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Jason
Jason Manenkoff received his Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from the State University of New York, Cortland Campus in 2005. He attained certification as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is a Level II Track and Field Coach certified by the USATF in the Sprint and Jump events.
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 Jason is also a WKC (World Kettlebell Club) certified Fitness Trainer.
During Jason's undergraduate years he excelled in Track and Field and was ranked Top 3 in the Northeast in the 100 Meter Dash, 200 Meter Dash as well as the Long Jump.  Following graduation he continued to compete semi-professionally in these events.

Jason's focus soon shifted, and his transition from Track and Field to Powerlifting was finalized in 2010 when he decided to commit himself exclusively to this sport.  He is nationally  ranked  in the 165 lb. weight class in both the Bench Press and Deadlift (powerliftingwatch.com). He holds numerous American and State Records across various federations including the RPS, IPA, USAPL, and the APA.
Jason is  the Co-owner of Iron Arena Powerlifting & Performance in Hoboken NJ which was established in 2012.
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The Art of the Back Squat

by: Jason Manenkoff

Squatting, when done correctly, is not only a demanding movement that will strengthen and put a good amount of muscle on your entire body, it's an art. The key to getting the most out of this exercise is proper depth.  Contrary to commercial gym belief, simply positioning a loaded barbell on your back and bending your knees approximately 10 degrees is NOT a squat. By doing so you are neglecting both your hamstring and gluteal muscles since such a shallow knee bend calls solely upon your quadriceps to do most of the work.

Not only are you wasting your time with this type of “squat” but you may also be setting yourself up for an injury. A partial movement of this type allows you to use heavier loads than you would when squatting with a full range of motion, which would better distribute the load throughout the hips as opposed to solely the knee joint. This may contradict what you have heard regarding “deep squatting being bad for your knees.”

This myth came from a study done in 1961, which attempted to investigate the effect that deep squatting had on the ligaments of the knee.  A professor from the University of Texas compared those who performed full squats (weightlifters) to people who did not lift weights and found the weightlifters to have more laxity in the ligaments of the knee. Based on his findings he irrationally recommended limiting the depth of squats to parallel and for some reason (conceivably out of laziness) the general population still seems to follow his recommendation despite the idea being disproven many times.

Proper depth in a squat to ensure you are getting the most out of the movement should look like the diagram below where the top of the thigh at the hip is lower than the top of the kneecap.


As a side note, in the sport of powerlifting, although every organization that hosts competitions require this depth to be achieved as stated in the rules, it is still a controversial topic due to morphological differences between lifters making depth difficult to judge along with human error (since you are being judged by 3 judges all at different angles).

Below are 3 technical adjustments you can employ when trying to achieve proper depth in the squat.
 
1) Stance
 Squat stance for most people would require a stance with your feet shoulder width apart or slightly wider with the toes pointed out 10 degrees, allowing the knees to properly track. For those with tight hip flexors (aside from including mobility work in your training) it may be best to widen the stance a bit making it easier to drive the hips back and down to achieve proper depth. Upon descent you should also be trying to push the ground about with your feet. Picture a crack in the ground in between your legs where your standing and you need to urinate, but if you do it on the floor you die. So you want to try and pry that crack in the earth open so you can do your business. This helps stabilize your hips, which may allow you to achieve proper squat depth. 

 
2) Footwear
When squatting it is important to wear a flat soled shoe such as Converse all Star. Squatting barefoot is also fine. The reason being that in order to squat properly you must drive your hips back while maintaining contact throughout your heels during the entire movement. This ensures you are shifting the load properly to your hamstrings and glutes. Having your heels planted flat also makes it “easier” to hit proper depth since your stability would not be compromised like when you would squat in a running shoe. Running shoes are made for running, and when running you are predominantly on the balls of your feet.  That is the opposite of where you weight distribution should be when squatting. Running shoes such as Nike Air Max also add instability due to the “air cushion” they provide, which is problematic. How much can you squat while standing on a mattress as opposed to a hard wood floor?

Consider this: we know that women's shoes (high-heels) are bad for their feet, primarily because they shorten the hamstring while they're being worn. This is the same mechanism at work when you see a block of wood by your squat rack at the gym - it's for people who need to artificially shorten their hamstring by elevating their heels, because they're not flexible enough to squat to full depth. For women, walking around in heels every day will eventually cause their hamstrings to respond with a loss of flexibility.

For men, the same physics apply. If you're walking around all day in dress shoes (with a heel), you're ultimately reducing your hamstring flexibility on a permanent basis. Flat soled shoes are better for athletes, but even if you don't like the retro look of Chucks, you can buy DC or any pair of skate shoes - they're all flat soled (or "zero drop" from the heel to the toe, in technical terms).
 
3) Breathing/Posture
During “Weight Training 101” in gym class you may have been taught, “when lifting weights, inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up.” When squatting or partaking in any other heavy lifting this is completely wrong.  In order to maintain proper posture you need to be able to stabilize the spine by increasing intra-adominal pressure (see valsalva maneuver). This is accomplished by taking a huge breath of air in your belly (think as if you are about to blow up a balloon) hold it on the way down and breathe on the way up. Each rep should be reset with this breathing technique repeated.





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