Primal Workout Week 3 - Your First Squat Program

You've lost something.

It's something you had as a toddler and a kid.

It was taken away from you.

The culprit?

Chairs.

I'm talking about the squat position. Through years of sitting and not resting on the floor like we're supposed to, we've lost this position that has so many benefits.

Everyone hates leg day. Thoughts of being sore for a week or the dread of getting under a heavy barbell come to mind. I had my first rough leg day the first time I lifted weights for football in high school. From that point forward, we were squatting 2 times per week.

As I got into Olympic weightlifting, it became 3 days per week or more. I got stronger. It felt awesome. However, most of the time that's the only time I was squatting. I would stretch my calves, which is a great start, but there is a middle ground. There is something you can do where stretching the lower legs is a given, without it being a passive activity. Your calves will also actually require some pure strengthening, but we'll get to that later.

The squat starts out as a resting position, not something to be feared. Look at any kid or indigenous tribe (or countries where the toilets are a hole in the ground) and they have no problem squatting down. Since the calves are meant to take a beating, they need a lot of attention in order to undo the damage from shoes and sitting.

All you need to do is "rest" more.

All the Coaches Agree

Ido Portal, Mehdi Hadim, Kelly Starrett, Zack Telander and Dan John.

They're all coaches in some form.

They have all said the same thing:

To get better in the squat position, just spend time in the squat position.

Ido Portal, a movement coach, recommends 30 minutes spread throughout the day. The mindset is that, as a position of rest, squatting down is something we'd be doing throughout the day. Other cultures are probably doing this much longer than 30 minutes, but it's good for us Westerners that need more time.

Mehdi Hadim (creator of StrongLifts 5×5) recommends 10 minutes per day. The purpose is to gain mobility for the squat, since that's a huge part of his program. Since the squat is done so often in the program (3 days per week), the simplest way to get better at the position is to just to do it more often.

Kelly Starrett has the 10 minute squat test, or the "Paleo Chair" as he calls it. It's a test because it's something you should be able to do for at least 10 minutes. He's a big mobility guy, so it only makes sense.

Zack Telander has the 5 minute squat club. He's an Olympic weightlifting coach, and used this as a warmup for the lifts. It's the best way to improve mobility for the squat, front squat, snatch and clean without doing a ton of other stretches.

Dan John, creator of the goblet squat, once recommended 30 seconds. He used just 30 seconds in a goblet squat position, combined with hanging from a bar for 30 seconds, for a warmup prior to a simple Olympic lifting routine. (The shortest mobility routine I've ever heard of.)

It can't be that simple!

Don't we have to stretch all the parts of our bodies individually?

Won't spending that much time in the bottom of the squat make us weak there?

Won't our backs round?

I wish I could find this article again, but back on T-Nation I read of a fellow that went to a Central or South American country. The men he worked with were used to hanging out in the "third world squat" position. He had to train them, and very quickly were they able to build up to squats with the the weight of their bodies on the barbell. That's pretty good for anyone, but very good to someone new to the exercise.

We also know how quickly kids can adapt to weightlifting. Olympic weightlifting coaches know this. I believe it's because kids are closer to using the squat than an adult would be.

Then, if you know anything about the sport of weightlifting, you'd notice that Asian countries seem to be very good at it. People will immediately point to limb length (they tend to have shorter femurs), but again, they use that position for the bathroom so they have kept it it as they got older.

There are also other non-Western cultures that still use the deep squat, like in Africa. That's the complete opposite of limb proportion (ask me how I know).

And let me present the last compelling reason:

Occam's Razor

It comes from someone named William of Ockham. It basically states that the simplest answer is usually the right one.

Yes, you could stretch each part of you individually, but what about just doing the thing that you want to get better at? Then modify things as needed.

Is your back grounding?

Try not to let it.

Are your inner legs tight?

Push them out.

Ankles super tight?

Elevate your heels or hold on to something.

But don't let your current ability stop you from just doing the thing that's the simplest answer. Figure out how to modify it, turn your brain off and just do it for long enough time to see results.

The Squat-All-the-Time Program

Before you start to squat down, maybe you're afraid of the position or so tight you need to easy your way into it.

Enter rocking.

Get on your hands and knees, look straight ahead and rock back and forth. Do it with the tops of your feet on the ground, then the bottom of your feet/your toes on the ground. Focus on your feet and hips, all while keeping your chest up.

Then it's time to rock up into the squat.

Pick a Time

• Like I said, there are recommendations from 30 seconds all the way up to 30 minutes. I recommend starting with 5. That's enough to be challenging but also reasonable if you don't have a lot of time through the day to squat down. (This way your boss won't look at you funny.)

• When you feel like 5 minutes is easy, you can bump it up to 10 and/or do another squat session in the day.

One Session or Multiple

• In nature, we'd probably be squatting down in various moments through the day. That makes the most sense and it allows your squat to stay fresh and never too stale. You can take your 5 minute of squatting and break it up into sets of 1 minute at different moments in the day.

• If you can't manage that, try to do what you can in fewer sets or one session. Can you watch TV in a squat? That would make your entertainment time more productive.

• It doesn't matter too much. Pick one that works for you and go for it. As long as you're squatting, that's all I care about.

Use as a Stretching Session

• Don't hold it for too long before a lifting session (which is why 5 minutes is enough).

• After lifting or through the day, you can do as much as you want.

If your back rounds?

• Do your best not to let it. You may have to elevate your heels or hold on to something so you're not too relaxed. You may also have to push your knees out with your elbows so that your chest can sit higher.

• Then again, your lower back is supposed to round. It's almost like a gentle stretch for it instead of touching your toes. Don't be afraid to experiment and see which option works best for you.

Bonus - Use ATG

• ATG is "athletic truth group" by Ben Patrick aka Kneesovertoesguy. There are two of his movements that can help with your squat: The ATG Split squat (targets your ankles) and the seated good morning (targets the inner thigh).

• He can hold a squat pretty well now. The split squat is probably the biggest active mobility movement I've seen for the ankle, so it only makes sense. Then if your inner thighs are tight, your torso can't sit comfortably between your legs, which is the reason for the seated good morning.

• Those two moves can't be done too often (or maybe they can if you do it in small bouts), so I put them last. You can use this as a mobility session or part of your strength routine. Either way, the squat hold can be done any time. Again, experiment and see what works for you.

• If you have to regress the split squat, work on tibialis and calf raises and the Patrick step. Confused? Here they are on YouTube.

Go Forth and…Rest?

The squat traditionally has been a position of rest.

Now, for most adults, it's a position of stress.

Everyone knows that modern people rest almost too much, but was ancient man any different?

The only difference is how you rest. No we didn't walk, hunt and gather all day long, but then we didn't have couches, beds and chairs either.

Our rest had to be on the ground.

Little kids even play on the ground. So it's not about the down time, it's where we're doing it.

The floor.

Once you embrace the fact that the floor, or in this case, the squat, should be a position of rest, you'll realize that it's going to take a lot of time to get it back.

Get down there and learn how to relax. Breathe deep. Pretend it's a form of meditation…because you're going to have to learn how to relax under tension.

Get up, shake things out, and repeat.

Do that for the rest of your life and I bet all your ailments (like the "bad back after 30" thing) will start to melt away.

Thanks for reading!

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