A new study lends pretty solid support to two of my more iconoclastic positions about squatting, for which I previously only had shaky, circumstantial evidence. This article digs into the research and tells you what you need to know.
A lot of people have asked me to review the research on safety bar squats. There was just one problem: there wasn’t any. That’s changed over the past couple of months.
Bro wisdom says close stance squats are more quad-dominant than wide stance squats. Is that really true? This article looks at the science of stance width.
Trying to squat with achy knees can be tricky – you don’t want to lose too much strength, but you want to the problem to go away. Here’s what you need to do
Cuing sitting back vs. down in the squat may change how the squat looks, but muscular demands are pretty similar through the range of motion that overlaps.
The squat has several mechanical advantages over the deadlift, so why can’t your squat catch up with your deadlift? It comes down to one key difference.
How do you fix the sticking point in the squat? You don’t. Here’s what you can do to make sure you’re in the best possible position to complete the lift.
What you’re getting yourself into 2,100 words 7-14 minute read time. If you’d rather watch than read, there are both a video and a graphic covering the same information at the end of the article. Key Points 1. In general, the body utilizes single-joint muscles before two-joint muscles really kick in. This makes movement more efficient. 2. At the bottom of the squat, overactive hamstrings make the movement unnecessarily difficult, so squatting in a manner
What you’re getting yourself into ~2,400 words. 6-10 minute read time. Key points: 1) When you miss a squat, it’s not because one muscle or muscle group failed – they all failed sequentially; what you perceive as your limiting factor is just the last thing that failed. 2) The quads are “maxed out” earlier in the movement than the hip extensors. 3) When you don’t purposefully rely on your quad strength and don’t try to
What you’re getting yourself into: ~4200 words, 10-15 minute read time There’s a graphic and video at the end with the bulk of the information if you’ve given up on reading like the youths these days (*shakes cane*) Key Points If you assume similar mechanics, bar position makes little difference in the challenge presented to the quads and hip extensors. The major mechanical differences arise because the quads are most challenged at the bottom of
What you’re getting yourself into: -2,200 words. 8-10 minute read time. If you’re in a hurry, you can skip on down to the “Practical Takeaways” and save the dense stuff for later. Key Points: The origins and insertions of the hamstrings and rectus femoris allow them to extend the hip and knee simultaneously, even though their actions oppose each other. Two joint muscles allow force from single joint muscles to be transmitted to joints they
Before we get into this post, I want to let you know about our giant How to Squat guide. It covers everything you need to know about every aspect of the squat – from biomechanics to correcting weaknesses to technique. Click here to open it in a new tab so you can check it out after you’ve finished reading this article. Sayre’s law: “In any dispute the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the issues
