M (20)

JUNE 2016 MUSCLE & FITNESS 99

a back squat, you’re right. That’s why powerlifters

specialise in back squatting, and it’s become the most

popular squat variation as a result. But then ask yourself,

“Are you a competitive powerlifter?” And if not, why l

imit yourself to just one squat, especially when it has

more potential to cause injury than these other versions?

The back squat, for all its good points, does place shear

forces on your lower spine. As you descend, gravity pulls

the weight down and your body allows it to move a bit

forward, since your torso will inevitably bend forward.

For a taller lifter, or one with tight hips, this can put the

back under a lot of strain. When heavy loads are used,

the danger becomes more pronounced. If you train alone,

getting stuck in the bottom of a back squat can be life-

threatening, whereas if you can’t complete a front-loaded

squat, you can simply drop the bar in front of you.

TO SQUAT, OR NOT?

Squatting, of any kind, is extremely efficient, allowing

you to train every part of the lower body in a functional

movement pattern with challenging weights, but it’s not

the only path to gains. The same goes for deadlifting,

which trains the glutes and hamstrings very hard but the

quads to a lesser extent. However, single-leg training,

wherein you work one limb at a time, may be equally as

effective when compared to bilateral barbell squats and

deadlifts and even a better choice for more people.

“You can even out imbalances between legs,” says Ben

Bruno, a trainer to celebrities and athletes in the US.

“You can also target the legs more directly. On a squat, the

limiting factor is the lower back or core, not the legs. In a

single-leg exercise like a Bulgarian split squat, once you

figure out your balance, the leg is the only limiting factor.”

So you might be able to do back squats with 100 kilos,

but much of that load is supported by your spine, so your

legs aren’t really being stimulated by a full 100 kilos.

Compare that with doing Bulgarian split squats (where

you raise one foot behind you on a bench and descend

into a lunge position) with 35-kilo dumbbells in

each hand (70 kilos total). You end up using a fraction

of the weight but nearly all of it bears down directly

on your front leg.

Bruno won’t go so far as to say that single-leg training is

better than conventional squatting for muscle growth, but

it’s certainly not vastly inferior, and it’s undoubtedly much

safer. A 2014 study in the International Journal of Exercise

Science compared muscle activity in the back squat, split

squat and Bulgarian split squat and found there was no

Front squat

Grasp the bar with hands at shoulder

width and raise your elbows until your

upper arms are parallel to the floor. (You

can also cross your arms like the image

shows on the opening page.) Take the

bar out of the rack and let it rest on your

fingertips and front delts. Step back

and set your feet at shoulder width with

toes turned slightly out. Squat as low

as you can without losing the arch in

your lower back.

Zercher squat

Set a bar on a rack level with your

lower chest. Attach Fat Gripz to it,

or wrap a towel around it to make it

thicker – or use an axle instead of a

barbell if possible. Hook your arms

around the bar so it rests in the bends

of your elbows. Cup one hand over the

other for stability. Take a deep breath

and lift the bar out of the rack. Step

back and squat, pushing your knees

out and keeping your torso upright.

Goblet squat

Hold a dumbbell by one of its ends

under your chin with both hands.

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart

and toes turned slightly out. Bend

your hips back and sink into a squat,

pushing your knees apart as you

do. Your torso should be close to

perpendicular to the floor.

The three kings Meet three squats you have to know.

EDGAR ARTIGA

LEG TRAINING