DE squat question?

[Chris H Laing]

Are dynamic effort squats only useful if you use the low bar squat?

Is there another version of the box squat for a hb squat?

[Gavin Harrison]

If you're not training for geared powerlifting, just don't sit way way back onto the box like some people say you should. Just squat like you normally would to the box, stop, and squat back up. Use whatever depth box you want, as long as it's bellow parallel.

[Greg Everett]

The only reason you need a box for a PL squat is because at the "bottom", you're still hovering in the air. It's the only way to remove tension so you can come out of the bottom from a dead stop.

With an ol squat, you're sitting in on your own legs - so you can do a pause or dead stop squat without a box. just squat to the bottom, hang out for a moment, and come out. Granted, you can't actually relax the legs entirely, but close enough - just like in a box squat, you can't just relax the torso, etc. - you still have to stay tight.

You can slip a small box in there, but it will need to be pretty low and small enough to not force a change in stance or where your ass needs to travel.

[Garrett Smith]

Originally Posted by Chris H Laing

Are dynamic effort squats only useful if you use the low bar squat?

Is there another version of the box squat for a hb squat?

In my original OL program from Matt Foreman, there were "stop squats", back squats done with a full second pause at the bottom position, as Greg was describing. I believe they were done for sets of 3 at a weight about 10-15kg lighter than normal back squats.

[Dave Van Skike]

Why do you want to do DE squats? the why will get you to the how.

If you're not an Oly lifter, use a box but if you're not a geared squatter with all your work sets at or above double bodyweight, I doubt you'll get much from them for a while.

I use them as an active recovery thing with chains or bands, because they are fun, and because they help me work my stance a little wider, I do them to a medium box just barely below parallel with super wide stance, this is really an explosive hip lift. if you do super low box at first this will make it less likely you're moving fast. and if you use a really low box, what you're doing will be more like a pause squat as Garret and Greg are describing above. these are different tools. Pause squats at or below parallel are great for raw lifters

FWIW, DE squats have not helped my squat, but with a safety squat bar they have helped my deadlift lockout even in a super wide foot postion.

[Chris H Laing]

Thanks for all the replies guys. The stop squats sound like a pretty good idea.

Originally Posted by Dave Van Skike

Why do you want to do DE squats? the why will get you to the how.

I was just wondering about DE squats because I've been squatting 3x5 sets across 3 days a week (very SS like) and finding it very hard to recover from. This week I switched to progressive sets instead, and I think it'll work fine. Eventually, when I'm squatting much heavier than I am right now, I will try to throw some of these in and see if they are effective, but I dont think I'd get much out of them now because I'm still a weak squatter.

[Dave Van Skike]

here's a thing you could try,

warm up as usual then do 3 sets of 2 with about 40-50% as dynamically as possible off a medium box,

then do one more set of regular squats with the same weight to acclimate yourself,

then hit your work sets.

I've don this isn teh past just to get used to workign off a box with a widerstance, the added DE sets didn't take away from the work sets.

[Arien Malec]

Originally Posted by Chris H Laing

I was just wondering about DE squats because I've been squatting 3x5 sets across 3 days a week (very SS like) and finding it very hard to recover from.

From your sig line, you are 140lbs at 5'9". Eat more.

[Chris H Laing]

Dave I might try that. Seems like a good way to get used to DE before devoting whole training days to them.

Arien...I'm working on it

[Arien Malec]

Originally Posted by Chris H Laing

Arien...I'm working on it

Number one cause of recovery problems is not eating a ton.