The squat is a motor exercise aimed at muscle conditioning of the lower limbs (especially thighs and buttocks). It is cataloged in the set of multi-articular, since it actively involves multiple joints (hip, knee, ankles); it is also grouped among the so-called "fundamental" for body-building (but not only).
The practice of the squat, historically routine for the general preparation of some disciplines, in recent years has been partially neglected above all by the lovers of physical aesthetics. This is attributable to various factors often related to each other. Some are: learning difficulties, ease of error, need for assistance in high intensity series, high incidence of injury (even serious), trends etc.
As it happens for all the "fashions" of the sector, today the squat (in all its forms or variants) is returning brilliantly "trendy", also thanks to the wave of "functional" training techniques (term improperly used) to body free or with unusual tools.
Obviously, also for statistical reasons, the incidence of injuries related to the execution of the squat has undergone a worrying "surge", aided by the neglect with which many trainers (mostly semi-improvised) face and propose the exercise. The collective idea is, more or less, that: "if the load is moderate, the risk is reduced to almost 0". Obviously not so!
The execution of this movement must be learned freely, then with additional load imitations and finally with the overload (balance, dumbbells, kettlebells, etc.). It should be remembered that the squat should be carried out mainly in the traditional position and that other variants (sumo squat, jump squat, sissy squat, lap squat etc.) do not guarantee to maintain a low index of muscle, tendon and joint compromise. Moreover, if the use of the multypower tutorial structure (provided with guides and safety pins) facilitates the execution of the squat by relieving the need for assistance, it is also true that it tends to conceal postural errors and asymmetries that are no less harmful.
In conclusion, in the execution of the squat it is often advised to use the famous "containment belt" in order to reduce the risk of herniated disc; this is not a mistake, however, the recommendation should also specify that, sometimes, this way it favors the extrusion of inguinal hernias for increased intra-abdominal pressure. Ultimately, for squats that use moderate loads, it would be advisable to avoid using this tool by focusing instead on the tension of the abdominal girdle as a stabilizer of the movement in squatting and elevation.
