Squats and hand / arm position Happy New Year everyone! Ok..its been awhile since I touched base with the crew here...thought Id share my thoughts, tips, ramblings, etc on hand /arm placement during the squat... Those who train using crossfit and / or powerlifting regimens should be intimately familiar with squatting, the movement pattern both form and function, where and how power is developed, and different variations and their uses...(those who dont squat...start) so why would I waste everyones time talking about where your hands are when squatting? Great question... First, there are literally hundreds of great squat demos out there to choose from, but most importantly, there are some unique challenges that we in the upper extremity adaptive community dont spend time addressing, or even thinking about, for that matter. Several non-adaptive coaches out there get a bit starry-eyed when they see folks with one arm doing awesome things with heavy weights but really dont spend the time focusing on the nuances and the adaptions to ensure that the athlete continues their pursuit without the potential to develop poor movement patterns leading to long term posture and joint issues. In the video I walk through how I prefer to see arm / hand position for upper extremity athletes having at least one hand. The first set I use a prosthetic with a wrist unit that help maintain the load symmetrically as well as help with shoulder mobility. Whether we realize it or not, most of us in the upper extremity adaptive community develop extremely internally rotated shoulders (mainly due to living life - having to reach, grab, etc with the residual limb on one side with the longer limb on the other...over the years, this asymmetry gets worse...more on this in another post). Another adaptive approach would be to use a lashing strap or chain other cuff that could tie to the arm and to the bar that would serve the same purpose. The second set is without the prosthetic holding the weight with the hand and elbows basically cradling the bar. I learned this method by observing other athletes like Kendra Bailey and Josh Cinnamo. I love this approach, because it forces you to focus on your non-dominant side traps, and sets you up for a symmetric load path. The last few reps are how Ive seen a few people squat, but would really like to see less of. The load has a tendency to want to go straight down (thats the tricky gravity / physics stuff that we talk about). When the load is brought downward, it is being translated asymmetrically through the back, hips, etc, and over time can lead to chronic postural and joint issues. If you impart substantial asymmetric load on an object, it will (either traumatically or over time) change structurally. In the case of our bodies, this is not the type of change we I believe that there are enough minds out there to create adaptations and devices (prosthetic or other) to ensure proper set up and symmetry in load path. Hope this is helpful. Please feel free to add to, ask, etc. youtu.be/YWLVX9Q_e_k Cheers, Dave.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 00:44:26 +0000