The Squat 30/30 challenge are you up for it?

                         

So the challenge is to sit in the deep squat position for a total of 30 minutes every day for a period of 30 days. Obviously one should not just stop doing this after 30 days but by successfully completing this challenge you can be guaranteed to have better mobility, movement and posture.

The challenge can be done by anyone and to join the official 30/30 Squat Challenge by Ido Portal then you should go to the Facebook group and request to join. Once you have been accepted you can then discuss progress and any other similar issues inside the Facebook group.

The Rule of the 30/30 Squat Challenge

Rules of thumb:

1. No REST days during the 30 days.

2. Relaxed spine – no need to try to remain erect or with neutral spine. Its a RESTING position.

3. Width between the feet – around shoulder width apart but should be individualized and experimented with – aim for maximal depth and relaxation.

4. How much feet should be turned out or should they be facing forward? Don’t let anyone sell you the idea of ONE perfect position – this should be individualized and experimented with – aim for maximal depth and relaxation.

5. Knee pain? Hip pain? stand up and move around. Resume the squat and work in small short bursts of squatting throughout the day.

6. Footwear? Best – barefoot. Second best – minimal footwear.

7. Keep your heels on the floor if possible. If impossible, try a small heel support until you gain the proper mobility to squat flat foot on the ground.

8. True sign of good squatting? When you get tired from STANDING – you squat and not vise versa! True story!

9. How deep should you squat? There is only one answer – DEEPER.

So if you have not quite perfect the unassisted deep squat position then it is highly advisable that you use the above tips in order to help you reach that natural deep squat and it is very important that you achieve this before diving straight into the 30/30 Squat Challenge.

You will be surprised how quickly your body will respond to your daily practice of the squat. In a matter of weeks depending on what squat ability you are starting from you will find that you will be able to naturally put yourself in the deep squat position without losing balance and without considerable pain, however it is something that you must commit yourself to do daily especially if you are intent on conditioning yourself to take on the 30/30 Squat Challenge. Just remember practice make perfect and I guarantee with practice your body will respond and you will be able to perform an unassisted deep squat before long.

Once you have been able to comfortably find yourself in the deep squat position you should then put emphasis on holding the correct deep squat. You see when we are young children we are born with the ability to hold a correct posture since our bodies have not yet been tainted by the pitfalls of Western society. So what we should do is take a leaf out of our children’s book by aiming to achieve the flexibility, mobility and posture that they possess. Have a look at the video above to get an idea of correct deep squat form.

Once you have progressed your way to being able to comfortably sit in the deep squat position you will want to then put your focus further and more advanced deep squat training. Luckily for you the guru himself Ido Portal has put together a great Squat Routine 2.0 video that you can follow in order to progress your deep squat. I personally follow this training video every day and it can takes around 10 to 15 minutes to complete properly – so what this mean for those of you taking up the 30/30 Squat Challenge is that after completing this training routine then you have completed half of your daily challenge. After this daily squat training routine you will only need to find approximately 15 more minutes in the day to sit in the deep squat and comfortable fill your daily 30 minute squat quota.

Simply go along to Facebook and do a groups search for “30/30 Squat Challenge” and request to the join the group as a member. You should be added to the group within a day or so and then you will be able to see all of the comments and discussions from all of the existing members. At this point in time there are almost 15,000 members in the group.

If you decide to take on the 30/30 Squat Challenge then you should take the initiative to comment on the Facebook group about your ongoing progress whilst undertaking the challenge. Everyone is encouraged to share their experiences, challenges, accomplishments and battles with other members in the group. It is also worth keeping a close eye on what everyone else has to say on the Facebook group because you will generally learn a lot from other people’s experiences.

If you want to go straight to the Facebook group from here then please click on this link – 30/30 Squat Challenge – Facebook Group

If you want to find out more about the movement lifestyle then check out the movement guru himself – Mr Ido Portal.

So once you have been able to accomplish the 30/30 Squat Challenge, which by the way will take quite a bit of practice and progression, after this you will be able to move towards a whole range of other exercises. Some of these other exercises and movements that you may want to explore more and consider training for can include:

Correct form air squats

Correct form free weight squats

Movement exercises

Box jumps

Floreio Art

Capoeira martial arts

The deep squat is such an important basic movement that should be performed regardless of how light or rigorous your training schedule is and this is because it is a fundamental movement and position that the human body should be able to perform at it’s most basic physical level.

Check out Ido page on:

http://placeofpersistence.com/30-30-squat-challenge-by-ido-portal/

Offline, Episode 4: The "Knees Out" Cue

                    

Setting yourself long-term goals is most likely the best and most sustainable way to improve your level of performance and reaching your training peaks. Don't be hasty and take the time needed to master the basics before building upon them. It's logical, we all know it, and yet, a lot of CrossFit wod and powerlifting movements are too often performed poorly... So don't undermine the importance of using suitable weights that allow progress in technique and mobility. And you'll see the corrective nature of the movements will unquestionably workout to your advantage.

Strength and powerlifting are really important in any CrossFit wod, and you can definitely see it from the athletes performing at the CrossFit games. The movements are based on essential movement from Powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting and specific CrossFit movements that you need to know and perform with proper form. Some people also want to work on them in bodybuilding because it is crucial to increasing strength & performance (through efficiency) and improving technique to remain injury-free. Even through hundreds of CrossFit wod or after a lifetime of bodybuilding, one should remain injury free.

So we recommend working on your powerlifting basics first: The Deadlift & Squat!

The Deadlift: As rudimentary as can be, bending down and picking stuff up the ground is probably the simplest and most used exercise in the world. Anyone training or weight lifting will want to incorporate it in their gym routine to maximize strength, and anyone who doesn't train still do it every time they lift something off the floor. Nonetheless, going heavy should be done with a sound and appropriate technique.

The Squat: The back squat, front squat and overhead squat are all compound movements that are essential to develop powerlifting strength as well as technique and stability. These skills are also transferable to the other Main Olympic Lifts, making them even more important in a typical CrossFit wod.

(Includes the Clean & Jerk, Snatch, Press, Kettlebell work, etc.)

Set-up properly (good mechanics):

Mobilize your core before even looking at the bar. The spine always needs to be in good position before you can transfer force. Simple, but most of us don't ever do it.

I'll admit this is close to impossible while in a CrossFit wod because the weight lifting is usually relatively light and the rep count really high, but in powerlifting, bodybuilding or at the CrossFit games when the weights get really heavy, you'll see the athletes set up a lot more.

TIP: Standing up, squeeze your glutes to organize your core section and make sure you don't overarch your back. Then tighten you abs, breath in just a bit, retighten you abs a little more and only then reach the bar for the lift.

Visualize each rep:

Visualization helps to prevent mistakes, increases focus and helps to build on good muscle memory. If you set up properly and visualize staying tight throughout the movement, you will definitely lift better while reducing the risk of injuries. This is done in practice and prepares you for competition, so that when you are at your training peaks, you get there with good technique, body mechanics, mobility and posture.

Warm up, don't fatigue:

Wake up you muscles and don't get exhausted with weight lifting volume that will limit your immediate strength and make you fall off your training peaks. A good example would be to do hip raises (or bridges) to make the glutes more responsive before performing your deadlift. Box jumps before squats are also good practices.

Push the ground:

Keep in mind to push the ground instead of lifting the bar. It improves stability and keeps your whole body engaged, squeezing the abs and glutes to widen the gap. This is especially true in powerlifting or bodybuilding when the weights get heavy.

Work on your weaknesses:

This is why we do it! Ideally, you'd want to maintain what you're already good at and work on your weaknesses: Technique, strength/power, cardio/endurance, range of motion/flexibility/mobility, etc.

Seek, Target and Resolve!

We strongly recommend concentrating on these three aspects in training, using sound and logical data to do so: Technique * Power * Endurance

1. TECHNIQUE: Learning appropriate training patterns and muscle memory:

2. POWER: Lifting faster and heavier:

3. ENDURANCE: Owning the physical and mental resilience to keep going.

Want to see more quality articles and videos, visit us at: http://crosstrain.zone/ & keep training to be the best you can be!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/F._Foley/79221

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9107384

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/user/CrossFitHQ