Bracing During the Squat
While squatting, the role of your abdominal muscles is to help pressurize your abdominal cavity which has the effect of stabilizing your lumbar spine. In order to do this effectively, you first need to learn how to breath with a specific technique called diaphragmatic breathing (taking a belly breath).
- insert photo of diaphragm/diaphragmatic breathing
Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercise with Bracing
- insert video for 90/90 breathing
- Lie on your back with your feet resting on a bench/chair/couch, hips and knees at roughly 90 degrees
- Place your hands on your stomach
- Start by taking a breath in through your nose, but finish the last bit of your breath by taking air in through your mouth
- You should feel you hands/stomach rise as you breath in
- Hold your breath for a few seconds as you squeeze and engage your abdominal muscles, pushing your breath in 360 degrees around your entire abdomen
- Breath out and repeat
Once you have mastered this technique, it’s time to apply this to your squat
Breathing and Bracing with the Squat
- insert video for breathing with squat
- Unrack the bar
- Get in to your squat stance
- Take a big breath in through your nose but finish the breath in through your mouth
- Hold your breath as you squeeze and engage your abdominal muscles, pushing your breath in 360 degrees around your entire abdomen
- Perform a repetition of the squat
- Once you’re back at the top position, breath out and reset your breath with steps 3 and 4