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I see your Squat is heavier than your Deadlift, are you using a "squat suit" to increase your lifting weight?
Just curious... didn't know if your goal was big powerlifting numbers (e.g. competition) or building raw (unassisted) strength (although your Deadlift number proves you have plenty of raw strength... lol)
Thanks for taking a look at the ScubaFit website. The only exercise shown in the sample workout for divers is the leg press. You have to become a member to see the full workout which includes a wall sit option in lieu of leg press. The squat is the "King of Exercises" but is not appropriate for many individuals.
The leg press (and the hack squat and ram squat) have their place in strength training. Especially when you can handle more weight on the machines to assist in adaptive responses for the free squat.
While squatting competively, my 5 rep max at leg press was 960 pounds. But! This is not appropriate for the average diver. The ScubaFit site is for divers who are getting physically fit for diving, not for strength in itself.
Thanks for taking a look at the ScubaFit website. The only exercise shown in the sample workout for divers is the leg press. You have to become a member to see the full workout which includes a wall sit option in lieu of leg press. The squat is the "King of Exercises" but is not appropriate for many individuals.
The leg press (and the hack squat and ram squat) have their place in strength training. Especially when you can handle more weight on the machines to assist in adaptive responses for the free squat.
While squatting competively, my 5 rep max at leg press was 960 pounds. But! This is not appropriate for the average diver. The ScubaFit site is for divers who are getting physically fit for diving, not for strength in itself.
I am not a personal trainer, coach or anything but for what many individuals would squats not be appropriate? If it's a case of knees, or side to side shearing, what about using a "Smith" or "Jones" machine?
I am not a personal trainer, coach or anything but for what many individuals would squats not be appropriate? If it's a case of knees, or side to side shearing, what about using a "Smith" or "Jones" machine?
Excellent question, though it requires a rather lengthy response, so I'll try to be as brief as possible. We will start by getting more specific and by assuming we are referring to the barbell back squat:
Technique dependent: Are we talking about a sumo squat with low bar, or Olympic Style squat with closer stance and higher bar? If that's so, it all has to do with the individual structure. For instance, individuals with long femurs, short torsos, and short tibias, will have a HARD time achieving anything close to parallel on their own means if attempting an Olympic Style, High Bar Squat. Their builts keep their centers of gravity posterior in relation to their position in the squat during the descending portion. Most attempt to overcome this by flexing the torsos or shifting weight to the balls of their feet.
This can be easily remedied by providing an artifical increase of shin length which shifts the leverage to the favor of the lifter (as in a weightlifting shoe). Or the lifter can switch to sumo stance for which his build is favorable. Many of such people were repeteadly told by "experts" they lacked flexibility or other cockamamie, and no matter what they tried, they never saw success. It is always imperative to adjust the exercise to suit the individual and not the other way around.
Individual Pathology: The barbell back as squat is an exercise that involves axial loading. As such, it requires a healthy trunk structure capable of distributing the axial loading evenly and efficiently. In general, the barbell back squat would be contraindicated for individuals with the following conditions:
Disc Extrusion
Congenital Scoliosis
Spondylosis
Spondylolisthesis
Candidates for Vertebroplasty
Cases of remarkable upper cross sysndrome
Advanced cases of rotator cuff injuries, the most common involving the supraspinatus.
Chronic Patellar tendonitis
SI Joint disorders
Ultimately, it boils down to individualizing the application of the exercise, weighing-in the risk vs. rewards, and more important than anything, making sure it helps the individual achieve both short and long term goals.
As to the knee issues, are we referring to the common buckling of the knees or are there any other issues?
The "buckling of the knees" has dozens of reasons and one must asses carefully before coming to conclusions. The individual could be flat-footed, or have issues in the subtalar joint, or a leg length discrepancy issue, or hypertonicy in one or several soft tissues involved in adduction of the hip joint, or present hypertonicity at the illiacus, or simply be wearing the wrong shoes (as in running shoes).
It has become quite popular for many to say that "the glutes are not firing" but more from repeating what it is being said at seminars rather than logical and objective conclusions. Considering that there are 3 gluteus muscles and 6 deep short rotators of the hip, unless an EMG or specific palpation techniques are conducted, just saying "the glutes are not firing" turns into an exercise of verbal regurgitation rather than a logical conclusion.
The ScubaFit FitDiver Endurance and FitDiver Accomplished workouts include the squat - in various forms - it is just not one of the sample exercises shown for free.
One of the best ways to begin teaching or learning the squat is without weight. Some exercise enthusiasts may perform squats without weight for the rest of their lives. Progressions may also be made toward dumb bell squats, split squats, may be done on any kind of equipment if proper form is used. A Smith squat is very different than a free squat.
Everybody has different goals, different bodies, different interests (some people may not enjoy the squat - it is an individual decision, especially in a self-paced program) and different injuries or rehabilitations.
A broad view of weight training considers all types of exercises, all types of people, all levels of health, and logistics of the training facility and equipment toward a well-defined, but often multi-faceted goal (s). Including working out at home and one's budget.
Although, I once believed it, it is simply not possible to state that any exercise is ideally good for everyone. "The workout has no meaning or purpose without the client." Just when you think you've seen it all, the exception will appear.
Thanks for for your response and questions - love the discussion.
Excellent question, though it requires a rather lengthy response, so I'll try to be as brief as possible. We will start by getting more specific and by assuming we are referring to the barbell back squat:
Technique dependent: Are we talking about a sumo squat with low bar, or Olympic Style squat with closer stance and higher bar? If that's so, it all has to do with the individual structure. For instance, individuals with long femurs, short torsos, and short tibias, will have a HARD time achieving anything close to parallel on their own means if attempting an Olympic Style, High Bar Squat. Their builts keep their centers of gravity posterior in relation to their position in the squat during the descending portion. Most attempt to overcome this by flexing the torsos or shifting weight to the balls of their feet.
This can be easily remedied by providing an artifical increase of shin length which shifts the leverage to the favor of the lifter (as in a weightlifting shoe). Or the lifter can switch to sumo stance for which his build is favorable. Many of such people were repeteadly told by "experts" they lacked flexibility or other cockamamie, and no matter what they tried, they never saw success. It is always imperative to adjust the exercise to suit the individual and not the other way around.
Individual Pathology: The barbell back as squat is an exercise that involves axial loading. As such, it requires a healthy trunk structure capable of distributing the axial loading evenly and efficiently. In general, the barbell back squat would be contraindicated for individuals with the following conditions:
Disc Extrusion
Congenital Scoliosis
Spondylosis
Spondylolisthesis
Candidates for Vertebroplasty
Cases of remarkable upper cross sysndrome
Advanced cases of rotator cuff injuries, the most common involving the supraspinatus.
Chronic Patellar tendonitis
SI Joint disorders
Ultimately, it boils down to individualizing the application of the exercise, weighing-in the risk vs. rewards, and more important than anything, making sure it helps the individual achieve both short and long term goals.
As to the knee issues, are we referring to the common buckling of the knees or are there any other issues?
The "buckling of the knees" has dozens of reasons and one must asses carefully before coming to conclusions. The individual could be flat-footed, or have issues in the subtalar joint, or a leg length discrepancy issue, or hypertonicy in one or several soft tissues involved in adduction of the hip joint, or present hypertonicity at the illiacus, or simply be wearing the wrong shoes (as in running shoes).
It has become quite popular for many to say that "the glutes are not firing" but more from repeating what it is being said at seminars rather than logical and objective conclusions. Considering that there are 3 gluteus muscles and 6 deep short rotators of the hip, unless an EMG or specific palpation techniques are conducted, just saying "the glutes are not firing" turns into an exercise of verbal regurgitation rather than a logical conclusion.
The key words in his opening statement.... "as possible"
LOL! "as possible" is correct Bob! That was at least 30 pages worth of material condensed. Remember I say is a rather lengthy topic, so in relative terms, it is brief
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