Modified Squat

Modified Squat

Squats are a bowler’s best friend. On the way down, your knees and hips flex; on the way up, your knees and hips extend. Squats strengthen your lower body, focusing on your glutes and quads. The rewards from this exercise will make your footwork and finish position better by increasing balance and stability throughout the shot.

Be it age or injury, squats can be too difficult for some to accomplish without some modification or assistance. In this premium video, Leah Zahner, Certified Personal Trainer (NASM) demonstrates how to do a squat with a chair, modifying the exercise to help make it easier.

Step 1

Start seated on a bench, box, or chair with your hands on your thighs.

Step 2

Stand up from the seated position and then return back to the seated position.

Your hands are on your thighs to provide leverage if needed when trying to get out of the seated position. The less you use your hands, the more strength you’ve gained, getting you that much closer to utilizing traditional squats. Other muscles targeted in this exercise are:

• Calves
• Core muscles
• Hamstrings
• Hip muscles
• Obliques

Squats also decrease your chances of injuring your ankles and knees because their function aims to take some of the weight off these areas while engaged. Squats are great for day-to-day activity and when you are bowling. If you can increase balance and leverage, your shot repeatability will increase along with your average.

Check out “Modified Squat with a Balance Aid” and “Wall Squat with a Physioball” for more ways to modify the traditional squat exercise.