Surmount Health & Fitness

Comprehension Questions (7 Questions)

1. What are the most common form mistakes people make during squats, and how do these mistakes impact performance and injury risk?

The most common form mistakes that people make are:

– Knee collapse (When the knees show a caving in effect.)

– Not squatting deep enough

– Lifting the heels off the ground

– Rounding the lower back

– Pushing knees forward too much

– Raising hips too quickly

– Not engaging the glutes properly

The above mistakes can cause grave consequences for one’s performance and risk of injury. 

2. Why is knee valgus (knees caving inward) during exercises like squats and lunges problematic, and what causes it?

It is caused by the overpowering strength of the adductor muscles against the weaker hip abductor muscles. If these two opposing muscles aren’t stable the knee joint may experience abnormal stress which increases the risk of injury. Hip adduction/abduction machines, used correctly, should balance these muscles.

3. What role does muscle imbalance play in common leg day mistakes, and how can it be identified?

An example of a muscle imbalance is the activity you are able to do with your dominant hand. Most people, with their dominant hand, can throw a ball or write, while their other hand is less capable in these sorts of activities. But when there are muscle imbalances in the legs there is an increased risk of injury and increased stress on joints.

Some leg muscle imbalances include:

– Quadriceps (dominant) / Hamstrings (underactive)

– Hip Adductor / Abductor 

Can lead to knee pain and instability

– Calf Muscles (dominant) / Tibialis Anterior Muscles

Ankle instability and issues with walking on uneven surfaces

4. How does insufficient warm-up affect performance and increase the risk of injury during leg day?

A good warm-up can prevent injuries by loosening up your joints and improving blood flow to your muscles. This makes it less likely for your muscles to rip due to the strain of your exercise allowing you to push more volume. On the other hand, if you don’t warm up and start working out with “cold” muscles, they won’t be able to absorb shock or contract effectively which can lead to strains, tears, or cramps during high volume exercises.

5. What are the negative consequences of neglecting posterior chain exercises (e.g., hamstrings and glutes) in a lower body routine?

A weak posterior chain can lead to:

– Back Pain

– Poor Posture

– Knee Instability

– Reduced Athletic Performance

– Difficulty with daily Activities

– Muscle Imbalances

Example exercises that can strengthen the posterior chain include:

– Deadlifts

– Squats

– Romanian Deadlifts

– Kettlebell Swings

– Lunges

– Rows

6. Why is overtraining on leg day counterproductive, and how can it be avoided?

Overtraining deprives your leg muscles of the necessary recovery time, leading to decreased performance, increased risk of injury, and stagnation in muscle growth.Rest days are important and prioritizing proper nutrition and recovery strategies like stretching and foam rolling can help to avoid overtraining.

7. How do improper rest periods between sets impact leg day performance and long-term progress?

With improper rest periods your performance can be significantly hindered. You may develop a sense of increased fatigue in the muscles, reduced lifting capacity, and you could limit long-term muscle growth by not allowing sufficient recovery time between sets.

Analytical Questions (5 Questions)

8. Compare and contrast the effects of improper squat depth versus improper lunge alignment on the muscles and joints involved.

Squat Depth:

Let’s start with what the proper squat depth should be. A proper squat depth is when the top of the knee is slightly below parallel with the hip crease. Just lower than if you were to imagine yourself sitting in a chair.

Lunge Alignment:

Keep your knee directly over the middle of your front foot, with your hips stacked, back straight, and your front foot pointing forward, ensuring your knee doesn’t go past your toes while maintaining a vertical torso throughout the movement; essentially, aligning your knees, hips, and ankles in a straight line when you lunge down.

Improper Form effects:

In both cases, improper form can lead to an increase of stress on your knees, a higher likelihood of injury, and reduced muscle activation in your lower body. 

Failure to reach squat depth can also lead to lower back pain.

Failure to perform an effective lunge can also lead to increased stress in your hips and ankles. You may even experience a common injury names “runner’s knee”

9. Analyze why people often prioritize quads over hamstrings and glutes in leg day routines, and discuss the long-term consequences of this imbalance.

A reason why some people may prioritize quads over hamstrings and glutes has to do with the aesthetic nature of the muscle size and location. The front of the leg is a very visible muscle group so people may focus on exercises that enhance this feature as best as they can. 

The potential long term consequence of not also performing hamstrings and glutes exercises on leg day can lead to an increased risk of knee injuries, particularly ACL tears. This imbalance may also lead to decreased athletic performance and functional movement limitations 

10. How does foot placement during leg presses or squats influence the activation of different lower body muscles?

A higher foot placement on a leg press mainly targets your glutes and hamstrings. A lower foot placement on this machine focuses more on your quadriceps muscles.

11. Evaluate the effectiveness of stretching versus dynamic warm-ups in reducing common leg day mistakes.

Typically performing dynamic warm-ups can help the body with increased blood flow and neural activation. This can help prevent injuries and optimize performance.

12. How can improper weight selection (e.g., lifting too light or too heavy) hinder progress and lead to mistakes during leg day exercises?

If you were to lift too light or too heavy your muscles won’t be properly stimulated to achieve optimal muscle growth and strength gains.

Application Questions (3 Questions)

13. Imagine a client struggles with squats because they lean too far forward and their heels lift off the ground. What specific corrections or exercises would you recommend?

For cases like these the stability of the muscles that operate the ankles and glutes are important. Some exercises that can assist in the muscle activation for the ankles and glutes are the lunges, leg curls, single leg deadlifts, or side leg lifts, to name a few.

14. Design a balanced leg day workout that addresses both anterior (quads) and posterior (hamstrings, glutes) muscle groups while minimizing common errors.

One machine that can help produce results for both the quadriceps and the hamstrings and glutes is the Leg Press machine. If you place your legs higher on the stand you can target your glutes and hamstrings. If you place your legs lower on the stand the target muscles become the quadriceps muscles.

Other exercises can help support the anterior and posterior leg muscle groups as well. Like the squat, lunges, or deadlifts. Proper form and maintaining balance between the muscle groups is important however. Not just in developing muscular gains, but also to reduce the risk of injury.

15. If someone consistently feels knee pain during lunges, what adjustments to their form or exercise selection would you suggest to fix the issue?

The initial adjustment I would make would be to reduce the range of motion. Perhaps performing a deep lunge isn’t the clients skill level as of yet. Start with as deep of a lunge you can manage with minimal or without pain and deepen the lunge overtime.

The client may also use a chair or a wall for balance in assisting in the lunge.