Squatting has been around for quite a while now, it is seen to be they best strength and mass gaining exercise available today. And it probably is! But the real question is not whether it is or isn’t, its does it give us what it promises.
The squat is known to be the primary generator of leg strength and size. Many trainers say that the squat is the most important leg exercise but this strategy can lead to problems as I myself found out the hard way. The first issue lies with the fact that during a two legged squat the force of the weight compresses the body from your shoulders down through to your feet to the ground. This has the particular effect of placing the most bending stress on the mid region. If like many people you have a poor strength base in the lower abdominal region you will not be able to use your core to offset this and much of the strain may be transferred to your lower back. A lot of lifters choose to use belts which does alleviate the problem but also compounds the lack of strength in the lower ab region. And so if unlucky you may do some harm to your back muscles or worse discs. The second issues is the disproportionate effort placed on the quadriceps by comparison to the hamstring. Even when many try to offset this using other exercises that are hamstring focused find that they all also involve a lot of lower back effort. It is impossible to continue doing so many exercises that involve lower back work and one exercise inevitably suffers. The result of this is the much increased chances of anterior cruciate ligament damage strains or tears. The third issue is the level of friction during the movement. Because of the way the joints move during this exercise there is a large amount of friction which usually results in a shortage of sinovial fluid in the knee (dry knee joints) and if untreated can permanently damage knee cartilage. So what is the solution? One legged squats! One legged squats focus on one leg immediately reducing weight needed and therefore reducing compression it also uses more of the Hamstring as it has a much more balance extended natural range of movement. In regard to the knee it is vital to take as long a stride as possible to ensure the knee does not go over the toes (maximal point of friction). But it is all in all easy to argue that the one legged squat is a more effective functional squat and one to prioritise on your leg day! www.inno-v8.com - Hammerstep the hamstring squat expert check it out.

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