Squatting for Athletes (Video)

Squatting is a foundational movement pattern for strengthening the legs and improving athletic performance. Learn about squatting for athletes with help from an expert with 15 years of experience in the fitness industry in this free video clip.

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I'm Jeremy Shore for Livestrong.com, and this is squatting for athletes. Squatting is a foundational movement pattern for strengthening the legs and improving athletic performance. Different variations can be used depending on the athlete's goals. To build strength, the basic squat can be performed with a straight bar or dumbbells, to build power, perform a squat jump using your body weight or hold light dumbbells at your sides for added resistance. In a great stabilization strength exercise is the Bulgarian split squat. Let me show you. To build lower body strength to perform the basic squat by standing hip to shoulder width apart, chest up, abs in, weights at your sides if you're using dumbbells, from here, pushing the hips back lower yourself into the squatting position pausing briefly and drive through the floor to return to the starting position. Lower slowly, pause at the bottom, drive up keeping your heels and toes on the ground. From there, to target lower body power, let's move into a squat jump you can do this with or without added resistance. To perform that perform the same movement and squat pattern, lower yourself down to the bottom position and then explosively extend the legs keeping the chest up until you leave the ground. Land softly, return to the starting position, explosively jump. Now finally, for lower body stability strength we will perform the Bulgarian split squat, step out perpendicular to a bench, step back with one foot onto your toe or onto your laces. From there, keeping your chest up, abs tight, hands can go on the hips drop the knee down and back towards the bench, pausing briefly at the bottom and drive up through that front foot to the starting position. Slowly lower yourself down, drive up keeping your chest and head up. And to make this more intense, add a hop at the end. I'm Jeremy Shore for Livestrong.com, and this has been squatting for athletes.