Suite101

Got Squats?


© Matt Danielson

Ok, so you've accepted the inevitable and whip yourself into doing those dang squats every week on leg day. They're exhausting, they hurt, and they work bigtime. Bummer. Why can't it ever be easy?

Squats belong to the exclusive club of compound movements that trigger growth you could never replicate by diddling around with isolation movements only. Don't get me wrong, there's a time and a place for isolation, but when you're looking to build a foundation of raw power and mass, compound movements are unbeatable.

So getting your repertoire of compound exercises in order is crucial, plain and simple. You want to be able to move as much weight as possible with the best form possible, which translates directly to substantial muscular development. Typically, you see young guys adhering more to the first part than the latter. However, unlike benching, squats aren't much of an "ego exercise", so there's usually hope.

Why do I talk about hope? Aside from the obvious risks of injury that comes with sloppy form, squats are actually an exercise that can make you STRONGER by NOT cheating. When people cheat on their squats, they usually aren't only gambling with their joints and spine, they might even be robbing their egos of the cheap thrill that comes with adding some more weight to the bar.

Point #1: Form
Check your form! Straight back, wide stance, abs tense, eyes towards the ceiling throughout. You should FEEL the balance in your body. Also make sure to bend your knees in sync with the tilt of the lower back. You're not doing "good mornings" with 300 lbs on your shoulders! If you feel unbalanced, hurt, or is otherwise unsure of the proper execution, don't hesitate to talk to a professional Personal Trainer.

You will probably get a little weaker at first, but take my word for it - if you're doing it right, you'll be back and beyond your previous weight within a couple of months!

Point #2: Cardiovascular capacity
Especially if you're doing high-rep sets, you might be familiar with the sensation of lightheadedness and dancing black dots in front of your eyes somewhere around the 13th or 14th rep. You could get to this state faster if you held your breath - and you'd probably not be able to pull off more than 3 or 4 reps before it started getting really bad. The reason is pretty simple: You're running out of oxygen!

When squatting, you're engaging in extremely oxygen-consuming work. Your need oxygen to get energy to the muscles. Not so much for the energy ITSELF, but to enable the whole process. It's not unlike a gasoline engine - you need the air for the internal combustion, even though it's mostly the gasoline providing the explosive energy. If you don't take in enough oxygen, you can't utilize enough energy, and you end up running on stored ATP and Creatine. These sources run low in a hurry when you're doing some serious lifting.

Go To Page: 1 2


The copyright of the article Got Squats? in Weight Training is owned by . Permission to republish Got Squats? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Post this Article to facebook Add this Article to del.icio.us! Digg this Article furl this Article Add this Article to Reddit Add this Article to Technorati Add this Article to Newsvine Add this Article to Windows Live Add this Article to Yahoo Add this Article to StumbleUpon Add this Article to BlinkLists Add this Article to Spurl Add this Article to Google Add this Article to Ask Add this Article to Squidoo


Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: View all related messages

3.   Apr 25, 2000 9:18 PM
Thanx for the advice bro..but my abs get worked very well twice a week. I wouldnt think that my problem is with my abs...actually I dont know what it is...all I do know is that I love doing squats bec ...

-- posted by Megamachine


2.   Apr 21, 2000 7:22 PM
I used to have a problem with by erectors hurting so bad after a workout it would wake me up in the middle of the night. Solution? abs. something about the opposing muscles being weaker (I used to rar ...

-- posted by luv2train


1.   Apr 20, 2000 10:12 PM
Recently Ive been having some squat and deadlift problems..so this article was right on schedule.

I dont know why..but Ive been getting real bad spasms in my lower back while squatting...and its ne ...


-- posted by Megamachine





For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Matt Danielson's Weight Training topic, please visit the Discussions page.