What if Grandma Could Squat? 

What if Grandma could squat?  I mean it, what if Grandma could drop her hips, bend her knees and get her ass on and off any seat in the world?  What if her doctor didn’t tell her not to squat because it’s bad for her knees?  What if he wouldn’t tell her that, because she wouldn’t be complaining about her knee or hip pain?  What if Grandma was strong?  What if Grandma stayed strong?  Like strong enough to squat down, grab her granddaughter, stand up and walk away as if it was no effort at all.  What if Grandma turned into Great Grandma and could still squat?  Great Grandma could squat down onto the toilet with no help, no hand rails and no worries about her weak hip or ailing back.  What if Great Grandma didn’t have a weak hip or ailing back because Great Grandma can and does squat, on the regular?  What if Grandma and Great Grandma stayed independent? I know, Grandma does not squat because Grandma gets pain when she squats.  Grandma does not squat because she’s old and old people don’t squat.  Grandma doesn’t squat because she doesn’t know how.  Grandma doesn’t need to squat.  Grandma doesn’t have the energy to squat.  It’s not safe for Grandma to squat.  Besides, even if we taught Grandma to squat she would forget how and no one is there to make sure she’s continues to do it safely.What if that’s bullshit? What if Grandma did squat?  What if every day Grandma woke up and did 10 perfect squats down to toilet seat height?  What would happen to Grandma’s strength? To her confidence? Bone health? Mobility? Quality of life? Independence? Longevity?  You know what would happen?  They’d all fucking improve.  Grandma would incur a whole host of benefits.  No fractured hip, no walker, no help getting up the stairs, no life alert bracelet.  So why doesn’t Grandma do this? Why doesn’t she squat?  Hell, why doesn’t everyone squat?

As things stand, it’s honestly good that everyone is not performing the squat for fitness, longevity, health and independence.  This is because the elderly, the young and the middle aged all really suck at squatting with any type of proficiency.  And squatting poorly will not reap the great rewards of fitness, longevity, health and independence. Squatting poorly will no doubt cause pain, dysfunction and a decrease in quality of life.  So, really when the doctor tells Grandma and Great Grandma not to squat because it’s bad for your knees, he’s partially right.  However, what he should tell Grandma and Great Grandma is not “you should not squat” but “you should not squat LIKE THAT!”

So what gives?  How do we fix this dilemma?  How do we get the masses of Grandmas and Great Grandmas to squat well so that they may live well?  There are certainly not enough strength coaches, physical therapists, and personal trainers available to even teach your Grandma and mine to squat well, let alone continue to follow them over time to ensure they continue to squat correctly.

Until now, this dilemma did not have a solution but the people at Movement Guides, Inc feel a solution has been created.  It’s called the SquatGuide™ and it’s helping people move correctly and get functionally stronger all over the United States.  Yes, grandma  can use the SquatGuide and in no time be happily getting on and off the toilet safely without a raised seat or hand rails.

The device is the first of its kind in that it prevents the user from going into a poor squat pattern while facilitating the user to squat correctly.  The user must control their own range of motion and body weight.  The device is adjustable and portable.  It is not too large or heavy and best of all not that expensive either.  It’s solidly constructed, made in the USA and invented by a physical therapist and US Army Veteran.

The  SquatGuide™ is used in physical therapy clinics, strength and conditioning facilities, as well as in homes across the country.  While this article focuses on how it can help Grandma, it is just as effective at training young athletes and inexperienced people looking to improve their fitness and to move properly prior to starting a strength or resistance training program.

There is an answer for long term independence with a focus on a one of the most basic movement tasks in life.  The Squat.

SquatGuide™

Move. Like. This.™

www.MovementGuides.com

Kyle Sela, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, CSCS

Kyle is a physical therapist who is a board certified specialist in sports and orthopedics. He completed a sports medicine fellowship at Duke University in the Management of Division I Athletes and served as a physical therapist on active duty in the US Army where he cared for a Brigade Combat Team during a deployment to Iraq. His passion is in movement efficiency and maximizing every patient's potential to live life to the highest quality. The SquatGuide™ reflects years of experience teaching people to squat with great form and efficiency so that they may benefit from this great exercise.

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