Barbell Squat Health Problems

ByJoe Louis

Apr 6, 2021
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Barbell squats are designed to develop the muscles of the thigh and glutes. This is a basic bodybuilding exercise that helps you gain muscle mass, shape your body, and lose weight. However, all positive effects from it will disappear if squats are not done correctly. Blunders can even lead to health problems and exacerbate existing chronic illnesses. If a person periodically experiences problems due to high blood pressure or diseases of the cardiovascular system, then he can only do strength exercises under the supervision of a good specialist.

Ideally, the correct technique for performing the exercise involves squatting with a perfectly straight back without tilt forward. Unfortunately, in practice, only people of small stature can fulfill all the recommendations, but everyone needs to strive for perfect squats.

Technique of the exercise.

Approaching the rack, you should grab the bar with a medium grip, that is, slightly wider than the shoulders. Before removing the bar from the racks, you need to strain your shoulders. The movement is performed smoothly, while the entire foot rests on the floor. The head should be raised up and keeping the back straight, bend the legs. You need to sit down so deeply that the thigh is parallel to the floor surface. If your legs are shoulder-width apart during squats, then this position will help develop the quads. A wider stance increases the load on the inner part of the thigh, and a narrower one – the outer part of it.

Let’s dwell on the problems that may arise during the exercise:

1- Knees.

Remember that barbell squats are not the most beneficial exercise for your knees. So, in order to avoid injury, you must clearly adhere to the correct execution technique. Knees often hurt after or during exercise. The athlete may feel constant slight pain or sharp pain when he stands in a certain position. But in any case, you need to visit a doctor and take an X-ray. If the specialist does not detect serious changes, then the matter is overvoltage due to heavy load. Quite a common mistake is when a beginner puts his legs wide and squats, bringing his knees close to each other. This position is harmful to the joints and leads to constant pain. Careful control over the technique and the elimination of banal inattention will help to solve the problem.

2. Loins.

If you do not keep your back straight during the exercise, you can have serious problems with your lower back. Problems with keeping the body in the correct position can be due to excessive stress, which appears due to uneven muscle development. For example, this problem will be especially acute if the muscles of the legs are better developed than the muscles of the back. If you regularly attend workouts, then after a while everything will return to normal, but in the first sessions you need to be careful and you should not dramatically increase weight.

The next problem in which lower back pain may occur is insufficient flexibility of the ankle and hip joint. When squatting with a barbell, it is necessary to transfer weight to the heel, while maintaining the correct posture. Maintaining the correct body position is difficult enough if the joints are not mobile enough. Stretching regularly before strength training can help alleviate this problem.

3. Upper back.

To avoid pain in this part of the back, squatting should be performed correctly and the position of the body should be carefully controlled. The upper back should be absolutely straight, and the muscles should be tense – then a rigid frame is formed from them, which will evenly distribute the load. The shoulder blades should be extended down and back as much as possible, and the chest should be turned forward. It is advisable to perform a narrow grip, then the chest will unfold even more. If the back is strained enough, then its position will allow you to maintain an upright position and eliminate deviations to the side, forward or backward.

Often athletes use sports equipment for squatting with a barbell. The weightlifting belt is designed to stabilize the back muscles, while the elastic bandage strengthens the knees. This equipment is useful for heavy weights with no more than six repetitions, but it does not cure pain or solve the problem. Severe back and knee pain can only be healed by seeing a doctor and getting enough rest.

Lack of rest can lead to fatigue-type injuries, which are common among athletes. Those doing strength training are required to rest for a week every two months. For beginners, rest is shown more often, once a month.

It takes time for the muscles to recover. To do this, you should follow the regimen between workouts during the weekly cycle. Large muscles take longer to recover and doing barbell squats every day doesn’t make sense. Otherwise, the wrong approach could very well lead to injury.

This exercise is useful at any age. It has been noted that warm-up and stretching before training is very important for older athletes. They should be especially attentive to the safety rules and to the cleanliness of the exercise. They recover from injuries at the same speed as young athletes with the right course of treatment. Barbell squats are popular with all ages and anyone can show their skill in competition.

Barbell squats are designed to develop the muscles of the thigh and glutes. This is a basic bodybuilding exercise that helps you gain muscle mass, shape your body, and lose weight. However, all positive effects from it will disappear if squats are not done correctly. Blunders can even lead to health problems and exacerbate existing chronic illnesses. If a person periodically experiences problems due to high blood pressure or diseases of the cardiovascular system, then he can only do strength exercises under the supervision of a good specialist.

Ideally, the correct technique for performing the exercise involves squatting with a perfectly straight back without tilt forward. Unfortunately, in practice, only people of small stature can fulfill all the recommendations, but everyone needs to strive for perfect squats.