Yesterday I couldn’t help but notice a baby and her father at the local coffee shop during an afternoon break. Now, I’m not the first person to capture the innate brilliance of a baby’s squat mechanics, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. Here’s what I saw:
What really makes this photo a gem is the perfectly timed contrast of the baby’s father squatting along side her (much more poorly I might add). You see this infant, who can’t yet talk and knows virtually nothing, has a masterful squat. Conversely, her father attempting to achieve his daughter’s position has his heels pulled off the ground as he has run out of hamstring flexibility. In addition, the father’s thoracic and lumbar spine are rounded and compromised. His daughter’s sound squat is safe, sustainable, and playing a role in her physical development for the better. He’s is fully the opposite on every account.
The irony is that it’d take the father years (2-5 diligent years most likely) to develop the squat of his daughter who hasn’t even been alive that long. Think about that for a second.
Human movement is human movement. Regardless if there’s a workout, any exercise equipment, or a sport in the mix or not, biomechanics hold true. When you come to class today I hope you can chuckle a bit at the thought that we’ll be working hard to learn the skills of this 18-month old.
Logan Gelbrich
———————
Wednesday’s Workout:
Complete 10 rounds for time of:
3 Shoulder to Overhead (155/105)
50m KB Farmers Carry (2/1.5)