To Squat or Not? That is the question...sort of

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JustJoe

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Hello. OK, Ive been doing squats for about...oh 5,maybe 6 months. I started out HATING them. Slowly Im learning to...uh...appreciate. My Question is, I originally learned "how to squat" from reading stuff in here...youtube vids, and good ole fashioned hard work. I at first tried the "powerlifting" type squat where you sit way back,low bar, etc. Ive always found this awkward. Ive also fumbled with the more "olympic" type squat where my feet are closer, high bar, etc. So, to get to my REAL question, considering its more important for my body to "get strong" and maintain athleticism( in this case ive gotta GET IT first) do you who are much more knowledgable than I know if it would be a BAD idea to lose the powerlifting squat and focus on the other type? I am still a beginner, and have SO much to learn, but its my understanding that the "powerlifting" squats main purpose is to move the most weight, while the other type im thinking of is better overall for your body. Am i making ANY sense at all? At the risk of getting fruit thrown at me, should i try to rephrase??? Please be gentle.:icon_chee
 
Learn both, experiment with both, eventually you will sort of figure out which path to go based on your build and training objectives.
 
ok...so it sounds like it wouldnt be a mistake to follow my instincts and not "sit back...waay back".. Thank you, Keith.
 
You know,

I have learned many thing from a lot of people over the years ( some more than others) but I always paid special attention to people who I shared a very similar build with.
 
I've tried both and personally right now I like olympic style squats. I'm not flexible enough to do powerlifting style, but I hope to eventually be able to do them.
 
Squat till you drop!!

The only way to love em is to do many varieties of the movement so you don't get bored...
 
Hmmm - thought my message went through. Anyway, it is much easier for me to do Olympic style, but for athletic functional strength I prefer the low bar power lifting style. More concentration on the posterior chain and I am quad dominant, I kept doing Olympic style because of the great ROM but when I switched to deep power lifting style I really noticed great improvements in my vertical leap and explosive strength.

Muscle imbalance and weakness is common, it does help to mix it up. When I transitioned into a power lifting style I started out doing deep box squats (much easier on the patellar tendon too) and it helped a ton. I still get my best gains doing power lifting stance because my quads are so damn studly.

A lot of people I notice are quad dominant. You really need to analyze what your weaknesses are and it really does help to do both but concentrate on the area that you're weakest.
 
Hip flexibility really is crucial for low bar style and ankle flexbility more-so for Olympic High-bar.
 
honestly, i hear a lot of quad dominant people but never ham dominanat people.
 
Keep squatting kid....seriously.

I think one of the best progressions is to learn to perfrom a good unweighted squat using no weight. Make sure your technique is perfect.

From there I usually progress people into front squats and overhead squats. These lifts provide the proper background for moving into your classic power movements like cleans, snatches, and jerks.

You don't have to use a ton of weight.....the best athletic results are achieved using moderate weight with higher reps.
 
Keep squatting kid....seriously.

I think one of the best progressions is to learn to perfrom a good unweighted squat using no weight. Make sure your technique is perfect.

From there I usually progress people into front squats and overhead squats. These lifts provide the proper background for moving into your classic power movements like cleans, snatches, and jerks.

You don't have to use a ton of weight.....the best athletic results are achieved using moderate weight with higher reps.
 
Right now I'm doing the Squats and Milk routine (20 reppers 3 times a week), I think I'm addicted to squats. I love them.
 
find a happy medium where you break paralell, like the squats described in Starting Strength.
 
great this thread is making me question my squat form
 
Prodigal Son said:
Hmmm - thought my message went through. Anyway, it is much easier for me to do Olympic style, but for athletic functional strength I prefer the low bar power lifting style. More concentration on the posterior chain and I am quad dominant, I kept doing Olympic style because of the great ROM but when I switched to deep power lifting style I really noticed great improvements in my vertical leap and explosive strength.

Muscle imbalance and weakness is common, it does help to mix it up. When I transitioned into a power lifting style I started out doing deep box squats (much easier on the patellar tendon too) and it helped a ton. I still get my best gains doing power lifting stance because my quads are so damn studly.

A lot of people I notice are quad dominant. You really need to analyze what your weaknesses are and it really does help to do both but concentrate on the area that you're weakest.
Click to expand...

Nice post
 
zop said:
I've tried both and personally right now I like olympic style squats. I'm not flexible enough to do powerlifting style, but I hope to eventually be able to do them.
Click to expand...

I am in the process of making the switch from powerlifting style to olympic style.

My ankle flexibility was nowhere near good enough to squat oly style without falling over, even with light weight or no bar at all. I started doing stretches, and to be honest, yesterday in the gym I felt a million times better than any pl style squat session had made me feel in the past.

Not only that, but I was more consistent and just felt more in control of the weight. You should definitely give every method of squatting you can think of a try, and go with what feels the best to you, though.
 
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