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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.