Squat - O'lifting vs P'lifing and Hip Flexors

[Steven Low]

Well, you're gonna stress them regardless. But you will stress them more if you're not doing it right which is true.

[Robert Callahan]

I see my mistake now. The hip flexors are only stressed in an isometric way when the knees travel forward at the bottom of the squat. Regardless of the kind of squat they are only engaged in a way that will cause soreness if the knees are sliding forward. So they are not actually picking up any of the slack like I said before, as was pointed out that is an anatomical understanding error on my part The rectus femoris is stressed more, but only in its distal function, which is knee extension, not its proximal which is hip flexion.

Bottom line sore hip flexors means something needs fixing in the form, regardless of the type of squat.

-Robert

[Donald Lee]

http://weighttraining.about.com/b/20...r-parallel.htm

Beyond that, there is a common belief that ATG squats are superior to parallel or half squats because the full range of motion promotes balanced and superior muscle and strength development. The implication is that parallel squats don't involve the hamstrings and gluteus (butt) muscles like full squats and therefore you get a muscle strength imbalance between the quadricep muscles at the front of the thigh and the posterior chain, which includes the hamstrings and the glutes. This belief seems to be widespread because it's repeated regularly.

I could find no justification for this position. In studies of muscle activation comparisons between half and full squats, the main hamstring muscle, the biceps femoris, is involved almost equally in full or half squats. The main butt muscle, the gluteus maximus, is involved slightly more in the full squat but full squats are likely to utilize less heavy weights so that any general advantage in muscle or strength development may be minimal for full squats. And somewhat contrary to widespread opinion, the rectus femoris muscle of the front of the thigh -- in one study at least -- got hammered twice as hard in the ATG squat as the parallel squat. Muscle imbalance development with parallel squats is unlikely to be a problem. In this context one could almost argue that full squats are more likely to cause muscle imbalance by emphasizing the rectus femoris compared to the posterior chain.

[Darryl Shaw]

http://strengthmill.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3606

[Patrick Donnelly]

Originally Posted by Donald Lee

http://weighttraining.about.com/b/20...r-parallel.htm

This seems to ignore the existence of deadlifts.

Presses/Pull-ups
Bench Press/Pendlay Row
GHD Sit-up/Back Extension
Maltese/Victorian
Squat/Deadlift

Anyone noticing a pattern here?

[Dave Van Skike]

Originally Posted by Patrick Donnelly

This seems to ignore the existence of deadlifts.

Presses/Pull-ups
Bench Press/Pendlay Row
GHD Sit-up/Back Extension
Maltese/Victorian
Squat/Deadlift

Anyone noticing a pattern here?

the pattern is not as clear as you'd think. heavy bench and heavy rows are big time upper back and shoulders....squat and deads are big ole hip extender excercises, reagardless of style. pull ups and presses are huge back stbilization excercises. the push/pull, front/back thing is not particularly useful in true strenght training.

Rip is the last person to ignore the DL. He's making an argument in favor of the low bar back squat as a replacement for the high bar back squat...personally rip's advice works really well for me...but I'm not an oly lifter and those who are seem tro have good reaosns for the high bar back squat.

WRT DL, anyone who can deadlift with the frequency and high percentages that oly lifters squat with is A) a total rookie or B) not laoding the bar heavy enough. heavy deads are taxing in a way that squatting is not.