How to Squat – Physiotherapist Video for Pelvic Floor Safe Leg Strengthening

How to squat video teaches you how to squat, protect your pelvic floor and get the most out of your squat exercises for leg and buttock strength and tone.

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Benefits of Knowing How to Squat

Safe squat exercises can help you:

• Increase your thigh and buttock strength and tone;
• Increase the lean muscle in your thighs and buttocks;
• Maintain and improve your hip bone density density; and
• Improve the ease of your everyday activities.

Scroll below this video for ‘How to Squat’ guidelines and variations.

Video Duration: 7 minutes

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Inside Out eBook and exercise video pack helps you:

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• Safely strengthen and tone
• Understand unsafe exercises to avoid
• Choose pelvic floor safe exercises
• Strengthen your pelvic floor
• Increase your lean muscle
• Improve your bone health

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How to Squat Safely

Squatting is generally a safe exercise for most women to perform. There are a few basic principles that should be adhered to in order to keep your squat exercise safe for your pelvic floor and the rest of your body.

In order to avoid injury, women with pelvic floor dysfunction including after gynaecological surgery,  knee problems or low back problems should adhere to the following safe squat principles.

How to Squat With Pelvic Floor Safe Technique

• Correct starting position involves keeping your trunk upright with your knees and feet no wider than hip width apart for pelvic floor protection
• Keep your toes visible in front of your knees at all times during your squat to protect your knees from stress
• Activate your pelvic floor muscles if you are able to prior to and during your squat
• Maintain the normal curve in your low back throughout your squat
• Avoid deep squats by keeping your hips higher than your knees throughout to minimise pressure upon your pelvic floor, knees and low back
• Breathe out as you push your body back to upright.

When to Avoid Squat Exercises?

During recovery from gynaecological surgery avoid squats until you are given approval to do so by your medical practitioner. The techniques outlined in this video teach you how to perform safe squat exercises when you have medical approval to do so.

You may need to avoid or modify your squat exercises with some knee or low back conditions. Speak to your health practitioner if you have specific health concerns prior to squatting.

How to Squat With a Fit ball (Swiss Ball)

Set up position for squats:

• Position you back to the wall with a fit ball placed in the curve of your low back
• Walk your feet out in front of your body so that your knees can be viewed in front of your toes
• Position knees and feet no wider than hip width apart

Safe squat technique:

• Activate pelvic floor muscles
• Bend your knees to lower your body keeping your trunk upright as you do so
• Maintain the inward curve in your low back as you squat
• Lower your buttocks slowly to a comfortable level for your body
• Always keep your sit bones above the level of your knees
• Breathe out and push down through your heels to return your body slowly to your starting position

If squatting causes you physical discomfort you are advised to cease your squat exercises.

Common Mistakes to Avoid with Squat Exercises

Try to avoid these commonly performed squatting mistakes:

• Knees and feet too wide apart (i.e. wider than hips)
• Losing the curve in the low back when squatting
• Squatting too deeply (i.e. buttocks lower than knees)
• Breath holding when squatting
• Squatting and straining with too heavy weights
• Squatting too quickly

Muscles Used for Squats

• Front of thighs (quadriceps)
• Back of thighs (hamstrings)
• Buttocks (gluteals)

Squat Variations for Pelvic Floor Safe Exercise

You can vary your squats with the following:

• Fit ball squat and reach arms forward to shoulder height
• Fit ball squat with dumb bell weights on the hips
• Mini squat away from the wall
• Mini squat away from wall with dumb bell weights.

This ‘How to Squat’ video and written guidelines are designed to help women strengthen safely and enjoy the long-term benefits of pelvic floor safe exercise.