MUSCLE-FITNESS.COM 3

TRAINING

THIGHS THE LIMIT

Don’t know squat about whichleg exercise is best? Here’s the

book on what experts call thesingle best thigh-builder

BY BILL GEIGER, MA | PHOTOS BY JOAQUIN PALTING

THERE’S NO SINGLE

exercise that generates asmuch debate as the squat.Either you swear by it asthe single best bodybuild-ing move ever or, likesome squat-averse liftersin the gym, you can listseveral other leg exercisesthat are just as good andmuch safer. But are theytruly as effective? Doessquatting damage yourknees? Is the squat reallythe king of leg exercises?And how do eight squatvariations rank in termsof building thigh mass?It’s time to look at theevidence.

MUSCLE-FITNESS.COM 54 MUSCLE & FITNESS March 2007

HEADER HINEEDS NEW SUBHEAD RIGHT HERE

NEEDS NEW SUBHEAD RIGHT HERE

BODY POSITION

“How you hold your torso

is critical,” Waxman says.

“Take a big chest breath, which

means raise your chest and keep it

there. Once you’ve taken that breath,

clamp down on your belly button to

activate the deep muscles of the abs

and hips; this keeps the hips stable.

Maintain that posture throughout

the range of motion.”

STANCE

Although foot position and

stance aren’t going to be the

same for everyone, “In general, place

your feet a little wider than shoulder-

width apart with your toes pointed

slightly outward,” Waxman says. This

provides a stable and powerful base.

“This allows the knees to track over

the toes as you descend.”

HEAD POSITION

“Keep your head up and eyes

focused forward throughout

the move — you don’t want to put your

spine in an unusual position when it’s

loaded with weight. Looking down

BEFORE YOU START>> Warm up thoroughly. This should

include 5–10 minutes of cardio as well

as an active warm-up, which can

include some simple exercises to

warm up not only the muscles, joints

and connective tissue of the lower

body but the upper body as well.

>> Position the bar on the squat rack

approximately 3–5 inches below your

shoulders.

>> Make sure the area is clear of loose

plates and debris, and that collars

securely hold an equal amount of

weight on both sides of the bar.

>> Place your hands evenly on the bar,

equidistant from the center. “Start at

the marks of the bar and work your

way in or out depending on comfort,”

Waxman says. “If you have tight shoul-

ders, you won’t be able to grip close on

the bar. I personally have better con-

trol and activation of the upper body

with my hands in close.” Wrap your

thumbs around the bar for safety.

>> Position yourself squarely under

the bar so it rests on top of your traps

but not on the cervical spine. “One of

the biggest mistakes people make is

setting themselves up unevenly under

the bar. Position the bar so that your

shoulders, hips and ankles are directly

under it,” advises Waxman. “If you

don’t have well-developed traps and

the bar rubs against your spine, bring

your hands closer, which gives you

more area for the bar to rest on, or

use a pad or towel.” At this point, your

elbows should point down, not back.

>> Stand straight up, and take a step

1

2

3

GLUTEUS MAXIMUS

(hip extensors) — help con-trol the descent but reallykick in when exploding outof the bottom position.They also help to maintainthigh position as you squat.

QUADRACEPS

(knee extensors) generate the mostpower as you go from a deep squat position to standing erect.

HAMSTRINGS

(hip extensors and kneeflexors) —contract stronglyto control the rate of descent;they also aid in hip extensionas you rise.

ERECTOR SPINAE

work hard to maintainproper body posture,especially in your lowback and hips.

ADDUCTORS

act as powerful stabilizers during the squat

6 MUSCLE & FITNESS March 2007 MUSCLE-FITNESS.COM 7

GETTING THESQUAT RIGHT

1 HIPS UNLOCK FIRST

The first thing you want to do

is bend your hips. Act as if

you’re going to sit in a chair.

When you lower yourself,

your hips should go backward,

which keeps the weight on

your heels and pushes your

center of gravity backward

a bit. [Your hips remain under

the bar at all times.] This also

keeps the knees back and in

line with the toes. Keep your

torso as upright as possible.

Your chest should face the

wall, not the floor.

2 ALL LINED UP

The ankles, knees and hips

should line up at all times to

ensure an ideal line of force

and reduce unwanted stress

on the knees and hips. Many

times, weak glutes or tight

adductors will cause

wobbling in which the knees

buckle inward.

3 FEET FLAT

Keep your weight centered

over the back half of your feet,

not your toes. “If your weight is

shifting backward as it should,

it’s very difficult to go up on

your toes,” Waxman says.

4 KNEES BACK

As you sink back slowly,

your knees should remain

behind an imaginary line that

extends up from your toes to

minimize stress on the joints

and surrounding connective

tissue. The farther the knees

pass over the toes, the

greater the stress.

5 AT THE BOTTOM

Once you reach the bottom

position, reverse direction

smoothly; don’t bounce out

of it. “Think about pushing

through the floor with your

whole foot, and drive through

your heels until you reach

the top,” Waxman says.

6 WATCH YOUR SPEED

Be explosive on the ascent,

accelerating out of the

bottom, but keep the bar

under control so it doesn’t

come off your shoulders. As

a general rule, Waxman

suggests three seconds

down, two seconds up. When

first learning the exercise, go

slowly to ensure you master

the various components.

7 ON THE RISE

As you stand up and flex

your glutes to drive your

hips forward, your hips and

shoulders must rise at the

same speed.

8 WAITING TO EXHALE

Hold your breath from the

start position until you’re

about two-thirds of the way

up, especially when using

heavy poundages. “Your lungs

are essentially balloons that

take up more space in the

chest cavity when inflated and

act as a pneumatic brace for

the spine — a built-in belt of

sorts,” states Waxman.

9 BACK AT THE START

Your legs are straight but

your knees are unlocked in

the top position. Take 1–3 deep

breaths and go into your next

rep. tktktktktktThe common back squat, also called the high-bar squat, requires you to learn

a number of points. Getting them right on each and every rep will help ensure

good form down the road and keep you injury-free. Perfecting the basic squat

makes it easier to perform the variations.

increases rounding of the back and

forces your shoulders forward,” Wax-

man warns. In fact, one study showed

that gazing down increased the for-

ward bend at the hips by more than

8% and forward flexion of the spine by

about 2%.

KEEP YOUR LOW

BACK ARCHED

Keep your low back flexed and

locked in its natural arch. Your back

has a natural S shape that you must

maintain while squatting, both to pro-

tect your spine and because maintain-

ing it is more efficient for transferring

power. You never want to flatten or

round your back, which puts stress on

4

>> For a long time, it was

believed deep squats weren’t

good for the knees. Waxman

says that over the past

decade, however, research

shows no difference (on the

knees) between the parallel

squat and full squat.

At the very least, descend

to a quads-parallel-to-the-

floor position.

In terms of muscular

activation, that extra couple of

inches works the glutes and

hamstrings more strongly and

increases torso stimulation.

“To be able to hold that upright

posture in such a low position

really forces your back and

abs to fire. Quite frankly, the

biggest limitation for most

people who squat isn’t their

legs but their torso. It’s ulti-

mately up to the person’s flexi-

bility, as well as their torso

stability.” In addition, tall indi-

viduals who have a higher cen-

ter of gravity, requiring them

to bend excessively at the

knees and/or waist to keep

their balance, might have

difficulty going past the

90-degree knee position.

NEEDS NEW SUBHEAD HERE

NEEDS NEW SUBHEAD HERE

NEEDS NEW SUBHEAD HERE

QUESTIONOF DEPTH

8 MUSCLE & FITNESS Month 2005

Among those in the know, there’s noquestion: “The squat is unparalleled forincreasing the strength and stability ofthe entire body, not just the legs,” saysSean Waxman, CSCS. The formerTeam USA superheavyweightOlympic lifter, strength coach to pro-fessional and college sports teams, anduniversity lecturer says the squat doesseveral things no other leg exercise can.>> Strengthens connective tissue.

“By training in a full range of motion,you increase two components of con-nective tissue: collagen, which is thestructural support of ligaments andtendons; and elastin, which aids inflexibility,” Waxman remarks.>> Supports knee health. “Researchhas found that with anterior cruciateligament (ACL) rehabs, squatting acti-vates all the muscles of the ankles,knees and hips, causing a sort of braceto form around the knees,” he states.“This co-contraction isn’t found inpartial moves, and it actually providesa barrier for the knee and keeps themstable — something you don’t get withother leg exercises.”>> Increases power output. Waxmannotes that besides the other Olympicmoves (snatch and clean and jerk), thesquat offers the highest power output,meaning it activates the most musclein the body. “There’s a lot of workgoing on to produce this kind of power.It takes all these muscles workingtogether to produce the kind of poweryou need for a maximum squat. That’swhy you can’t beat the squat for a leg oroverall strength exercise.”>> Builds muscle. Waxman, who hassquatted 660 pounds at a bodyweightof 245 pounds without the aid of a suitor wraps, argues that ditching thesquat in favor of other leg moveswould be a very inefficient way tobuild muscle mass. “You’d have to iso-late every muscle in the leg,” he pointsout. “But when done properly, thesquat will hit every muscle in thelower body as well as the torso andwill develop them evenly and equally.You won’t develop the imbalances thatinevitably happen when you try to iso-late every muscle of the leg. For some-one who’s looking to build the mass

COMPARES TO SQUAT | “This is a great exercise,” says Waxman. “The front

squat will give you a little more torso work than the back squat because you

really have to work to stay upright. It also stresses more of the quads

because you’re so upright, with less hip involvement. This is a great torso

strengthener.”

GET IT RIGHT | The bar should rest at the base of your fingers high on your

chest with your elbows pointed to the front. If this is uncomfortable, cross

your arms to hold the bar high on your deltoids so it doesn’t roll off. It can be

tough, however, to keep your elbows high as you fatigue.

BODYBUILDING TIP | Although you could try a Smith machine to help you get

a feel for the move, quickly switch over to free weights to avoid the problems

associated with the Smith machine.

SQUATTINGALTERNATIVESThe high-bar squat is the big daddy of all squats. In fact, it’s one of the big three

strength moves (the other two being the bench press and deadlift) that you

should master as the benchmark for your progress. But you can also work

seven other types of squats into your routine. Each has its own pros and cons

FRONT SQUAT

9 MUSCLE & FITNESS Month 2005

and density that most bodybuilders arelooking for, there’s nothing better thanthe squat.”

THE ART OF THE SQUAT

In its simplest form, the squat is basi-cally a deep knee bend with weightatop your shoulders. In reality, thesquat and its many variations are any-thing but simple. Few exercises workas many major muscle groups as thor-oughly or with greater intensity.Because of the amount of muscle massthey activate, squats burn more calo-ries than any other bodybuilding exer-cise, stimulating your cardiovascularsystem like no other. In fact, one studyshowed that the squat burned almost50% more calories than the leg press.1

Given the squat’s undisputed value,it’s smart to think of squatting as anart form at which you must work hardto perfect your technique. The basicsquat isn’t difficult to master, Wax-man says. He suggests beginners findan experienced weightlifter or body-

COMPARES TO SQUAT | It’s difficult to really overload the muscles with this

move, so you can do it toward the end of your workout. It emphasizes the

quads but can overstress the knees.

GET IT RIGHT | Grasp a rigid support for balance, let your knees bend and

extend out in front of you and lean back as your torso descends. As your knees

come forward, your heels will come off the floor as you rise onto your toes. At

the bottom, simultaneously push through your feet and drive your hips for-

ward and up.

BODYBUILDING TIP |Try this move holding a weight plate across your chest,

and ditch the plate when you hit failure to get a few more reps.

SISSY SQUAT

COMPARES TO SQUAT | This machine

move attempts to mimic the standing

squat but from a lying position; it pro-

vides an alternative if you can’t squat

for whatever reason. One advantage:

You don’t have to support the weight

on your shoulders. It requires fewer

stabilizer muscles (like other machine

moves) and allows for some variety of

foot position to target the thighs from

slightly different angles.

GET IT RIGHT | Keep your torso/hips

against the backpad at all times,

especially as you push through your

feet. Waxman warns against going

too low, which may cause the lower

back to round.

BODYBUILDING TIP | This is good

choice late in your workout when

you’re spent and don’t want to worry

about balancing a bar; the focus is on

just your thighs.

tktktktkttktktktktktktktktkt

tktktktktktktkttktktktktktktktktkt

HORIZONTAL SLED SQUAT [NOT SHOWN]

10 MUSCLE & FITNESS Month 2005

builder to help them learn the move.“First, set a chair or bench behind you.Put your hands behind your head andforce your elbows back, opening andspreading your chest, to give you thefeeling of keeping your chest big.That’s the position you want to prac-tice. From that start position, havesomeone watch your knees from theside — are they staying behind yourtoes? If your knees are going past yourtoes, then your hips aren’t back farenough. Reach back with your butt tothe bench. Get to the point where youcan touch and go with the bench;that’ll give you an idea of the rightmovement pattern. Because gettinginto the correct start position andmaintaining it is difficult if you’resomewhat inflexible, spend some timedeveloping the requisite flexibility inyour ankles, knees and hips.”

HEAD GAMES

Given the overriding evidence of thebenefits of squatting and the overstat-

(LOW-BAR SQUAT)COMPARES TO SQUAT | The bar is positioned lower on your back — across your

rear delts, not your traps. This reduces the lever arm (your back), which causes

your torso to incline forward and generally keeps it farther inclined than any

other squat alternative. By changing the center of mass of your torso, it allows

you to immediately go heavier. While the increase in strength is due to biome-

chanics, you’ll feel more glute/hip action and less lower quad activation.

GET IT RIGHT | Use a wider stance and turn your feet and knees out a little. This

wider stance shortens the range of motion and also brings in the powerful

adductor muscles.

BODYBUILDING TIP | If you have knee tendinitis and still want to squat, this ver-

sion is a better choice, says Waxman, an Olympic lifter. “It’s easier to keep your

weight on your heels so you reduce the stress on your knees.”

POWERLIFTING SQUAT

an alternative but not a substitute

for the squat.

GET IT RIGHT | Press your back and

hips into the pad as you rise to pre-

vent rounding your back.

BODYBUILDING TIP | This is a good

way to learn the basic squat move

before jumping into the free-weight

version. It could also be used later in

COMPARES TO SQUAT | This mimics

the free-bar squat but requires

fewer stabilizers to balance your-

self and the weight. It allows for

some degree of alternate foot place-

ment, depending on the machine.

The weight stacks permit increased

resistance, and you grasp handles,

not the bar. Waxman considers this

MACHINE SQUAT [NOT SHOWN]

11 MUSCLE & FITNESS Month 2005

ed risks associated with it, why doesn’teveryone squat? Waxman offers thisrationale: “It’s difficult — it’s work.There’s no hiding in the squat; you caneither do it or you can’t. There’s nomachine to help you. It’s difficult ifyou don’t know how to do it or ifyou’ve spent a lot of time training andhaven’t done it. There’s an ego thingthat goes into it as well; if you have abig upper body but haven’t squatted,you won’t want to be seen using lightweights. But the best and fastest wayto build thick legs is to go out thereand squat. People have to get over theirexcuses. If you want the best develop-ment, you have to squat.” M&F

tktktktktktktktktktktktktktktktktkttktktktktktktktktktktktktktktktktkttktktktktktktktktktktktktktktktktkttktktktktktktktktktktktktktktktktkt

Sean Waxman, CSCS, has an instruction-al squatting DVD available at shutupan-dlift.com

COMPARES TO SQUAT| This move puts greater stress on your knees and lower

and outer quads; your hips are well stabilized, allowing the quads to be maximally

stressed without much hip and hamstring involvement. Machine moves allow you

to go heavy without fear of losing control of the weight. Considerable variation

with foot placement allows you to stress the thigh muscles somewhat differently.

GET IT RIGHT | Keep the entire soles of your feet on the platform as you descend;

don’t rise onto your toes at any time. Keep your feet in front of your body/hips —

not beneath you — to reduce knee strain.

BODYBUILDING TIP | Individuals with low-back pain may be able to successfully

do this move by pushing their hips back into the pad as they come up. You can also

reverse your body position, facing the pad and lowering your body by bending

your knees and pushing your hips back.

COMPARES TO SQUAT | Because it

removes the need to balance the bar,

the Smith machine is a good place for

beginners to learn how to squat. You

can also go slightly heavier to really

overload your legs. Still, don’t com-

pletely replace the barbell squat with

this version.

GET IT RIGHT | You can change foot

placement to stress thigh and glute

muscles in various ways. Keep your

feet well out in front to reduce quad

involvement and maintain the tension

on your glutes and hams. With your

feet underneath you, it’s similar to the

basic squat with added quad empha-

sis but more overall stability.

BODYBUILDING TIP | This version

allows you to use heavier weight with-

out fear of losing balance (one study

MACHINE HACK SQUAT

SMITH MACHINE SQUAT [NOT SHOWN]