Good Technique

Today I'm having a day off, which is an absolute treat. I decided to go 'gym hopping', which means I go and try and new gym in London. The gym chain I'm a member of have a number of gym spread out over London and today I went to the Camden branch as I also wanted to hit Whole Foods.

 I had set my eyes on doing a Body Pump class and some interval running and the club had a 1pm class - perfect! I always set up my gear pretty close to the instructor as I want to see and hear all the instructions. In front of me was a lady who's technique overall wasn't that bad but she had a very poor squatting technique. Instead of bending her knees she kind of bent in the waist instead, hence not getting the most (anything?!) out of the exercise. The instructor was fairly on the ball with the technique, even if she wasn't nearly as good as my favourite instructor at my home gym, Roo, is, but she seemed to miss this lady totally. Poor technique isn't only dangerous, it also means all your training is a bit of a waste....

Now what does a good squat look like? I am no instructor or expert by any means but this is how I've learnt to do a squat. Bend your knees, like you're sitting down on a chair. Stick your bum out, keep your chest up and keep your weight on your heels. Squat down until the back of your thighs is level with your knees but make sure you can still see your toes, otherwise you're putting a lot of strain on your knees.

I think that the video below demonstraes a good squat