# Squats... who does em?



## HDH (Nov 5, 2012)

Burnt em up today and got a couple days off to limp around  

What about you folks?

HDH


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## PillarofBalance (Nov 5, 2012)

My favorite lift... I have no genetic gifts for bodybuilding except maybe my calves; but for powerlifting I was apparently given decent mechanics to squat.  So I have poured everything I have into it and so far have a PR of 585.


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## j2048b (Nov 5, 2012)

yup, fronts are my newest faves, thanks pob and brotheriron (tid) totally awesome tips, love front squats, ad do back squats as well!!


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## Big Worm (Nov 5, 2012)

Who doesnt?


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## SFGiants (Nov 5, 2012)

Favorite lift and most technical then it's the deadlift.


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## gymrat827 (Nov 5, 2012)

whats a squat..??


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## Times Roman (Nov 5, 2012)

Big Worm said:


> Who doesnt?



I cannot.  Last time i tried, I was showing my son proper form, with a measley 100lbs.  Two weeks later I was having my knee scoped due to the injury sustained from the "squat".

Many older lifters will give up the squat as it increases the risk of injury as compared to other routines, like a leg press.....


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## ken Sass (Nov 5, 2012)

i use a squat machine can't b.b. squat. i hear you on the knee's times, mine kill me. they started hurting from me squatting with my feet straight fwrd. i also do hacks


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## SFGiants (Nov 5, 2012)

Times Roman said:


> I cannot.  Last time i tried, I was showing my son proper form, with a measley 100lbs.  Two weeks later I was having my knee scoped due to the injury sustained from the "squat".
> 
> Many older lifters will give up the squat as it increases the risk of injury as compared to other routines, like a leg press.....



Knee's are only an issue with Oly and Bodybuilder type squat but in Powerlifting not really, it's the knee's over toes issue that determines knee issues.

I watch people in their 50's and up one guy at Diablo Gym was 62 squatting up to 800lbs.

Bodybuilder's utilize the quads causing knee's to travel past the toes Powerlifter's sit far back with knee's never reaching the toes we get more hip issues.


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## Times Roman (Nov 5, 2012)

now if my gym had the one at the bottom i might give squats another attempt....?


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## Christosterone (Nov 5, 2012)

SFGiants said:


> Knee's are only an issue with Oly and Bodybuilder type squat but in Powerlifting not really, it's the knee's over toes issue that determines knee issues.
> 
> I watch people in their 50's and up one guy at Diablo Gym was 62 squatting up to 800lbs.
> 
> Bodybuilder's utilize the quads causing knee's to travel past the toes Powerlifter's sit far back with knee's never reaching the toes we get more hip issues.



So you're saying ass and knees back not going over toes save knees? I'm tall 6'5" and am still recovering from allograft surgery on my knee (that bulge on my knee in my avatar is a dead persons Achilles' tendon). It's always been hard with my height and long legs, and I'm still getting coordination back from surgery. Do you use a box or bench to squat down or what? Any knee sparing info will be appreciated, because statistically speaking, I'm gonna need a total knee replacement in future due to surgery.


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## Times Roman (Nov 5, 2012)

Christosterone said:


> So you're saying ass and knees back not going over toes save knees? I'm tall 6'5" and am still recovering from allograft surgery on my knee (that bulge on my knee in my avatar is a dead persons Achilles' tendon). It's always been hard with my height and long legs, and I'm still getting coordination back from surgery. Do you use a box or bench to squat down or what? Any knee sparing info will be appreciated, because statistically speaking, I'm gonna need a total knee replacement in future due to surgery.



me personally, I'd just avoid the risk of reinjury and stick with the leg press.

Not only do i have old runners knees (not much cartilege) but i have arthritas in my back.

I'm seeing nice gains by doing concentrations on legs instead of a compound like squats.


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## SFGiants (Nov 5, 2012)

SSB is all I can use until shoulder surgery but it's a great bar and for those that don't know it's the one in the middle called a Safety Squat Bar, that one don't show the handles I have to use handled that nub is to close to the shoulders.


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## SFGiants (Nov 5, 2012)

Times Roman said:


> me personally, I'd just avoid the risk of reinjury and stick with the leg press.
> 
> Not only do i have old runners knees (not much cartilege) but i have arthritas in my back.
> 
> I'm seeing nice gains by doing concentrations on legs instead of a compound like squats.



Your not a Powerlifter bro you don't need to squat, squat vs machine is stabilizer muscles, one builds stability the other doesn't.

IMO if one is not a Powerlifter are training for strength not a little but as strong as possible then why risk injury.

Not everyone and actually in most commercial gyms not many if any are pushing beyond 100% grunting out an imposable lift that you got or missed, most are 75% and up doing reps and I tell you what screw repping out squats beyond 5 rep's deadlift also.


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## Christosterone (Nov 5, 2012)

With my injury I do a lot of leg press but also squat light to work stabilizer muscles some


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## Shane1974 (Nov 5, 2012)

Times Roman said:


> I cannot.  Last time i tried, I was showing my son proper form, with a measley 100lbs.  Two weeks later I was having my knee scoped due to the injury sustained from the "squat".
> 
> Many older lifters will give up the squat as it increases the risk of injury as compared to other routines, like a leg press.....


At 38, what I have done is sacrifice weight for reps. Instead of 5 X 5, I do three sets of 16.


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## Mind2muscle (Nov 5, 2012)

Back squats have been a favorite of mine for a few years now.  I never skip leg day.  When I first started lifting I never did legs (back in my teens) and you could tell.  Not a good look.   But you learn and now my legs have grown significantly (late 20's).  It's amazing though how many guys at my gym don't workout legs.  I just dont get it.  

As far as injuries go every once in a while I get a slight pain in my right knee.  I believe it could be the meniscus.  But I'll just have to keep my eye on it.  Speaking of squats....that's on my list of things to do today


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## DF (Nov 5, 2012)

I began doing squats again about 1 year ago.  It was really a slow progression.  I started with 3x20 with only body weight while holding onto the smith machine bar (eeeew).  This was do to some knee issues & what I would say lack of coordination from not doing them in sooooo long.  Then I moved onto using the smith machine.  Now I can do reg squats & go up to 315x6 without any real knee issue.  Legs day used to be my favorite back in the day (I'm old).  We'd kill legs until climbing up the stairs after was a fucking bitch.


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## SAD (Nov 5, 2012)

I fucking love squatting, I love it.  I hate squatting.  Squatting is the best, squatting sucks.  I have to squat, but I never want to squat again.  I fucking love squatting.  I fucking hate squatting.

That's pretty much how I feel about the most important exercise in my sport.


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## PillarofBalance (Nov 5, 2012)

Christosterone said:


> With my injury I do a lot of leg press but also squat light to work stabilizer muscles some



Lunges will work your stabilizers better than squats and without risking your knees.


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## PillarofBalance (Nov 5, 2012)

A lot of guys that complain about knee pain when squatting need to do 1 of 2 things

1. Foam roll the quads and especially the IT Band

2.  Learn to squat


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## 63Vette (Nov 5, 2012)

SAD said:


> I fucking love squatting, I love it.  I hate squatting.  Squatting is the best, squatting sucks.  I have to squat, but I never want to squat again.  I fucking love squatting.  I fucking hate squatting.
> 
> That's pretty much how I feel about the most important exercise in my sport.




This is exactly how I feel about it. 

Respect ass to grass,
Vette


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## HDH (Nov 5, 2012)

Damn fellas, this thread took off like a wildfire. Now if we could just get these kinds of responses in the diet section  

HDH


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## HDH (Nov 5, 2012)

PillarofBalance said:


> My favorite lift... I have no genetic gifts for bodybuilding except maybe my calves; but for powerlifting I was apparently given decent mechanics to squat.  So I have poured everything I have into it and so far have a PR of 585.



Respectful lift my friend  

HDH


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## HDH (Nov 5, 2012)

j2048b said:


> yup, fronts are my newest faves, thanks pob and brotheriron (tid) totally awesome tips, love front squats, ad do back squats as well!!



I'm diggin' the front squats as well. I've got problems with L-5 (degenerative disk disease and Facet Joint Syndrome), and have had T-5, 6 and 7 + C5 and 6 worked on over the last year. So I do the front squats on the smith and to keep it interesting, I'm jump squatting.

My shit can go out at any time. As long as I keep perfect form, and don't overload my back with weight, I'm fine, well kind of. LOL 

It's the oddball movements at the house and at work that can do the most damage. 

Light for reps baby!!

HDH


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## ken Sass (Nov 5, 2012)

PillarofBalance said:


> A lot of guys that complain about knee pain when squatting need to do 1 of 2 things
> 
> 1. Foam roll the quads and especially the IT Band
> 
> 2.  Learn to squat


and to you sir i say respectfully, bite my  butt lol, no you are right i am i was doing it wrong and that is what hurt my knees


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## HDH (Nov 5, 2012)

Big Worm said:


> Who doesnt?



You would be surprised. There are plenty of "built like a chicken" lifters walking around my gym. 

You can tell by looking at their calves.  LOL

HDH


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## Big Worm (Nov 5, 2012)

HDH said:


> You can tell by looking at their calves.  LOL
> 
> HDH


Funny you say that.  I used to lift with a guy from work who never wanted to squat, but always wanted to do calves.  I would always tell him he would just squat he would get some calves.


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## HDH (Nov 5, 2012)

Times Roman said:


> now if my gym had the one at the bottom i might give squats another attempt....?



If you like the hex squat bar then perhaps suitcase (dumbbell) squats might be something for you to look at.

HDH


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## HDH (Nov 5, 2012)

Big Worm said:


> Funny you say that. I used to lift with a guy from work who never wanted to squat, but always wanted to do calves. I would always tell him he would just squat he would get some calves.



I was a little off on that post. I guess I was reffering to not working legs.

You kill me with your avi and handle. I must have seen that movie 20 times. LOL

HDH


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## Azog (Nov 5, 2012)

SAD said:


> I fucking love squatting, I love it.  I hate squatting.  Squatting is the best, squatting sucks.  I have to squat, but I never want to squat again.  I fucking love squatting.  I fucking hate squatting.
> 
> That's pretty much how I feel about the most important exercise in my sport.



Hahahaha this exactly.

Leading up to a leg session I have a sense of dread. During and immediately after the session, I think to myself, "this isn't so bad, I like this". Then I wake up two days later and fall outta bed when I go to take a morning piss and the hate begins to build once more.


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## JOMO (Nov 5, 2012)

Led days are Glorious DAYS! Squats...what SAD said.


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## HDH (Nov 5, 2012)

SFGiants said:


> Your not a Powerlifter bro you don't need to squat, squat vs machine is stabilizer muscles, one builds stability the other doesn't.
> 
> IMO if one is not a Powerlifter are training for strength not a little but as strong as possible then why risk injury.
> 
> Not everyone and actually in most commercial gyms not many if any are pushing beyond 100% grunting out an imposable lift that you got or missed, most are 75% and up doing reps and I tell you what screw repping out squats beyond 5 rep's deadlift also.



Squats put the thickness on a bodybuilder along with DLs.

It takes just about every muscle we have working together  

HDH


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## HDH (Nov 5, 2012)

Shane1974 said:


> At 38, what I have done is sacrifice weight for reps. Instead of 5 X 5, I do three sets of 16.



Right on brother, way to keep pushing.

HDH


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## HDH (Nov 5, 2012)

Mind2muscle said:


> Back squats have been a favorite of mine for a few years now. I never skip leg day. When I first started lifting I never did legs (back in my teens) and you could tell. Not a good look. But you learn and now my legs have grown significantly (late 20's). It's amazing though how many guys at my gym don't workout legs. I just dont get it.
> 
> As far as injuries go every once in a while I get a slight pain in my right knee. I believe it could be the meniscus. But I'll just have to keep my eye on it. Speaking of squats....that's on my list of things to do today



Right, no sense in only building half the body.

Or, we could just wear jeans all the time. LOL

HDH


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## HDH (Nov 5, 2012)

Dfeaton said:


> I began doing squats again about 1 year ago.  It was really a slow progression.  I started with 3x20 with only body weight while holding onto the smith machine bar (eeeew).  This was do to some knee issues & what I would say lack of coordination from not doing them in sooooo long.  Then I moved onto using the smith machine.  Now I can do reg squats & go up to 315x6 without any real knee issue.  Legs day used to be my favorite back in the day (I'm old).  We'd kill legs until climbing up the stairs after was a fucking bitch.



Nothing wrong with body weight squats. If more people would do them, it would help with their form. I usually throw my arms straight out for balance on the way down. That was how I learned to keep my knees behind my toes. I also do them in between sets of regular squats.

I used to go to a gym with the longest set of stairs I've ever seen (at least when I got done with legs). Rubber legs can make it a difficult climb. LOL

HDH


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## HDH (Nov 5, 2012)

SAD said:


> I fucking love squatting, I love it.  I hate squatting.  Squatting is the best, squatting sucks.  I have to squat, but I never want to squat again.  I fucking love squatting.  I fucking hate squatting.
> 
> That's pretty much how I feel about the most important exercise in my sport.



LOL, sounds like my last relationship. Glad that one is over.

HDH


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## PillarofBalance (Nov 5, 2012)

HDH said:


> Nothing wrong with body weight squats. If more people would do them, it would help with their form. I usually throw my arms straight out for balance on the way down. That was how I learned to keep my knees behind my toes. I also do them in between sets of regular squats.
> 
> I used to go to a gym with the longest set of stairs I've ever seen (at least when I got done with legs). Rubber legs can make it a difficult climb. LOL
> 
> HDH



Totally agreed with bodyweight squats. They can be evil too. 

Take one of those big stupid bouncy balls that the milfs do crunches on and stand leaning against it on a wall. Do 4 sets of 50 squats and make sure you feet are out in front of you like a hack squat.

Or even worse...

Sissy squats. These are fucking brutal. Do them at the end of leg day and you'll want to die. All the stretching pulls so much blood into the quads you'll feel like your skin is gonna tear.


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## HDH (Nov 5, 2012)

Another thing that would help with form is a MaxRack. Now, I'm guessing it goes by many different names depending on who is making it but here's a description-

It's similar to a Smith except the Vertical bars that the weights go up and down on actually move. You can walk out and even rack it on the other side.

I believe it would be good to tighten up form because as long as the vertical bars don't move, you are in form. If they start moving back and fourth while performing the squat, you are out of form. Easy to tell.

HDH

EDIT-

Ran a quick search on the MR. Here's a link-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djgpiByeKKQ


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## SAD (Nov 5, 2012)

HDH said:


> Another thing that would help with form is a MaxRack. Now, I'm guessing it goes by many different names depending on who is making it but here's a description-
> 
> It's similar to a Smith except the Vertical bars that the weights go up and down on actually move. You can walk out and even rack it on the other side.
> 
> ...



I have always been under the impression that one of the major reasons why performing squats in a smith machine is terrible for you is _because_ it traps you into straight line movements.  God didn't design us to move in perfectly straight lines, and smith machine squats put tremendous stress on the spine, knees, and hips because it doesn't allow for freedom of natural movement, or so I've always believed.  If what I just said is true, then your last sentence wouldn't make sense from a "proper form" and safety standpoint.


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## HDH (Nov 5, 2012)

I actually use a max rack and the bar never moves until I start losing strength. A couple other fellas do the same. I've seen a couple guys do it where the bar moves an inch or two. Usually the taller guys. I didn't think much of it because it seemed like they were going to heavy anyways.

Rippetoe has a vid out, I can only find part one. It shows a drawing on the angles of the squat showing the vertical movement being straight up and down. I'm not going to post it because it's just the drawing. He's just getting to it at the end of part 1. 

I'm looking for Part two, if anyone else knows where it's at, post it up. The full vid is suppose to be at Crossfit.com, 2007 journal. Part one is titled "Mark Rippetoe: Back Squat Geometry Pt. 1".

Either way, the max rack is still good tool to check form. You'll know if your sloppy or not in the beginning when trying to get it right.

HDH


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## jennerrator (Nov 5, 2012)

don't love them, but do them


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## St0ked (Nov 6, 2012)

Times Roman said:


> now if my gym had the one at the bottom i might give squats another attempt....?



I didn't think that was for squating.....


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## St0ked (Nov 6, 2012)

I'm going to start incorporating front squats into my leg days from now on. Was never big on them but I've told myself that I will do them at least once a week.


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## HDH (Nov 6, 2012)

St0ked said:


> I didn't think that was for squating.....



Ya, it's used for different lifts. Here's a little info on squats-

http://www.ordinary-joe-muscle-building.com/hex-bar-squats.html

HDH


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## PillarofBalance (Nov 6, 2012)

St0ked said:


> I didn't think that was for squating.....



The hex bar dead builds your squat and is not the deadlift. The weight is in line with the center of gravity (hips) as opposed to out in front of you.


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## PillarofBalance (Nov 6, 2012)

St0ked said:


> I'm going to start incorporating front squats into my leg days from now on. Was never big on them but I've told myself that I will do them at least once a week.



If you are a conventional puller, the front squat will add big numbers to your deadlift.  Don't be afraid to go heavy on the front squat, but learn to do it correctly. Do not hold the bar crossing your arms like you see bodybuilders do it. Either learn to hold it like an Oly lifter or use straps.


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## SFGiants (Nov 6, 2012)

St0ked said:


> I didn't think that was for squating.....


Correct it's for deadlifting.


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## SAD (Nov 6, 2012)

It's basically a squat with the weight hanging from your hands/arms instead of on your back.  Do a bunch of them and tell me it's a deadlift and not a squat.  Guarantee you your quads will say otherwise.


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## milleniumgirl (Nov 6, 2012)

The only squats I do are either hack squats or air squats b/c I have bad knees and I don't want to put too much weight on them.


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## NbleSavage (Nov 6, 2012)

Squatter, checking-in. I do notice more pain in my knees & low-back in the days following a heavy squatting session as compared to when I do deads. 

Re: hex bar / shrug-bar squatting: LOVE this exercise. For me it does transition some of the tension away from my low back and on to my quads which helps tremendously. I can pull 500 using the hex bar, only 420 (on a good day) using a conventional dead lift. Not sure if I'd call it a deadlift or a squat when using this bar, but I love the movement.


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## theminister (Nov 6, 2012)

I nearly crashed the car through no control of my legs after squats


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## Georgia (Nov 6, 2012)

Times Roman said:


> now if my gym had the one at the bottom i might give squats another attempt....?



What is that one on the bottom? Our gym has it and people do deads/shrugs with it.

Which squat brings out the teardrop? The front squat?


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## HDH (Nov 8, 2012)

The bottom one is the hex bar.

Good read on foot placement and at what point they are working the hardest  
-----------------------------------

OLYMPIAN QUADS
by Jim Cordova

Olympian Quads


Nothing looks more ridiculous than a powerful upper body that rests on a pair of under-developed legs. Take it from me, as I seek to save you from the embarrassment of learning this the hard way! If you find that you are lagging behind in any particular region of the quadriceps, that is about to change. Assuming that you are willing to take some pain, this article will provide you with the game-plan needed to blast each of the four muscles into submission, putting you on the path toward developing a pair of quads so mighty that the Greek gods themselves will bow down before you and shudder!

Some believe that region-specific quad training is impossible, and in one sense, I can’t blame them. When you reflect upon their basic function, it is reasonable to draw such conclusions. The attachment points and belly length (of three of the four quad muscles mostly activated when pressing) is unaffected regardless of how you rotate the legs to form a given stance and they extend the lower leg along a single axis. So, what’s the point of utilizing various stances or movement pathways? All speculation aside, the answer to this will require a basic analysis of muscular anatomy and training dynamics, while keeping the core bilateral movements in mind, namely squats and leg presses.

It should spark your curiosity as to why such an intricately configured muscle group is needed to extend the lower leg. The fiber course in each of the four quadriceps muscles is very unique relative to one another, and each contracts and pulls on the quadriceps tendon from different directions. The fiber of the vastus lateralis and medialis run obliquely, virtually opposing each other, while the split-fiber direction of the rectus femoris possesses both of these characteristics. Interestingly, only one of the four muscles, the vastus intermedius, runs in linear fashion up the femur. This alone hints toward the idea that you can place more emphasis on one muscle over the other.

Generally speaking, whenever you perform squats or leg presses, the force of the weight remains constant, moving along a fixed path. The stress is distributed to the appropriate muscles in the proportion necessary to generate a counter-force that pushes in the opposite direction. There will be a mechanical advantage for some muscles over others based on both foot placement and movement pathways. For example, the muscles recruited when pressing with the legs flared will be different than those called upon when pushing with the legs parallel to each other. This will become clearer as we finally move on to practical application.

Of the four quads muscles, a well-developed vastus lateralis (outer quad) and vastus medialis (teardrop) appear to be the most coveted. The fiber makeup of these two muscles angle in near-opposition to each other, pulling across the knee joint accordingly. This implies that they work hand-in-hand to stabilize the knee or else one of the two muscles would rip the lower leg out of the socket. In one sense, this scenario is very much like performing a cable low row, as both of your forearms angle in toward the waist and yet the cable moves forward in a single direction. 

The knee joint is often described as a ‘modified hinge joint,’ since it allows for a slight lateral and medial rotation. This is important because it reveals that the knee was designed to endure a stronger pull from either the teardrop or outer quad, implying that you can shift more tension to one of these muscles over the other. The foundational component behind activating both of these muscles to the extreme entails squatting or pressing with the knees pointed out. 

Vastus Medialis: Whenever the legs are flared wide and the feet are planted, the teardrop will be working hard to pull the knee in toward the midline of the body. To enhance stimulation, allow the knees to point out as widely as possible before too much tension builds in the hips upon bending the legs at roughly 90-degrees at the bottom of squats and presses. The teardrop works very hard from this point all the way to near-lockout. It is therefore highly beneficial to focus on the top portion of the ROM. 

Now here is where it gets tricky. You must pay attention to your execution. To toast the teardrop, you will want to perform a sort of extension-like style of repetition. Some find that pushing with the heel will aid in the contraction. However, the key point of focus will be on the knees, as they travel from the flared position toward the midline of the body. Frequent execution of a slow and controlled rep cadence is recommended when working the teardrop, especially since it is one of the primary stabilizers of the knee.

Vastus Lateralis: Things are quite different when it comes to specialized emphasis of the outer quads. For starters, the legs should not flare out to the same degree that you would use to place emphasis on the teardrop. A safe bet is to place the feet at roughly shoulder-width, pointing the toes out a bit. You will not want the knees to move toward the midline of the body to avoid shifting the tension to the teardrop, which usually occurs during the final quarter of the ROM of presses and squats. Therefore, you will want to focus more on the bottom half of the ROM. The outer quad is designed for power and so an explosive rep scheme will place a considerable amount of stress over to this region. 

Remember, the teardrop and outer quad work very close together. Placing more stress onto one region over the other necessitates that you focus on the three key form components, namely, the pathway of travel, rep tempo, and ROM. To experiment, choose a single exercise. Perform three sets with a powerful “piston-like” cadence, stopping a quarter short of lockout, while using a shoulder-width stance for three sets. Follow that up with three more sets using a slower tempo, a wider flare to the legs with a focus on bringing the knees to the midline of the body, while remaining within the upper three-quarters of the ROM. Without a doubt, both the emphasis and pump will shift from the outer quads to the teardrop.

Vastus Intermedius: The vastus intermedius lies underneath the rectus femoris and runs down the femur. It is the only muscle in the quads with a (near) linear fiber course from origin to attachment. As this muscle grows, it will indirectly enhance the appearance of the rectus femoris by pushing it out more. You will find data supporting that this muscle is strongly recruited at the bottom of a squat or leg press and my own experience agrees with it. 

The vastus intermedius will receive the greatest amount of stress when the feet are placed close together so that the legs travel near-parallel to each other throughout the movement, with the upper legs coming in toward the chest. Additionally, both studies and athlete experience suggest that this muscle seems to be activated to a greater extent when the upper body and upper legs form a 90-degree angle at the bottom of the press. Basically, this means that you will want to keep the upper body upright, such as on a hack squat or leg press, and enhancing stimulation by using a powerful rep tempo, while remaining within the bottom half of the ROM. 

Personally, I find the leg press to be ideal, feeling a notably greater burn when moving the seat toward the upright position, bending the legs just past a 90-degree angle at the bottom, and stopping more than a quarter short of lockout. It is recommended to switch up your stance width, remaining within the range of four inches to one foot between the heels, or up until the point where the legs begin to naturally too flare outward. Below is a basic pressing pattern geared around thorough stimulation of the vastus medialis, lateralis, and intermedius:

LINK FOR PICS- http://www.jimcordova.com/articles/details.php?id=38

Rectus Femoris: The muscles located in the upper front portion of the quad are the vastus intermedius and the rectus femoris, with the latter being visible. Though these two muscles lie on top of each other, they are quite unique in terms of function. The rectus femoris is the only muscle in the quads that crosses two joints. You will find a great deal of scientific evidence showing that activation is strongest during single joint movements and very weak when hip flexion is combined with knee extension. While I am not completely sold on this notion, it does imply that many versions of presses and squats might not be ideal choices to develop this muscle. Furthermore, you will find conflicting opinions as to whether leg extensions, a key single-joint quad movement, are sufficient to stimulate the rectus femoris muscle. 

While I am not qualified to solve this matter, I do believe the contraction felt in the rectus femoris during extensions mimics a sort of isometric leg lift, particularly as the hips tense during the start of the movement, and felt mostly when trying to lift the upper leg off of the seat. It is inevitable that the muscle will contract, but I find that activation is not great enough to stimulate rapid development. This correlates with many studies performed on the action of this muscle, revealing that it is not dominant during the extension function performed by the quadriceps, being activated primarily at the very beginning of an extension. Something else to consider is that bending the body at the hips places the rectus femoris in the shortened position and reduces its ability to generate power. Most apparent is that the localized pump and soreness experienced from extensions tell me that the power generated during this exercise is primarily driven by the other three quad muscles. 

Nothing tops off leg development like a well-developed rectus femoris that appears as if it is about to explode out of the skin. So, how does one go about developing this muscle? The first thing to understand is that the fiber makeup of the rectus femoris is very unique, running in opposing diagonal directions that form together into what appears to be a split in the middle of the muscle. On a smaller scale, this mimics the action of both the vastus medialis and lateralis as they pull in opposing directions on the knee. Basically this means that you will want to keep the legs in front of the body when performing these variations. Moreover, this muscle acts as a sort of hip flexor and is largely responsible for bringing the legs forward, such as when sprinting. If you think about it, it is for this reason that you feel it contract quite strongly during ab exercises and to a great extent during leg lifts, specifically while keeping a slight bend in the knee. 

I personally find it most effective to work this muscle by attaching a weight or cable to the ankles and performing a leg-lift type movement (rectus femoris cable leg lift), preferring to work one leg at a time. Making slight changes in the raising direction of each leg, roughly within a six-inch range from left to right, will slightly shift emphasis and form a unique contraction when performing these. Another way to blast this muscle into submission is to use a Roman chair and perform alternating leg lifts in explosive sprint-like fashion. 

Imagine a sprinter when reflecting over the ideal ROM when working this region and you will find that the legs should not rise up so far that the body forms at a 90-degree angle, placing the muscle at a mechanical disadvantage. Moreover, it is essential that you maintain about a 160-degree bend in the legs throughout the movement. Overall, the result is a localized pump, fatigue, and soreness, adding up to refined development and separation in the upper leg near the hips (most apparent when lean).

Now that you understand how to use squats and presses to place specialized focus on the quad muscles, I must point out that there is much more involved. For starters, other principles must be adhered to for continual shock and stimulation of the quad region. Furthermore, like the arms, isolateral, or single-legged, movements are needed to fully bring out the potential for size, shape, and detail within this muscle group. I could probably write a series on the multiple variations of lunges (walking, stationary, horizontal, reverse, uphill, the many forms of weighted, etc.) and reveal how each will emphasize the quads in a unique way relative to ROM, positioning, and rep cadence strategies. 

Of course, an individual’s fitness aspirations will dictate what balance of exercises, principles, and strategies are best suited for them. A key lesson that you should take from my articles is that the consistent execution of a prearranged combination of variables will produce a specific outcome in your quest toward muscular development. Moreover, an intelligently designed formula will allow you to realize the goal-specific results that you seek much more rapidly! The quads are very complex and, as with any muscle group, acquiring the correct knowledge is necessary to sculpt them to your liking. So, enhance your knowledge, apply it with consistency, and you will build a set of wheels that will roll over the competition! 

HDH


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