[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
You people need to actually lift weights and listen to your bodies. If all you do is read articles and “think” about what you should do, you’ll never get bigger or stronger – which, I assume (perhaps foolishly?) is the reason you’re reading this site.[/quote]
Good post. I think a lot of people forget that experience is the best teacher and have too much theory without enough practice.
[quote]acidhell wrote:
What you people don’t get is he is referring to proportions, not actual height.
If you have disproportionately long femurs, you ll be a lousy squatter. [/quote]
Thank you.
[quote]Sxio wrote:
I would keep doing them for variety’s sake. I’m 6’3" as well with very long legs and I too look at guys going ATG and shake my head. I WISH!
But I go down to at least parallel, squeeze to come up and think they’re a pretty game good movement. I mean what else do you have to work your quads? Sissy squats, front squats, lunges, leg press. Eliminate the squats and you’re going to get pretty sick of doing leg press and lunges.
So this is why I keep doing them. Yes they’re not much fun, yes they’re pretty tough for tall guys. But if you can do them safely and keep progressing, you’d be doing a disservice to yourself to cut them out. [/quote]
Thanks for your input man. What you say makes sense. I have been kind of thinking the same thing but just wanted to get some opinions. Unfortunatly, people get confused on what is being asked and it turns into something else entirely - to those people, I won’t even respond. They can continue to waste their time.
[quote]Get this wrote:
For me personally, my long legs have meant that I back squat with a wider stance to get parallel. I see that as a square peg in a square hole solution to my particular mix of stretch armstrong limbs and tight hip flexors. [/quote]
Thanks for your input.
To the OP - it is all about tradeoffs. If you have long femurs, YOU have to work out whether the benefits you get from squatting outweigh the downsides.
What are they? Only you know for sure, but killing your lower back is potentially one of them.
My guess is that you can get a lot of the benefits from leg presses without the downsides. You may also find that your build is better suited to deadlifting, which will give you many of the benefits that you may not be able to get from leg presses.
BlaKistKneeGrow
You don’t need to go lower than parallel. Keep doing what works. Do some lunges as well.
[quote]Andrew Dixon wrote:
BlaKistKneeGrow
You don’t need to go lower than parallel. Keep doing what works. Do some lunges as well. [/quote]
See, it was always my understanding that not going below parrallel would cause flexibility issues. Just like not bringing the bar down to your chest when doing bench press would create weaknesss in certain areas. Am I wrong?
[quote]Andrew Dixon wrote:
BlaKistKneeGrow
You don’t need to go lower than parallel. Keep doing what works. Do some lunges as well. [/quote]
Then again, not doing squats at all would probably create weakness.
long femurs does’nt equal no squatting.
Long femurs equal more moment force, and more knee torque.
I don’t see why people in this boat don’t just reduce their range, is it to fit some kind of squatting standard. If you do it for sport then thats fine but I doubt that it is if the problem in question is one you deal with. Some people would do themselves a world of good by trying to apply their highschool physics to training.
[quote]BlaKistKneeGrow wrote:
Andrew Dixon wrote:
BlaKistKneeGrow
You don’t need to go lower than parallel. Keep doing what works. Do some lunges as well.
See, it was always my understanding that not going below parrallel would cause flexibility issues. Just like not bringing the bar down to your chest when doing bench press would create weaknesss in certain areas. Am I wrong?
[/quote]
You are wrong in both areas. I don’t bring the bar to my chest (simply close to it) and I don’t go below parallel. Those standards are for powerlifting meets to have a criteria for judging.
They are not rules that everyone must follow when it comes to bodybuilding and all strength training. Watch most larger bodybuilders train and few of them (while quite a few go below parallel when squatting) actually bring the bar to touch their chest when bench pressing.
Let me add that I see a benefit in beginners and some intermediates making sure they work through a full range of movement if for no other reason than that they need to learn to do the exercise correctly and don’t have the training experience to know what part of a movement works best for them and works that particular muscle group most effectively.
I’m 6’4", and long femured. I wouldn’t give up squatting for anything. Sure, I have a really hard time going below parallel or even getting there sometimes, but, other than Deadlifts I haven’t found anything that really stimulates growth for me than squats.
Just do the best that you can do !!
[quote]Professor X wrote:
BlaKistKneeGrow wrote:
Andrew Dixon wrote:
BlaKistKneeGrow
You don’t need to go lower than parallel. Keep doing what works. Do some lunges as well.
See, it was always my understanding that not going below parrallel would cause flexibility issues. Just like not bringing the bar down to your chest when doing bench press would create weaknesss in certain areas. Am I wrong?
You are wrong in both areas. I don’t bring the bar to my chest (simply close to it) and I don’t go below parallel. Those standards are for powerlifting meets to have a criteria for judging.
They are not rules that everyone must follow when it comes to bodybuilding and all strength training. Watch most larger bodybuilders train and few of them (while quite a few go below parallel when squatting) actually bring the bar to touch their chest when bench pressing.
[/quote]
Professor X,
Thanks for the advice, I probably shouldn’t be stressing over this. With my personal goals in mind, I don’t need to worry so much about bringing the bar to my chest OR going below parallel while squating.
I should have just asked this in my original question but I didn’t word it properly.
Thanks again.
[quote]Axel44 wrote:
I’m 6’4", and long femured. I wouldn’t give up squatting for anything. Sure, I have a really hard time going below parallel or even getting there sometimes, but, other than Deadlifts I haven’t found anything that really stimulates growth for me than squats.
Just do the best that you can do !!
[/quote]
Thanks for your input. It’s clear to me now. The problem that I was worried about to begin with is not something I should be worried about - and that is going below parallel. Going below parallel is what was causing me to worry because it feels so damn awkward and it just plain sucks. I should have asked it this way instead of bringing Coach so in so into it.
Thanks guys!
[quote]BlaKistKneeGrow wrote:
Axel44 wrote:
I’m 6’4", and long femured. I wouldn’t give up squatting for anything. Sure, I have a really hard time going below parallel or even getting there sometimes, but, other than Deadlifts I haven’t found anything that really stimulates growth for me than squats.
Just do the best that you can do !!
Thanks for your input. It’s clear to me now. The problem that I was worried about to begin with is not something I should be worried about - and that is going below parallel. Going below parallel is what was causing me to worry because it feels so damn awkward and it just plain sucks. I should have asked it this way instead of bringing Coach so in so into it.
No Worries. I saw the same article that you mentioned in your original question. My take on it was that he was pointing out that long femured people probably won’t be world class squatters just like the short femored people probably can’t reach the top shelf of their kitchen cabinets.
[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
You’ve supposedly been lifting for YEARS yet you still don’t know whether you should squat? This makes no sense. Really, it doesn’t.
I don’t bench. Most guys do. Why don’t I bench? Because after years of lifting, I learned what builds and what tears up my body. Benching kills me, though I can do weighted dips all day long.
According to “convensional wisdom,” dips are harder on your shoulders than benching. So what? I know what works for me. I know what hurts my shoulder and what doesn’t.
Some “guru” could publish an article today saying everyone should bench and no one should do dips. Guess what? I still won’t bench, and I’ll still do dips.
I also won’t need to ask on the forum whether I should bench. AFter all, I’ve been lifting for years.
You people need to actually lift weights and listen to your bodies. If all you do is read articles and “think” about what you should do, you’ll never get bigger or stronger – which, I assume (perhaps foolishly?) is the reason you’re reading this site.[/quote]
Very well said. And a little funny/sad that you even had to say it.
Do what works well for you. Don’t drop an exercise based on “One” article.
If you have trouble with form on an exercise, correct it before increasing the weight. Always use your full range of motion.
I am about 6’8 and I have been squating and once I got my form down (took bit more time since I am tall) it was fine. I wouldn’t not want to squat as it is one of the best leg exercises I do.
[quote]BlaKistKneeGrow wrote:
Andrew Dixon wrote:
BlaKistKneeGrow
You don’t need to go lower than parallel. Keep doing what works. Do some lunges as well.
See, it was always my understanding that not going below parrallel would cause flexibility issues. Just like not bringing the bar down to your chest when doing bench press would create weaknesss in certain areas. Am I wrong?
[/quote]
Like the Prof X said, no need unless you compete in power lifting or Olympic lifting where the extreme ROM is required.
I would suggest you do some full ROM squats with bodyweight only. Do a bunch before you hit the bar, that should improve/maintain your flexibility.
I’m 6’7". I can handle way more weight in the Leg Press than in the Squat. I still squat but carry the bar lower on my back.