the next time you do squats. I show you how to increase the range of motion in your thoracic and lumbar spine to better prepare you to squat with good form. Perform 6 reps of each of the movements shown here prior to your next squats workout and you should see and feel an immediate difference in how you feel during the lift.
It is important to point out that there is a major distinction between being stiff and lacking mobility. An immobility due to a hard end feel in the joints that you are trying to mobilize will not be fixed by what I am showing you in this video. Instead, what this will address is those that are limited in their ability to squat by the stiffness that they feel during the exercise.
The good news is that this is actually far more common than actual mobility restrictions in a joint. Once your body learns how to mobilize in the joints that are currently restricted but pliable, you will see that you can quickly pick up extra pain free range of motion and perform your squats with better form.
You want to focus on stretching out your hamstrings as shown in the first demo. While some would argue about the contribution of the hamstrings to the position of the pelvis at the bottom of the squat, it is not arguable that the hamstrings will dramatically limit your ability to maintain an anterior tilt on your pelvis if they are extremely tight. Address that with the drill I show you and move onto the next for 6 reps.
Here we want to work on your ability to extend through the thoracic spine and rotate. Any lost motion here is often compensated for in the lumbar spine. You do not want to try and rob additional motion in the lumbar spine since that should be a stable joint rather than a mobile one. Additional mobility in the lumbar spine is the fastest way to experience a lower back injury.
Finally, wrap up the 2 minute squat warmup routine by combining the movements into one. This will help to tie together the joints and motions that are most commonly seen or in demand during the squat. For a complete training program that teaches you how to train your body the way it prefers to be trained, head to and get the ATHLEAN-X Training System.
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