It’s Day #7 of our 21-Day commitment to LEVELING UP!

It’s time to SQUAT.

When was the last time you organized your body into a full squat, bending your knees deeply and dropping your butt low to the ground?

In some cultures this position is as natural as sitting in a chair. In our culture, not so much. Yet the squat is an innately human position. You have only to look at how a toddler gets low to the ground to verify.

The squat is one of the rare positions that allows us to practice several normal ranges of motion all at once: hip flexion and external rotation, knee flexion, and ankle dorsiflexion. Having access to these ranges not only allows us to perform daily actions and movement transitions more effectively, it also helps to prevent lower back pain and creates robust ankles that are less prone to injury.

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Vital Sign 7: Squat!

No surprise here: you’re going to spend some time squatting! The Assessment will evaluate how easily you can hit this fundamental human position and the Physical Practices introduce a couple ways to work this shape into your day on the regular, with variations to accommodate all abilities.

Built To Move Chapter Referenced: “Vital Sign 7: Squat!” (pp. 193-206)

Assessment 1: Squat Test

Stand with feet hip width or wider apart. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes or go barefoot. Whichever squat position from the video below you are able to achieve, hold it for five breaths. Don’t worry about the shape of your spine as you squat.

What Your Results Mean: Refer to page 198 of Built to Move

Equipment Needed: None

Physical Practice 1: Sit-Stands

Equipment Needed: Chair

Stacked Physical Practices:

• Floor-Sitting Positions (From Day #1)
• Practice nose-only breathing throughout the day (From Day #2)
• Walk 8-10K steps (try three post-meal walks per day) (From Day #4)
• Consume 800 grams fruits & vegetables (From Day #6)
• Consume individualized grams of protein (From Day #6)

Equipment Needed: None

Extra Credit: Tabata Squats

Equipment Needed: None

Follow Along Mobilizations (2)

Equipment Needed: None