Common movement cues, and what they really mean
A wealth of evidence exists to provide recommendations for enhancing the success rate of movement cues. Studies show that cues that are brief, actionable, and tailored to the individual's needs and the specific movement are most effective and successful. Alternatively, if a coach provided a lengthy explanation for what the movement fault was, why it needs correcting, followed by multiple instructions, this may only overwhelm and confuse you! It’s important for coaches and fitness professionals to avoid overwhelming athletes with lengthy explanations and multiple corrections.
With that said, one of the great things about cuing is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Coaches have endless possibilities to find the most effective teaching methods for each athlete. Any cue that leads to improved movement or reduced pain is considered successful. (For example, if saying "pineapple" helps someone improve their movement, then it was a successful cue!). But of course, our goal is to provide cues that provide enough direction to enhance athletes' kinesthetic awareness as they learn new movements.
Many coaches and fitness professionals who focus on optimizing biomechanics in foundational movements like squats, deadlifts, and presses, use these methods to achieve this. This is extended to higher-technical movements like the snatch, clean, jerk, and gymnastics movements that involve handstands, kip swings, and more. If you have ever taken a CrossFit or group fitness class, or worked with a personal trainer, you may have heard common cues such as "weight in your heels when you squat." These cues can be effective because they are brief, actionable, and specific; plus, the coach may not have the ability to educate you further about the movement pattern outside of giving you cues, due to multiple participants, time, and their desire to keep the educational component short and sweet. However, it's important to note that although these cues provide direction and aim to correct specific faults, the desired outcome may not always be clear. For example, when a coach says "weight in your heels," does that mean all the weight should be in the heels? Is there another issue they're trying to address that may not be evident to the athlete? In some cases, these cues can unintentionally lead to the development of poor movement patterns.
With that in mind, let's take some time to review these common cues and provide a clearer understanding of what they mean. This will help you better comprehend how your body moves and how to enhance your movement!
Common cues:
“Weight in the heels”
When optimizing squat mechanics, the goal is to improve the weight distribution around the whole foot to optimize the bar path and maximize the leg drive when we squat. Therefore, when a coach uses this cue, their goal is usually to help the athlete keep their whole foot on the ground, instead of shifting to the toes.
However, there are a few limitations to achieving the desired outcome when using this cue. First, keeping the heels down while squatting can be especially challenging when an athlete has limited hip and/or ankle mobility available. Additionally, it is essential to avoid overemphasizing weight on the heels; some athletes mistakenly shift their weight too far backward, compromising body mechanics and overall squat efficiency. This can result in the knees staying too far back and reduced stability in the lumbar spine. We at LSPT value teaching the athlete how to spread the weight evenly through the middle of the foot, which ensures a neutral bar path and weight distribution while maintaining a strong and stable spine when loading up!
“Shift your hips back before you squat”
Continuing with the squat theme… One of the most common cues heard in the gym with squat training is this. The goal of the cue is for the athlete to create space for their hips to get ready to flex, in order to achieve optimal depth below the knee crease. However, while this is the goal, many instead adopt a movement pattern of either hinging at the hips (as if doing a deadlift, bringing their torso down), or arching at their lower back (pelvis will tilt forward) when initiating the squat. This may be a result of miscommunication or development of habitual over-correction.
Why would this be a problem? Well, let’s first use the example of shifting the hips back too far, as if hinging to initiate the squat. As stated above, this can not only bring the torso down (displacing the bar path too far forward from the midline of the body), but it could cause the knees to be too far behind the toes during the descent. The whole “knees over toes” topic can be saved for a new post, but the bottom line is that allowing the knees to pass the toes creates the most optimal weight distribution for the squat, among many other positive attributes. With the movement fault of arching the lower back, you are essentially creating an anterior tilt at the pelvis. You will run out of hip flexion room sooner during the squat, which limits the depth and can cause pain at either the hips, low back, or both. Remember, the purpose of the cue “Shift your hips back before you squat” is to create space for the hips to flex. When this is initiated with other body regions moving instead of the hips, it can further hinder your progress!
“Active Shoulders”
You may have heard someone tell you this cue when you have a barbell overhead, when youre doing a handstand, when you’re supporting yourself on gymnastics rings, and more. How do I know if my shoulders are “active”? I am in a handstand, what more do you want from me?!
An “active” shoulder is one that is pushing into the direction of resistance. Anatomically, this should like like your shoulders and shoulder blades moved in the direction of the resistance. Take the barbell, for instance. The barbell is the resistance force; If you’re holding it overhead, you shouldn’t just be holding it there, you should be continuously pushing against the resistance. To visualize this, your arms will be locked out, and your shoulders and shoulder blades will be up close to your ear, in the direction of the bar! An “inactive” shoulder indicates that you are not pushing into this resistance; your elbows may be bent, your shoulders and shoulder blades may be rested down and away from your ears, away from the bar. A barbell is usually light enough to hold overhead without all your muscles working to push it up and away from you, but once we start adding weight to that bar, we need to utilize this “active” press when the resistance increases.
Now let’s use the example of gymnastics rings. Picture a ring support hold, as if someone is at the top of a ring muscle up. The resistance force is now the rings. This means their shoulder should be pushing against the rings. What this looks like: Their elbows should be straight, and their shoulders/shoulder blades should be down and away from their ears; in the direction of the rings. The “inactive” position may be with slightly bent elbows, and shoulders that are moved closer to their ear/ away from the rings.
The common theme here is this: an active shoulder is one that is moved in the direction of the resistance force, and that’s the direction you should be continuously pressing. An active shoulder is a stable shoulder, allows you to resist more force and improve your body control with high level skills.
“Keep the bar close”
This cue is often used when educating an athlete on barbell pull from the ground, including the snatch, clean, and deadlift. Sure, “keep the bar close” is simple, and sure, it directs action to take place. But at what point during the movement does this cue become relevant, and why does it matter? The overall theme is this: bar path that is as vertical as possible (close to the midline of the body, aka the frontal plane), enhances the efficiency and technical model of the lift.
This does not mean that the coach wants the bar to be dragged up the shins and thighs; the bar should be as close as possible up to approximately an inch from the body. To do this, once must have strong lat engagement when pulling from the floor. The lat muscles are the ones that’s keep the bar close to your body while creating tension to optimize your control of the bar. They also come into play significantly during the 3rd pull of the snatch and clean and jerk, right before you turn the bar over. Have you ever seen someone’s bar fly forward after it hits their hips when they do a snatch or clean? Resolving this issue will not only take this cue “keep the bar close”, but better development of the posterior chain that includes the lats, glutes, hamstrings… There is so much more to unpack with this concept, that I will have to write another post regarding muscular movement patterns at each phase of the Olympic Lifts… Stay tuned? :)
As you can see, common movement cues can be unpacked in great length to determine what they really mean, what outcome they are seeking, and how to best achieve that outcome to enhance the athlete’s performance — without diving deep into explanations of anatomy and kinesiology during class. You’re all at the gym to work out and have fun, but there is surely a part of everyone who wants to become a better athlete! Sometimes it’s worthwhile to learn more about what these cues mean to better achieve your goals.
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We would be happy to discuss further how Loon State Physical Therapy can be a teammate in getting you back to moving and feeling your best! Our convenient Minneapolis physical therapy, Edina physical therapy, and Stillwater physical therapy locations will happily welcome you to get you back to moving at your best. Call us at (612) 405-8503 or book with us online at www.loonstatephysicaltherapy.com for an in-person or virtual appointment.
We look forward to being your teammate through this journey!
