Should Every Athlete Squat?

I have heard the term, “in order to enhance performance an athlete HAS to squat” one too many times. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Don’t even get me started on the “Ass to Grass” or it doesn’t count BS. I understand that the squat may be considered the king of exercises and facilitate in the overall enhancement of athletic performance, but as with any exercise it may not be a great fit for some athletes. Not only do I think that every athlete is not cut out for squatting, I also think that each individual athlete squats differently. The way an athlete squats can be dependent on ankle mobility specifically ankle dorsiflexion, relative femur length and relative torso length, shoulder Range of Motion (ROM), squatting stance, quad and glute dominance to just name a few. The way a specific athlete should squat is a talk for another day. For the sake of this article, I will focus on why not every athlete needs or should squat. The idea that every single athlete has to do exercises A, B and C to get better is outdated and needs to stay in the past.

To be honest, I am as big of a “squat guy” as anyone else, but I am also smart enough to admit that not every athlete is cut out for squatting, which guess what? Is totally fine. 

Here are my points. At the end of the day athletes are truly jacked up in their own way due to the demands of each sport, with all sorts of imbalances, restrictions and nagging injuries. If an athlete lacks ROM in the necessary joints, has knee pain, may have Femoral Acetabular Impingement (FAI), lacks hip stability and has some sort of spinal issue, having them squat is one of the most counterproductive things you can do. Athletes are all sort of messed up and putting them in positions that won’t promote high quality movement is the opposite of what my job is. For example, the back squat specifically creates a whole lot of compressive forces on the spine that can make injuries worse or just not any better — especially to the spine. The older the athlete is the more likely they have developed some kind of spine injury such as spondylosis or disc herniation/bulges. So why have them squat? Hint: they probably shouldn’t. There are alternative exercises that can be programmed that will promote high quality movement and honestly get more out of the athlete.

The 2 main issues I see with squatting is a lot of unnecessary movement at the lumbar spine (lower back) whether it be lumbar flexion, hyperextension and/or rotation and untreated imbalances.

What causes unwanted movement at the lumbar spine during a squat? Well, a lot of things. Here are a couple, a lack of hip ROM, thoracic spine ROM, ankle ROM and core strength can all contribute to unwanted and compensating lumbar spine movement. Most of this can be explained by Mike Boyles’, Joint-by-Joint Approach. Simply put, if certain joints are meant to be mobile and are no longer mobile the above or below joints which are meant to be stable, end up moving resulting in pain and injury. Most of the time when excess lumbar movement occurs it is when an athlete tries to squat to a desired depth, but mobility restrictions do not allow them too (leading to lumbar spine movement). When an athletes’ hips are considerably tight it will cause the lumbar spine to move, which is not something we want happening during a squat as the lumbar spine needs to be stable. This type of unwanted lumbar movement is either lumbar flexion (rounding) or hyperextension. Once the lumbar spine starts to move under a compressive load (like a weighted bar) the forces of that compressive load also increase, which can lead to injury and discomfort. A lack of ankle dorsiflexion and hip ROM directly correlate together, but crappy ankle ROM interestingly enough can lead to excessive lumbar flexion as well. The thoracic spine is also supposed to be mobile and a decreased ROM at the thoracic spine can lead to unwanted movement at the lumbar spine. The thoracic spine is supposed to rotate as well as extend and flex and if there is a lack of mobility throughout it will cause rotation at the lumbar spine creating a shearing effect, which is the most stressful motion that can occur there. 

What I am trying to say is that athletes with severe mobility issues and really poor anterior core strength should think twice before doing any squatting and if you really have no other choice but to squat try better variations. Different variations like the one below will allow an athlete to take compressive loads off their spine, engage the anterior core and it is really easy to manipulate for squat depth depending on their individual mobility needs. 

DB Goblet Squat to a Box: 

Before I end, I want to mention another reason I may not have an athlete squat. Individual athletes are either born with or develop imbalances in the body that can directly affect the outcome of a movement. When I talk about imbalances I am referring to the individual differences, whether it be mobility, strength or power when comparing one side of the body to the other. I mentioned earlier that the worst motion that can occur at the lumbar spine is rotation as it creates a shearing effect. Lumbar rotation can easily happen if there are major discrepancies between right and left sides of the body. Imbalances should be accounted for and addressed prior to squatting. I also tend to stay away from squatting if an athlete of mine is quad-dominant and/or has a degree of hip anteversion. Athletes that rely more on their quads need to focus more on the posterior chain and spend a lot more time training unilaterally (single leg) until they get to the point where they have significant hip stability. Try having an athlete squat who has really poor hip stability.. it will make you cringe. Those athletes that have anteverted hips already lack total hip ROM, especially within the external rotators as they are constantly going into hip internal rotation and adduction. If an athlete lacks ankle dorsiflexion and hip external rotation they are bound to compensate by moving the lumbar spine. Instead of squatting, which can lead to other issues these athletes need to spend more time strengthening their hip external rotators and overall core. If an athlete does fall in this category there is no reason that they should perform exercises that make them more reliant on their quads — such as the squat.

So, should every athlete squat? Probably not, but should every athlete learn how to squat properly? Yes. I teach each one of my athletes how to squat because who knows where they will end up in the future and at least I can teach them how to properly squat so when some meathead wants them to squat way too much at least they will be able to perform it somewhat correctly. There is a lot to think about before just programming an athlete a squat. It is important to assess the athlete prior to programming any exercise, especially the squat. Most of my athletes do squat, but there are always those couple athletes that squatting may just not be the right fit for. Individualization is key!