Bio-mechanical analysis of squat: torque on the knee and on the hip?

Asked by: Thuc Nguyen

What are the biomechanical principles of a squat?

The squat is a well-known exercise for the knee and hip muscles and is commonly used in rehab programmes. Biomechanically, the squat is a close-chain movement, requiring simultaneous extension patterns of the ankle, knee and hip joints.

Which squat position requires more torque at the hip?

Powerlift Squat

However, a wide stance requires greater hip torque (requiring greater strength through hip abduction) while reducing both knee and spinal torque.

What movement occurs at the hip during a squat?

hip flexion

The Hip Joint
The primary muscles working at the hip during a squat are the gluteus maximus and the hamstrings. The gluteus maximus acts eccentrically to control the descent, and concentrically during the ascent. The hamstrings function at the hip to assist the gluteus maximus during hip flexion and extension.

What movement occurs at the knee during a squat?

Knee Flexion: Decreasing the angle between the lower leg (tibia, fibula) and femur. This occurs when a person bends their knee, bringing their heel closer to their thigh or butt.

What is responsible for knee flexion when squatting?

Strong hamstrings can help to increase knee stability during the squat. Peak quad involvement during squats is from the upright position down to 90 degrees knee flexion. Beyond that, the hamstrings and glutes contribute most.

What type of contraction is a squat?

(A) When squatting, concentric contraction occurs in the quadriceps when you move upwards and the quadriceps shorten. Eccentric contraction happens when you move downwards and the quadriceps lengthen.

How is torque used in biomechanics?

Torque in Biomechanics

Torque is what creates biomechanical movement. It is what creates the movement of the lever system (bones). This is important to understand. Being able to maximize the amount of torque a muscle can generate will allow for optimal strengthening of that muscle.

What is an interaction torque?

When we consider movements that are rapid or that involve a kinetic chain of several joints, we must consider “interaction torques” or “motion dependent torques.” These torques are of three varieties: inertial torques. centripetal torques. coriolis torques.

How far should your knees go in a squat?

Research tells us that your knees going past your toes when squatting is not harmful if you’re not injured, and you have the flexibility to squat properly. You can condition and strengthen your knees, and the muscles around them, to move better and squat comfortably.

Does hip flexion occur in a squat?

The lowering phase of the squat involves flexion of the hip and knee, and dorsiflexion of the ankle. It has been observed that at end range hip flexion (HF) during the squatting movement, the pelvis will begin to rotate posteriorly (2, 5).

What muscles are engaged in a squat?

In a standard bodyweight squat, the following muscles are targeted:

• quadriceps.
• hamstrings.
• glutes.
• abdominals.
• calves.

What is the joint action of a squat?

A squat is a strength exercise in which the trainee lowers their hips from a standing position and then stands back up. During the descent of a squat, the hip and knee joints flex while the ankle joint dorsiflexes; conversely the hip and knee joints extend and the ankle joint plantarflexes when standing up.

What muscle extends the hip joint during the squat?

hamstrings

On the up phase (standing portion) of a squat, the hamstrings work to extend the hip joint. In fact, if there is excessive hamstring activation during your squat it can be detrimental to your technique. The harder the hamstrings work on the knee joint the more quadriceps action you’ll get.

What is the prime mover joint in a squat?

The gluteus maximus and the quadriceps are the prime movers for back squats. During the upward phase of the squat, the glutes are responsible for the hip extension and the quads for the knee extension.

What muscle is the prime mover for the action of hip flexion performed in a squat group of answer choices?

The agonistic muscles for the hip extension, and consequently hip flexion are the gluteal muscles (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus).

What is the agonist and antagonist in a squat?

The hamstrings are the agonist and the quadriceps are the antagonist. In the contact and recovery phase, the quadriceps contract to extend the knee while the hamstrings lengthen to allow the movement.

What is the primary muscle agonist being used in the squat?

Hamstrings. The quads and glutes are the main agonists when squatting, and they make up two of the three major leg muscles.

What is the concentric phase of a squat?

The same applies to the squat – the concentric phase occurs when you raise yourself from the squat position (i.e. stand up) because you are pushing your body weight upwards against gravity; and working eccentrically when you lower yourself into the squat position (with gravity).

What is the major biomechanical objective of the eccentric phase in a squat?

But in compound exercises like squats that involve multiple joints and muscles, a great deal of work is done eccentrically as the muscles lengthen to provide a braking mechanism that slows the rate of movement and protects the body against injury.

Is squat eccentric or concentric?

So, what are the differences between the eccentric vs concentric squat? Eccentric squats deliberately slow the descending phase of the squat, mostly for injury rehab or to apply an overload stimulus. Concentric squats purposefully slow the ascending component, to strengthen weak muscle groups or to offload fatigue.

Is knee extension concentric or eccentric?

The first motion, knee extension, is the concentric motion, also called the muscle-shortening motion. During this phase, the four quad muscles contract and pull on the lower leg to straighten it. As these same muscles also slightly rotate your leg externally, your toes will point slightly outward.

What type of muscle contraction is hip extension?

Hip extension involves the action of three muscles contracting in a coordinated sequence. The three muscles are the gluteus maximus(primary mover/agonist), biceps femoris(synergist) and erector spinae(synergist). Any deviation from the specific muscle activation is considered an altered movement pattern.

What type of muscle contraction is hip flexion?

Contraction of the iliacus and psoas major produces flexion of the hip joint. When the limb is free to move, flexion brings the thigh forward. When the limb is fixed, as it is here, flexion of both hips brings the body upright. The other two muscles which help in hip flexion are rectus femoris, and sartorius.