I MAY NOT KNOW DIDDLEY...BUT I KNOW SQUAT!
A PRIMER FOR BEGINNERS IN THE SQUAT
Frederick C. Hatfield, Ph.D., MSS

My youngest son, Beau, has a sign in his room which reads "Beau knows Squat." I like it! Of course, it's a play off the ol' Bo Jackson thing, but I don't care. I know Beau, and I don't know Bo. And, Bo doesn't know Squat! Humor me once more. See, I used to be pretty good at squatting. Eleven hundred pounds ain't a bad squat, no? You might say that I too - ahem - know squat! Okay, okay! I'll spare you. Problem is, the doctors don't care, the coaches don't think, the athletes don't have time, the bodybuilders don't want to know, the sports scientists writing about squatting don't have the in-the-trenches experience to really "know."

And I don't understand why someone just doesn't TELL them why squatting is the one exercise that EVERYONE (bodybuilders, athletes, kids, your mamma) should do. I tried to do it once back in ‘85 with an article in Sports Fitness, a magazine that I launched for Joe Weider. That magazine metamorphosed into what is now known as Men's Fitness. In that ten-year-old article, I wrote about a few myths associated with squatting that seemed persistent back then:

Myth #1: Squats are bad for the knees.
Myth #2: Squats are bad for the spine.
Myth #3: Squats are dangerous to the heart.
Myth #4: Squats slow you down.


Well, these four myths, it seems, are still somewhat alive. However, others have arisen that are even more troublesome. And, you know what? This time, the
sources and perpetuators of the myths are from the ranks of several muscle mags!

Well, it's a tough job, but I'm gonna give it my best shot. I'll tackle these myths - and the old ones - one by one. You pencilnecks out there who disagree with
me (anyone who disagrees with me on the issue of squatting has GOTTA be a pencilneck) on these squat issues, do me a favor. Put up or shut up. Let's see
some science for a change, not just jabberwocky and claptrap.

And, please! Get this once and for all! Marketing fitness to the masses does NOT have to include making it palatable for the newly initiated by saying things like,
"Beginners shouldn't do squats," or any of the other myths listed.

I know better. More importantly, the 42 ladies who participated in a 12 week research project I conducted all LOVED squats. All were chronically obese, 40-70
years old, and none had ever trained before in their lives. My son, Beau - he's six - loves to squat. Every athlete I've ever coached squatted and loved the
outcome. Why is it that elite weightlifters, powerlifters and shot putters - all of whom squat - vertical jump higher and run a 5 meter dash faster than any
other class of athletes in any sport? Including high jumpers and sprinters?

Myth #1: Squats are bad for the knees.

Just as calluses build up on the hands with the application of stress, ligaments, tendons and other connective tissues thicken in response to the stress imposed
upon the joints during weight training. Also, strengthening the muscles that move the knee joint improves its stability, and there's some evidence that even the
portion of the bone into which the tendons insert becomes stronger, further improving the joint's integrity.

Relaxing the muscles while in a rock-bottom position is improper and hazardous. The relaxed muscles allow the knee joint to separate slightly, placing the
ligaments and cartilage under stress that may exceed their tensile strength. While proper stress produces adaptation, overly stressful exercise can cause breakdown
of bodily tissue.

Myth #2: Squats are bad for the spine.

If performed with a relatively straight back, the weight is borne directly over the spinal column, and torque as well as shearing force is minimized. Weight
training is supposed to strengthen the supportive tissues of the body (bones, muscles and connective tissues). So wear a belt when the weight is heavy and reps
are low, but stay away from such supportive devices otherwise.

Beginners often find squats uncomfortable for the neck (the cervical spine) because of the pressure of the bar resting there. You'll get used to it. In the meantime,
it doesn't hurt to pad the bar with a towel or piece of rubber. Me? I prefer the padded yolk of the Safety Squat Bar. Okay, so I'm a whimp! I don't like unnecessary
discomfort!

Myth #3: Squats are dangerous to the heart.

Many weight-training exercises restrict blood flow because of prolonged muscular contraction. The result is elevated blood pressure. The condition isn't
dangerous, and it's temporary. The heart, like every other muscle in the body, responds to stress by adapting to it. In time, the cardiovascular system is
strengthened through weight training.

Squats can sometimes tax the heart to dangerous limits, however. My blood pressure rocketed to 220 over 130 or more during a set of squats. That can be rough
on the ol' ticker if your ticker needs tinkering! People suffering from coronary disease will find heavy squats more taxing than beneficial. In most cases in which
a prior condition existed that would have precluded heavy training, a qualified sports physician could, with careful screening, prevent these kinds of accidents.
All athletes as well as fitness enthusiasts who want to train with weights should see a good sports physician before embarking on a stressful training program.

Myth #4: Squats slow you down.

It's well-known among exercise physiologists that the stronger the muscle is, the faster it contracts, particularly against resistance. An athlete's running and
jumping ability can only be enhanced through the development of great leg strength.

There. That takes care of the old myths that I wrote about a decade ago. Look back, and you'll see that very little has changed in my rebuttals to these early
myths. Some science is as good today as it was yesterday.

Here are some of the more recent opinions I read and hear about squats. The funny thing is that many of them contradict one another! At least ten years
ago, perpetuators of myths were together in their belief that squats were bad for you. Nowadays, there are so many new "chiefs" (self-proclaimed gurus who, in
fact, aren't qualified or well-informed enough to hold an opinion on much of anything, let alone squatting!) that one wonders where all the Indians went!

New Myth #1: Only powerlifters need to do squats.

There are many forms of squatting, each having unique benefits and applications. The powerlifting style of squatting is the best way to lift limit tonnage. It's also
the most dangerous, because of the immense shearing forces placed on the lumbar spine. For your information, though, it's only dangerous for those powerlifters
who never learned how to periodize their training. The ONLY time I ever did powerlifting-style squats was right before a competition (6-8 weeks out).
Otherwise, I did several of the other varieties of squats, depending upon where I was in my cycle, and what my training objectives were at the time.

Here are the noteworthy variations to the squat movement that have been employed over the years:

• Powerlifting Squats (wide, intermediate or narrow stance)
  
• Olympic Squats (also called "High Bar Squats" or "Bodybuilding Squats")
  
• Safety Squats
  
• Twisting Squats
  
• Lunge Squats
  
• Side Lunge Squats
  
• Partial Squats
  
• Box Squats
  
• Jefferson Squats
  
• Hack Squats (with barbell or machine)
  
• Leg Presses (angle of weight ascent ranging from 0 degrees to 90 degrees)
  
• Overhead Squats (also called snatch grip squats)
  
• Magic Circle Squats (also called Raider squats)
  
• Sissy Squats
  
• Front Squats
  
• Platform Squats
  
• Zane Squats
  
• Platz Squats (Olympic squats done with a bent bar)
  
• Bear Squats
  
• Front Harness Squats
  
• True Squats
  

All are good, all have their unique benefits, and at least one or two should ALWAYS be incorporated into all mesocycles of your leg training regimen, regardless
of whether you're just an average Mrs. Jones looking for fitness or Quadzilla. It just depends upon what your objectives are.

New Myth #2: Since no athlete in any sport moves vertically up and down with a load on their shoulders, there's no reason for athletes ever to do squats.

They're just not sport-specific.

Good observation, although not entirely logical. Any good strength coach knows that there is a general movement away from general movements to more specific
movements as the competition season gets nearer and nearer. Straight up-and-down squats are done in the off-season. They give way to lunge squats, side lunge
squats, Bear squats and finally the ultimate form of squatting for most athletes - twisting squats.

Didn't know that? It doesn't surprise me. You don't know squat!

New Myth #3: Bodybuilders will get bigger, more cut quads with leg extensions, and they'll get bigger, more cut hams with leg curls. So they don't need
squats.

I recognize the need for other leg exercises in a bodybuilders routine. Leg curls and leg extensions are great, but don't get the idea that they are how bodybuilders
get cuts! DIET provides the cuts. As for squatting, well, let me give you words of wisdom from Jeff MADDOG Madden, the ISSA-certified strength coach for
the University of North Carolina.

Down the road, in a gym far away
A young man was heard to say,
"No matter what I do, my legs won't grow!
He tried leg extensions, leg curls, leg presses too.
Trying to cheat, these sissy workouts he'd do!
From the corner of the gym where the big guys train,
Through a cloud of chalk and the midst of pain,
Where the big iron rides high, and threaten lives,
Where the noise is made with big forty-fives,
A deep voice bellowed as he wrapped his knees,
A very big man with legs like trees,
Laughing as he snatched another plate from the stack,
Chalked his hands and monstrous back,
Said, "Boy, stop lying and don't say you've forgotten!
Trouble with you is you ain't been SQUATTIN'!

‘Nuff said.

New Myth #4: The ONLY way to get big legs is to squat.

Squatting provides the greatest amount of adaptive stress to the greatest number of major muscles in the upper leg. That simply means more bang for the buck.
More effect for the effort. But don't get the idea that squatting is all you have to do to get big legs!

There are many other exercises (listed already) that are necessary, but they're to be regarded as auxiliary to squatting! Why? Read Maddog's poem again!

New Myth #5: Narrow stance for the vastus lateralis sweep

While the inner and outer quads are activated via separate neural input, they function as a single unit for most intents because 1) the origin points of 3 of the quads
are so close together, 2) they share a common insertion and 3) the quads span such a long bone. There may be a bit of differentiation possible through foot
placement, but not so much that overall size takes a back seat to whatever meager shape changes you can effect.

Get big, and hope that the good Lord, in his infinite wisdom, gave you the genes necessary to have that pleasing "sweep" bodybuilders favor.

New Myth #6: Squats will give you a broad butt.

First, re-read my response to New Myth #5. Add to that bit of wisdom the fact that gluteal development is more often a genetic thing. Look at Tom Platz! No
hammer there! Lots of guys and gals squat without getting big butts. Wide, intermediate or narrow, it doesn't really make that much difference.

On the other hand, no advantage is ever gained by going real wide (beyond, say, 24-36 inches wide) for anyone other than powerlifters. So keep your stance
somewhere inside 24 inches or so, and you'll do great.

New Myth #7: Hack squat machines, Smith machines, leg press machines and the amazing plethora of other leg machines the past 30 years have witnessed are
all safer than squats, and just as effective. So why even bother with the old fashioned squat?

Folks, squint your eyes and watch as someone does hack squats. Likewise for leg presses. Tell me what you see! Visualize that person standing on the floor and
doing the precise same movement with the precise same body position. What do you see?

An unbelievably funky lookin' squat that isn't much good for much of anything.

Now, that's not to say that while in the machine (instead of standing on the floor doing the same movement) it's a worthless exercise! Hack squats have value. So
do sissy squats. So do leg presses. Most you us who live in the trench know them all. But don't tell me that they can take the place of squats! They are to be
considered auxiliary to squats. Only during injury are they ever to be considered replacements for squats.