T Nation

Differences Between Narrow/ Wide Squats?

Olympic Lifting
#1

So I pulled my groin two months ago and it still hasn’t healed yet.

I’m thinking about starting back doing lightweight squats, just to practice my form, and to help me slowly get back in the game. What type of squats would be safer for me? Narrow/ wide, front/ back? Also, if I’m doing narrow, olympic lifting style front squats, is the technique I would use different? For example, for wide squats I know you are supposed to push your knees out as you go down. Is the same thing true for narrow squats?

#2

Use the form you will use in your training when you are healthy. You should actively think about pushing the knees out on front squats, high bar back squats, etc too. I would get it checked by a doc or physio. You may also wish to look into the Bill Starr protocol for minor pulls and strains, though it would normally be used as soon as the acute pain has subsided (ie earlier). It can be found in his book The Strongest Shall Survive and likely through an internet search.

It would basically mean squatting 6-7 days a week, starting with the bar for 2 sets of 30 reps or so and increasing weight until it gets tough and then dropping to 25 reps and following the same progression and so forth until you are using 4-5 sets of 10. Training days start decreasing around the 15 or 20 rep mark as well until you are on a 3-4 day schedule doing 10’s or something like that. I don’t recall the exact protocol.