You may have heard the term active shoulders being tossed around at the gym or one of us trainers telling you to keep your shoulders active while performing OHS, Snatch, Press, or just about anything overhead.  Coach Mark Rippetoe, powerlifting coach extraordinaire and owner of the Wichita Falls Athletic Club, and his staff have come up with the concept of an active hip that is essential to correctly performing a back squat.  An active hip entails 2 things:

1. Actively locked lumbar extension
2. Actively shoved-out knees

If these elements can be achieved, your chances of reaching the proper below parallel depth of the back squat are greatly enhanced.  This is because actively pushing one’s knees out helps minimize hip impingement (pinching caused between femur and pelvis).  A common belief is that people who tend to round their lower backs to achieve a below parallel squat have flexibility issues in their hamstring.  But, contrary to popular belief, the most common culprit behind rounded lower backs is hip impingement.  A few advantages of the active hip include:

• Recruitment of more musculature (lift more weight)
• High rate of success in achieving below parallel back squat depth
• Better use of the stretch reflex which helps you drive out of the hole (stand up from the bottom of the squat)
• Can be easily applied to movements from the floor like the Deadlift, Clean, and Snatch as well as with the dip in the Push Press and Jerk

So do yourself a favor today and practice the active hip.  Unrack the weight, set up with your stance slightly wider than shoulder width, point your toes out to about 30 degree angles, actively locking your lower back into lumbar extension, take a big breath and clamp down with your abs, and begin the decent of the squat by sitting back and actively pushing your knees out to track over your feet the entire Range of Motion.  You may be surprised at the ease at which you’re able to get to the correct depth, but just be careful you don’t force yourself too deep.  Going too deep tends to cause rounding of the lower back and compromise your midline stability.

WOD 01.27.10

Back Squat 3×5

Cleans on the Minute for 15 minutes