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Set toes about a fist away from the wall, lift your hands up against the wall and from there into a deep squat down and up. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?
In reality, wall squatting is a movement that many find almost impossible. It reveals maximum body mobility, lower limb muscle strength and body control.
After all, wall squatting is also a technique where age is not an obstacle. This became clear when an occupational physiotherapist Riikka Ilmivalta tested wall squats in ten people of different ages.
Most testers bump into their butts because movement requires braking force from the abdominal muscles, hip flexors and front of the leg in addition to back and hip mobility – and sedentary work impairs all of these qualities.
“The only one who could make the move was a 70-year-old grandmother! He squealed at the wall and wondered why his 10-year-old grandson couldn’t do the same, ”Ilmivalta laughs.
Then why did Grandma succeed?
“He had good mobility and muscle strength, but also proportions suitable for wall squats: long legs but short femurs. Long femurs can prevent or challenge getting in position, ”Ilmivalta explains.
Unlike a regular squat, a wall squat prevents the wall from compensating for movement by moving your upper body or knees forward. For this reason, with the long-legged, the focus comes so far back that it results in bloating.
“Movement can be made easier by bringing your legs farther off the wall, widening your feet and turning your toes more outwards, shortening your lever arm.”
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“There is a lot of sitting these days, and the body’s natural path of movement, or maximum mobility, is no longer needed.”
Although a squat may seem impossible at first, a trajectory is possible. The actual deep squat is our body’s natural resting position. Or so it should be, Ilmivalta recalls.
The fact that wall squats pose challenges for so many tells us not only about the performance of the body, but also about the problems in our welfare society. The manifestation sees that the use of the body has been minimized in the Western lifestyle and underloading of the body has become a social problem.
“Before, people did physical work, sat and ate on the floor, which maintained mobility and muscle strength. Nowadays, we sit a lot, and the body’s natural path of movement, ie maximum mobility, is no longer needed, ”says Ilmivalta.
Prevalence therefore, it is recommended to take a squat applied to your body as a break exercise, which you do a couple of times during the working day.
“This is a real effortless challenge, as it requires nothing but elastic pants!”
If the wall squat is not yet successful in the target position, i.e. the feet close to the wall at the width of the pelvis, it is advisable to facilitate the movement by widening the position of the legs and bringing the legs further away from the wall. The manifestation itself squats its toes a few inches off the wall, allowing the movement to challenge properly but to be done.
“It pays to start training with a relaxed and permissive attitude. Give your body time to get used to the movement. Even if the movement doesn’t succeed right away, training makes you a champion. ”
In wall squats, it is important to ensure proper alignment of the body, such as the knees and feet in the same direction. The Infantry advises to always squat on a trajectory that feels safe and controlled. You don’t have to get to the bottom, he reminds.
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“It pays to start training with a relaxed and permissive attitude.”
Wall squat is a great general movement as it develops mobility, muscle strength and body control at the same time. There are other benefits. Because the squat puts the big muscles in the body to work, just a few squats are enough to speed up the metabolism of fat and sugar to counteract the presence.
The wall squat prevents the sedentary neck-shoulder and shoulder problems of the sedentary worker by improving the mobility of the upper limbs and spine. Increased ankle mobility, on the other hand, keeps ankle misalignments and sciatica at bay.
Wall squats also require strength from the muscles. When the muscles are in order, the housework is lightened, the shopping bags feel lighter and the walks are accelerated. Good muscle condition also protects joints from injury. Regular squats also prevent the emergence of movement restrictions, Ilmivalta reminds.
Here’s how to do a squat:
Settle on your face against the wall about a fist measure away from the wall. Keep your heels at the width of your hips, feet out. Place your hands up against the wall and squat as low as possible and get up. Make sure your knees point in the same direction as your feet throughout the performance, and that your abdominal muscles support movement as your back flexes. Allow your hands to slide against the wall with the movement down and up.
Just squat down so that the movement feels controlled. Mobility, strength and body control gradually improve. If the movement is not successful, step further away from the wall or widen the position of the legs.
Movement increases the mobility of the upper limbs, spine, hips and ankles. Strengthens the thigh and buttock muscles. Improves body control.
The three most common challenges
Is it tightening on the lower back, chest, upper back, shoulders or ankles? The challenges of wall squatting are always individual, but here the most common.
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Do the heels get off the floor? Stretch your ankles and strengthen your abdominal muscles and hip flexors. To facilitate the movement, widen the position of the legs and check that the feet do not turn to the inside edge but remain straight.
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Do your hands come off the wall? Strengthen the upper abdominal muscles and stretch the chest muscles. Move your toes away from the wall to facilitate movement.
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Are you getting bored? Strengthen the hip flexors and the muscles of the front thighs.
Squat as low as you can and come back up. Facilitate movement by widening the position of the legs and turning the toes more outwards, as well as taking the support from the door frame.
If the wall squat is not yet successful, Practice these movements first:
1. Deep squat familiarity
Stand wide in the crotch position, the feet slightly outwards. Grab the post, door handle, or ask a friend to grab your hand. Squat as low as you can. Support facilitates movement and helps you find the right trajectory. Repeat 3-6 times.
Movement prepares the deep squat in the trajectory: opens the hips, ankles, inner thighs, calves and lower back.
2. Increase mobility
Visit the quadruped container: knees under the hips and wrists under the shoulders. Get up from there to the dog looking down. With your hands, push the floor away from you, your chest towards your thighs, twist your elbows lightly towards each other. Stretch the heels towards the floor. Then bend your knees and bring your chest to your thighs.
Keep your heels as close as possible. Hold for 20-30 seconds and repeat three times.
Movement develops the mobility needed for wall squats: opens the chest, stretches the hind legs, calves and back, and increases the mobility of the shoulders.
3. Body control for squats
Stand in a wide crotch position with the feet slightly outwards. Rotate your shoulders back, bring your fingertips to the back of your head and aim your elbows at an angle. Keep the shoulder line as open as possible and a slight feeling of sealing between the shoulders.
Keep your abdominal muscles tight and squat as low as you can so that your upper body stays upright. Repeat 8-12 times.
Movement develops the control of the wall squat position: increases the mobility of the chest, shoulders and lower back and improves the movement control and strength of the whole body.
4. Lightened wall squat
Stand near the door frame and take your toes so close to the wall that you can’t squat down and up without support. Take support from the door, making the movement lighter and squatting down and up at a slow pace 1-3 times.
Movement develops the maximum force and mobility required for wall squatting, including by strengthening the thigh muscles.
Sport is a magazine focused on exercise and well-being, edited by Helsingin Sanomat. The article has appeared in issue 9/21 of Sport magazine.
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