THE THREE CONVENTIONAL METHODS OF SQUATTING Frederick C. Hatfield, Ph.D. Dr Squat Despite the inherent problems with squatting, all of us have for years put up with them. We squat no matter what, because, it has always been thought of as best to do so. That we've gotten by and made progress with the three conventional squatting techniques mentioned below is due in no small measure to the fact that squats are a necessary part of our training. It's what we do. Powerlifting Squats (wide, intermediate or narrow stance): The distinguishing characteristic of this squatting technique is that the hip angle is acute and the knee is kept close to a right angle. The knees remain over the feet. This places the load on the gluteals and hamstrings, enabling greater loads to me moved. The danger is the shear placed on the lumbar spine, so great erector spinae strength must be developed prior to attempting this technique with heavy weights. Olympic Squats (also called "High Bar Squats" or "Bodybuilding Squats"): Olympic lifters trained this way many years ago, and bodybuilders favor it because the brunt of the load is caried by the quads. Bodybuilders claim that squatting this way "prevents" getting overly-developed gluteals. The hip is at a right angle and the knees are acutely flexed, placing great shear on the knees. Athlete's Squats: If you're going to squat for fitness or sports, and do not have a safety squat bar, this is the safest way to go. Below is a detailed description of the proper technique. Bear in mind that shear at both the knees and at the lumbar spine is still present, though far less than in the powerlifting or Olympic styles of squatting. ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF SQUATTING Here are a few leg exercises (including some techniques I've developed over the years). Some may provide both protection from and ways around knee injuries. Others, however, are merely alternatives to squatting, with little justification or with little in the way of added benefit beyond what squatting affords. Still others are downright dangerous and should be avoided. Safety Squats: The "safety squat bar" (sometimes called the "Hatfield Bar") is, in my opinion, the safest method of squatting because the shear on knees and low back are reduced significantly. The accompanying sidebar compares safety squats with the conventional methods of squatting. Leg Extensions and Leg Curls: These two exercises are favorites of bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts. While they may be "OK" for them, they are decidedly useless for otherwise healthy athletes. Eliminate them >from your training except during times when, due to injury, they're the only movements you can perform safely and pain-free. Further, most therapists nowadays recognize that unloaded movements such as the leg extension places great shear on the knee joint, and is potentially dangerous, particularly the lower half of the movement. Lunge Squats: There are many variations to the squat movement. One extremely important one is the "lunge" squat. Lunge squats can be done to the left, right or forward, placing the weight on the lead leg. The quad muscles of the lead leg are targeted with both front and side lunges. Side lunges also target the groin muscles (especially the adductor gracilis of the opposite leg). Careful though! Advancing in a forward direction into the lunge position places tremendous shear on the knee joint! It's best to lower into the position insterad of "lunging" into it. Twisting Squats: From a front lunge position, you can "twist" to the opposite side of your lead leg while ascending from the lunge position. This is an exercise which I had originally developed for athletes like down-linemen or shot putters who are required to explode laterally while twisting upwards out of a lunge or squat position. Bodybuilders and all other athletes benefit too, in that fuller leg development is achieved in the sartorius and adductor muscles of the upper leg. "Twisting squats," as they're called, require a special harness to wear on your chest and shoulders to hold the short bar in place. DO NOT attempt to do twisting squats with a long bar, or with the bar placed on your shoulders! Loss of control in this exercise can mean groin, knee and low back injury. Also, remember that torque shear forces within the knee must be held to a minimum through careful, controlled movement. Hack Squats and Leg Presses: Hack squat machines and leg press machines of all varieties come in handy if 1) you haven't learned how to do squats properly yet, 2) you don't have a safety squat bar, 3) you don't have a spotter to help you do squats, or 4) if your back is tired or injured and you can't do regular squats. At best, they're poor substitutes for conventional or safety squats, especially due to the fact that destructive shear forces in the knee can be as much as 30 percent higher than with conventional techniques. This caution also applies to Sissy Squats, Front Squats and Overhead Squats (also called snatch grip squats). Smith Machine Squats: Assuming that the machine is bolted to the floor (most are not) and has a safety device (most do not), it's a pretty safe alternative to conventional or safety squats. since he same technique rules apply to Smith squats as apply to safety squats. The effect is derived from the fact that you're actually "leaning" against the bar, thereby minimizing shear forces in the lower back. However, shear on the knees is still considerable. Beware! Partial Squats: Contrary to popular belief, squatting above the parallel position -- knees at approximately 90 degrees flexion -- is actually more dangerous that going to parallel or below. There are two reasons for this. When you look at the structure of the knee, you'll note that at about 90 degrees flexion, the tibia's sloped shape allows it to shear upwards and over the femur. This causes a lot of compressive force against the patella, and pulls forcefully against the posterior cruciate ligament. These potentially destructive forces become significantly less as you descend further into the squat postion, largely due to the fact that the tibia's surface isn't as sloped posteriorly, where it articulates with the femur. The second reason is that, because of better leverage while doing partials, you're obliged to use a far heavier weight in order to gain any sort of adaptive overload on the muscles involved -- dangerous to the entire shoulder girdle, neck, low back and knees. Heel or Block Squats: The practice of putting a block of wood under your heels is widespread among bodybuilders in order to gain better isolation of the quads while squatting. The problem is that your knees go way out over your feet, placing great shear and compression on both the cartialge and ligaments of the knee. This allpies to Olympic or Athlete squats, but not to powerlifting squats where a conscious effort is made to keep your knees above your feet. As a powerlifter, I used 2 inch heel inserts in order to reduce the time it took me to get my hips back under the weight during the ascent. This practice gave me at least a 5 percent advantage in weight hoisted. PROPER TECHNIQUE FOR THE ATHLETE'S SQUAT Position the bar on the squat racks at a height approximately three to five inches lower than your shoulders.Check your equipment -- weight even on both sides? Collars in place? Spotter rails adjusted? Is the area free of loose plates and debris?A recommended way to evenly disperse the weight across your shoulder girdle is through the use of a Manta Ray (TM), a neat little device which clips onto the bar. This recommendation is made because the bar alone can cause discomfort or injury when sitting atop your 7th cervical vertebra. With at least two spotters standing by (NEVER only one spotter), position your hands evenly on the bar and, with your feet squarely under the bar, lift it from the rack with the legs. Step back just enough to avoid bumping the rack during the exercise, and position your feet at a comfortable width -- this is called the "athletic stance," where your force output capability is at its maximum -- usually a bit more than shoulder width). Your weight should remain centered over the back half of your feet throughout the descent and ascent, not on your toes. Descend with control into a position where the tops of your thighs are about parallel with the floor, keeping your torso and back erect so that your hips remain under the bar at all times. Do NOT allow your hips to drift backward, your knees to drift inward or out beyond your toes, or your torso to incline forward. A check on proper position is to ensure that the angles formed at the knee joint and hip joint are close to being equal. (By contrast, powerlifters almost always have more of an agle at the hips, and close to a right angle at the knees.) You should go to a depth necessary to stimulate maximum quadriceps and gluteal contraction, but not so deep that 1) your knees are traumatized, or 2) hyperflexion of your lumbar spine exposes you to serious back injury. Descend to a depth where your thighs are approximately parallel to the floor. Vigorously rise out of the squat position following the same path that you descended -- the torso and back remain erect and the hips remain under the bar throughout the ascent. As your leverage improves throughout your ascent, accelerate the bar, always bearing upwards against the weight with maximum force. Slow down just short of lockout in order to eliminate unnecessary ballistics. Repeat the squat movement for the required number of reps. The use of supportive devices such as power, suits, wraps and belts is not advised except in cases where the weight is extremely heavy. This is so your body receives adaptive stress instead of your gear. Your gear will rob you of this elemental benefit of squatting. When returning the bar to the rack, have the two spotters carefully guide you in, being sure that your hands are not in the way of the racks. Your fatigued state has diminished your control over the heavy weight, so exercise caution in the return to the racks.