Pushing your butt back when you squat
*Stop sticking your butt back too much*
There are many styles of squatting and this video wasn’t made to debate the advantages or disadvantages of a straight down or hips back squat.
It was made to highlight a common error which seems to be increasing in the Instagram world!
Regardless of how you choose to squat, the bar MUST remain over the centre of your feet, therefore keeping your centre of gravity.
If you believe you load your “posterior chain” more by pushing your butt back, you may be surprised to find out that numerous studies show the opposite. (1)
Powerlifters:
Given the depth Powerlifters need to squat to, and the fact they are most likely using low bar, they are probably better off using a hips back squat. By pushing your hips back and descending, you can hit depth without squatting excessively deep (providing you don’t have any mobility issues). The slight inclination of the torso with a low bar shouldn’t be too much of an issue as the bar should still remain in balance over the centre of the foot.
Weightlifters:
If you’re a weightlifter, there are no reasons why you should be squatting with a low bar hips back approach. Weightlifting requires catching the barbell overhead or in a front rack position and therefore weightlifters will need to squat deeper to better mimic the recovery of the clean and snatch.
Recreational squatters:
For people just trying to get stronger should use whatever approach feels best for them.
Closing thought-> pushing the hips back SLIGHTLY to initiate the squat is fine, as is using a straight down approach by simultaneously breaking at the hips and knees.
But stop pushing your butt back so much that you can’t decide whether you’re doing a squat or a good morning! Extreme loading with a lordotic lumbar is only asking for trouble (1) http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02640414.2016.1154978?journalCode=rjsp20&