“Bend your knees more!”
“Hinge at the hips.”
“You’re squatting, I want you to deadlift more.”
You may have heard these in class. Many of you are thinking, “what the heck does that mean???”
The squat and the deadlift are great foundation exercises that should be apart of your lifting routine. When we do these on strength days, people usually do a great job with form and technique. It’s when we do exercises in conditioning that these two movements tend to blur together and we, as coaches, see a movement that looks like a merge between the two. As people get fatigued in workouts, they usually revert to a movement they feel stronger in. BUT it’s crucial to recognize what movement we should be doing and maintain that proper form, especially as we fatigue, to help decrease the risk of injury and strengthen our weaknesses.
This video breaks down where you should feel each of these movements on your body, so that you’re getting some feedback that you’re doing them correctly. Then I break down some common conditioning exercises and categorize them as either a “squat” movement or a “deadlift” (hinge) movement.
This should help you not only “feel” the difference for yourself when you perform these different exercises, but it should also help you understand some of the cues you will hear from the coaches in class.
Now go lift some legs!! 🙂