Intentional Stress Challenge: Deep Squat Hold

Progressive challenge series to develop the skill of deep squat holds while training resilience.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

-Benjamin Franklin

Low Back Pain

Low back pain is estimated to be the leading cause of disability around the world. An approximate 84% of adults report having low back pain at some point in their lives with risk increasing over the lifespan. Makes sense when you consider the prevalence of risk factors such as obesity, smoking, poor posture, extended sitting times, and other overlooked or misunderstood ergonomic factors. Even something as simple as sleep position and mattress type can influence lower back health.

“Women and men who sit more than six hours a day are, respectively, 37 percent and 18 percent more likely to die before people who sit less than three hours a day.”

-Kelly Starrett

What do people typically do in response to pain? First, is avoid anything that causes it. Second, is look for medical management, workarounds, or ways to modify an environment to improve comfort rather than focus on behavioral modifications.

Treating only the symptom of pain and not the underlying cause leads decreased function and eventual disability.

“The body will become better at whatever you do, or don’t do. If you don’t move, your body will make you better at not moving. If you move, your body will allow you more movement.”

-Ido Portal

I know a guy who is pretty good at jiu-jitsu with many years of experience. His grappling style is often fighting from the bottom requiring use of his legs to manage distance. He is also skilled in attacking the joints of the lower body meaning he works to create pressure on his opponent’s knees or ankles leading to submission which can leave his own legs vulnerable to a counterattack. He has “bad” knees though, so he avoids working out in any way that requires squatting… makes sense when you don’t think about it…

Knowing your physical and functional limitations due to pain or perceived capability offers a starting point to improve performance, decrease pain, and reduce injury risk.

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Physical Interconnectedness

“The foot bone's connected to the leg bone. The leg bone's connected to the knee bone. The knee bone's connected to the thigh bone. The thigh bone's connected to the hip bone. The hip bone's connected to the backbone.”

-Dem Bones aka The Skeleton Dance

Our body structurally evolved to optimize support of each area. Everything is interconnected. Weakness or injury in one location, increases the likelihood of weakness or injury in adjacent or complimentary areas. Like compounding interest, failure to effectively resolve mobility, strength, or functional issues only leads to downstream larger problems resulting in disability, disease, and required medical management.

Simple, not easy, solutions, that are almost always cost-free, are the best ways to reverse chronic joint or back pain.

A symptom like back pain, is a signal that there are behavioral modification opportunities in your life. Something as simple as sitting less, not allowing yourself to rest against the backs of chairs to encourage proper posture and muscle support, or sleep surface and ergonomic considerations can relieve back pain by addressing the root cause.

Intentional Stress Challenge: Sleep Ergonomics

Life, however, is going to continually put us in tough situations including physical ones. Back pain, at some point, is inevitable in most of our lives despite attempts at optimizing our posture when sitting, lifting, or sleeping.

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Deep Squat Hold

It has become unusual to allow the hips to rest below the knees. Therefore, the modern body has become maladapted from both a flexibility and mobility perspective at getting into this position.

Squatting is an essential skill in order to accomplish a variety of tasks safely, effectively, and efficiently over time.

In remote areas of the world or certain cultures like Thailand, squatting is how one sits to eat or relax after exertion. It is no coincidence that hip and back disease are significantly less prevalent in these areas.

I first heard of the benefits of deep squat holds from Kelly and Juliet Starrett, world renowned mobility experts and co-founders of The Ready State. They have written several books on functional movement and physical health that are all phenomenal. In Built To Move, they outline ten habits aimed at restoring functional movement patterns that are often compromised by modern lifestyles. Significant evidence demonstrates simple behavioral modifications like the ones discussed in their book can relieve pain, improve performance, and optimize health.

A deep squat is a position that requires the hips to crouch down below the knees as if you’re trying to sit on the floor while keeping your weight balanced between the heels and balls of your feet.

Rounding your back in an unweighted deep squat hold is okay and actually can further loosen up the lower spine while providing more balance over your feet. Your knees may go beyond your toes which is also okay and beneficial in the same way rounding the back when unweighted is. Ideally, you’ll eventually be able to point your toes forward, however, turning your toes out can initially help get you deeper into the position.

Deep squat holds require mobility in the hips, knees, and ankles while also engaging the lower spine. Reported benefits of deep squat holds include pain relief, improved flexibility in lower body muscles, improved range of motion in lower body joints, injury prevention, and enhanced performance.

A worthwhile challenge that anyone can do from the comfort of their own home.

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Progressive Challenge Series

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Basic Challenge: Practice an assisted deep squat hold.

If a deep squat is an uncommon or uncomfortable position for you, this challenge will be essential to grease the grooves that are your lower body joints and muscles.

Using a stool, yoga blocks or anything that is sturdy and adjustable, determine how low you can sit to the floor.

Once you can comfortably rest in this position for one to two minutes, you’re ready to tackle the next challenge.

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Basic Challenge: One-minute unassisted deep squat hold.

If needed, systematically use the starting position you determined in the basic challenge to work toward being able to hold an unassisted deep squat.

Performing assisted squats where you lower your body down to the lowest surface you can and then standing back up is a great way to incrementally improve flexibility and mobility the areas needed to get to an unassisted deep squat hold. Use a wall, chair, or anything stable to support you as you begin removing or lowering the support used in the basic challenge. As you’re able to squat lower, rest in that position for as long as comfortably possible before beginning to do more assisted squats to get lower. The goal is getting your butt an inch or two at most from the ground, toes pointed forward, and feet flat on the floor.

For those who initially struggle or take longer getting to the position, trust the process.

Patience.

I’ve witnessed some incredible transformations objectively in how low someone can sit in this position and subjectively in the amount of relief from lower body after completing this challenge.

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Advanced Challenge: Ten-minute deep squat hold.

Once you’re able to perform an unassisted deep squat, work up to being able to comfortably hold that position for ten minutes.

This challenge shouldn’t cause significant physical pain, the intent is to either relieve or prevent pain while improving function.

There is no age or body type that can’t eventually accomplish a ten-minute deep squat hold with consistent focus and effort.

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Elite Challenge: Add a ten-minute deep squat hold to your morning or evening routine for a month.

Here is where the subjective improvements in comfort and pain relief can really be revealed.

I prefer to execute this challenge in the morning. I love this position to loosen up my lower body after a night of sleep.

The beauty of a deep squat hold is you can read, write, observe, breathe, or do any other activity you enjoy at rest while developing this skill and its associated benefits.

Of all the static hold positions for mobility and flexibility, this is my personal favorite.

Complete this challenge to realize much can be done for your functional health without moving.

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Summary

Like the majority of my intentional stress challenges, being able to successfully complete the goal is less important than consistently working on developing the mental and physical capacities to do so.

Process over outcome.

Even after accomplishing an elite challenge, maintenance of that ability is crucial.

All skills are perishable as are the benefits that came along with their pursuit.

No one, especially fate, cares about what you used to be able to do.

What can you do now?

What are you actively working on?

It’s never too late to progressively take ownership of your life.

“Mobility is a kind of wonky term that refers to something quite beautiful: the harmonious convergence of all the elements that allow you to move freely and effortlessly through space and life. Everything is in sync - your joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, nerves, brain, and the vasculature that runs through the body.”

-Kelly Starrett

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Disclaimer:

The content provided is intended for general knowledge and informational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional prior to making any decisions or changes relating to your health. Kyle Shepard is not responsible for any adverse effects resulting from the use of information in this publication.

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