The Air Squat

I have noticed a lot of talk among athletes about the squat. Everyone wants to know about going pass parallel, stopping at parallel, myth about too many squats being bad for your knees, old people shouldn't squat, etc. I will simply put it how I learned it...when you go to the bathroom, how do you get on the toilet? YOU SQUAT...that is why they call it 'popping a squat.' So YES teach it to everyone. Now the talk about stopping at parallel or going pass parallel. When studying for the CSCS the book says to stop at parallel. Every CSCS professional I have worked for and sport teams coach I have played for says go pass parallel. Here is what I think...go pass parallel!! When you squat to parallel you put a lot of stress or weight on the quad muscles, but once you go pass parallel you balance that weight on the quads and hamstrings. Too me this means more power and strength because you use more then one muscle group. Going pass parallel does not mean going extremely deep, unless you are flexible enough. It is important to go full range of motion (ROM). In my opinion it is important to go pass parallel in the squat as long as it is safe for the athlete.

Why do I have my athletes do air squats in the warm up (besides to warm up the hips)? When an athlete squats there is many things I can examine about that athlete. I learn a lot by watching my athletes do 8 reps to warm up. The air squat will tell me if they have any mobility issues, their core strength, soreness, coordination, lower body strength, injuries, flexibility, stability, how well they listen to coaching, how well I communicate with athlete and much much more. It is crazy to think that the squat is such a vital movement in exercise and LIFE. Haven't you ever noticed that toilets are lower to the ground...so you get full ROM in your squat!!