WHEN IN DOUBT, SQUAT
WHEN IN DOUBT, SQUAT
The squat is arguably the best driver of overall strength when programmed properly. A heavy squat involves just about every muscle in the body and can be loaded heavily as your strength progresses. The squat shows up weekly in our online programming for that reason. It develops and maintains strength. Why do we care? Strength is the basis of all human movement, and as we age, there is a inverse relationship to strength and all-cause mortality. Stay strong, live long.
Let’s talk about the different variations of the squats.
The Front Squat - It’s a great accessory lift for Olympic Lifters and CrossFitters. It requires a nearly vertical torso to keep the bar over the middle of the foot. This forces the quadriceps to do the main share of the work. The front squat will also expose any limitations you have with shoulder, upper back and ankle flexibility.
The High Bar Back Squat - As Mark Rippetoe of Starting Strength fame would say, this is the “Untrained Squat”. Go in to any big box gym and almost everyone will have the bar on their traps, doing high bar squats. We believe that high squats are great for some people who’s bone structure or flexibility make it difficult for them to Low-Bar Squat. The high bar squat is used by most competitive olympic lifters because like the front squat, it forces a more vertical torso angle. The high bar back squat is a quad dominant squat.
The Low Bar Back Squat - This squat variant places the bar a few inches lower on the back than the high bar squat. Just below the spine of the scapula to be exact. In order to stay balanced (bar over mid foot) in the low bar squat, you must maintain a more horizontal back angle than a high bar squat. This back angle forces more muscular engagement from the hips, adductors, glutes and hamstring than the high bar squat. Of course the quads are still involved since their job is to extend the knee. Even though the low bar squat requires a good coach to learn, we prefer it since it involves more muscle mass than the other squats, and allows us to move heavier loads.
So there you have it. Find a coach or message us for help if you want to find out which squat is right for you!