Back Squat Day 3 (5-3-8)

I read this article back in the day by Nick English and I came to the gym saying that “friends don’t let friends squat short” as I wandered around the floor.  I’d like to update and clarify.

Should we go deep?  Depends, right.

First off, the squat is a beautiful and effective movement – It engages the entire lower half of the body, the hips, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves, while also hitting your core, shoulders, and back. It requires significant muscular coordination throughout the entire body (that’s why we are all getting better at it, including me) and it’s a great muscle builder while helping us burn fat because of it’s high metabolic demand.

So how low should you go?

The perfect squat is a deep squat. Think about all those goblet squats we’ve done over the past 2 years. The hip crease can go all the way past the knees, they recruit more muscles, elicit better CNS response, and give us a nice strong butt.  But it’s more complicated than we all think – without a strong neutral core(spine), good shoulder placement and mobility, an engaged back, and high mobility and stability around many of your joints, your potential strength gains lessen while potential injury could arise.

Squatting deep is not bad for the knees – this study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11390050) found there is no difference between partial(70 degrees), parallel, and deep squats(110 degrees) in terms of the impact on the front knee joint. 

The article goes on to say

“…deep squats might actually increase knee stability. Most of the connective tissue in the knee is made up of two ligaments: The anterior and posterior cruciate ligament, also known as the ACL and the PCL. Studies show the forces inside the ACL and PCL decrease the more the knee is bent, meaning the deeper you squat, the less pressure there is inside the knees. It’s also a better way to get stronger. In fact, research has shown that parallel squats with heavy weights are less effective at increasing strength than deep squats with a lighter weight.

Not only is squatting deep safe and effective, but it’s a one-way ticket to a nice, strong booty: Studies show the gluteus maximus is over 25 percent more engaged during deep squats than when squatting parallel.

So long as there’s no history of injuries, “ass to grass” is the way to go. However, if you do have knee issues and mobility issues (butt wink), there’s nothing wrong with parallel squats.

1. Concentrate on mobility.

“Mobility” is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but what does it mean in the context of lifting weights? Physical therapist expert Dr. Mike Reinold defines it as the body’s ability to perform a task without compensation. Ever tried a bicep curl with a weight that’s a little too heavy and found your hips and back bending and swinging? That’s the body compensating for a lack of strength, bless its heart. But when form goes down the drain in an attempt to lift a lot of weight, the body is at greater risk for injury. That’s especially true when it comes to squats.

There’s a huge range of issues that might contribute to poor mobility, but he emphasizes the importance of flexible ankles, hip flexors, and knees. If any part of the squatting motion feels tight, but doesn’t cause any pain, there’s nothing wrong with trying to improve mobility on your own:

“Try lying on your back, bending your legs, and going through a squatting motion. If there’s tightness in a muscle group that keeps the movement from being executed perfectly, that can often be fixed with the right stretches, massage, or a self-myofascial release technique like foam rolling or using a trigger point ball.”

2. Engage your muscles.

After a full body warm-up that includes dynamic stretches, it’s important to remember to engage your muscles as the squat is performed. The heavier the weight, the more important it is that the abs, shoulders, and upper back stay engaged, creating a stable base for the weight. Flex the thighs, squeeze the butt, tense the stomach, and, in the case of back squats, activate the upper back by pulling down on the bar. This helps stabilize the body and keep the body from compensating by making sure that all the right muscles are doing their part.

     The Takeaway

Some people will naturally have better mobility and stability than others. That’s why there’s no one size fits all approach to strength training, and why for some of us, deep squats aren’t on the table. Nonetheless, they’re worth aiming for: Deep squats are an incredibly valuable tool to build strength and lose body fat, and the steps we’ve outlined are holistic—better mobility, posture, strength and flexibility will benefit every aspect of your fitness.”

Now, go improve your squat and get prepared to go deep.  If you have time check out additional reading at schwarzenegger.com on Hacking Your Squat .
TBear

Warm Up:
Two Rounds
2 lengths of Samson Lunge
20 Russian Swings
5 Goblet Squats (w 10 sec hold in hole)
10/10 KB Rows 

Strength: Back Squat – Day 3 (is a push day) – this will repeat every 3 squat days
5×4 Back Squats @ 60,70,80,90%
3 RepMax (@20+lbs/10+lbs on top of your last 90% 5RM)  
1×8@80% of 3RM

Workout: “Upside Down from .com”
For Time Complete (20 min max)
8 to 1 L-Pull-up’s*
1 to 8 HSPU’s
Alternating the exercises down in reps (8,7,6…to 1) from L-Pull-ups*
and up for HSPU’s  (1,2,3,….to 8)

POST Progressions in the notes section of workout tracking.
*(L-Pull Up progression = 1 Strict Pullup and 5sec Seated Static Floor L-Sit/leg raise hold) …so I guess some will have 36 reps of 5 secs (overall 3min of floor L). You can sub 2 or 3 reps at a time if you wish rather than going back and forth.