{"id":535,"date":"2014-08-02T17:28:08","date_gmt":"2014-08-02T17:28:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.indianbodybuilding.co.in\/Articles\/?p=535"},"modified":"2014-08-02T17:31:12","modified_gmt":"2014-08-02T17:31:12","slug":"know-squat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indianbodybuilding.co.in\/Articles\/know-squat\/","title":{"rendered":"YOU SHOULD KNOW SQUAT"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" ><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Main_336x280 -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3247500487073208\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"9364966176\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><\/div>Ask 100 bodybuilders which exercise they\u2019d do if they could only do one, and 99 would tell you the squat\u2014and the other one probably has chronic knee issues. There\u2019s little doubt that the squat is the king of all exercises, because it adds mass to your thighs and glutes, as well as all over your body via a systemic response to this most difficult of exercises. When I was competing, I would squat twice per week and go to more than 400 pounds for reps. I would often do my squats barefoot to grip the floor better with my toes, and my training partners Franco Columbu, Ken Waller, and Dave Draper wouldn\u2019t count a rep until my butt touched the back of my ankles. It was gruelling and in the end, quite frankly, I hated the exercise, but I knew that it was essential if I wanted to be the best bodybuilder on the planet. If you want to be the best bodybuilder you can be, and you don\u2019t suffer from chronic knee or hip issues, then you should make the squat your best friend\u2014whether you like it or not. Below, I\u2019ve compiled some tips to keep in mind the next time you climb under a bar.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianbodybuilding.co.in\/Articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/air_squat.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-538 alignright\" alt=\"air_squat\" src=\"https:\/\/www.indianbodybuilding.co.in\/Articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/air_squat.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"312\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.indianbodybuilding.co.in\/Articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/air_squat.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.indianbodybuilding.co.in\/Articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/air_squat-288x300.jpg 288w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n\u25a0 <strong>Body alignment is key<\/strong> Ideally, your back should be as straight as possible, so that your rear end and the bar are almost in line with each other. Concentrating on keeping your chest out will help you keep your back flat. I also recommend incorporating front squats into your routine to focus in on the quads more than the glutes.<\/p>\n<p>\u25a0 <strong>Tailor your stance to your goals<\/strong> Whether your feet should be spaced wide or closed\u2014a common squatting debate\u2014depends on which area of the quads you want to focus on. A wider stance hits the inside of the thighs more, whereas a narrower stance tends to target the outer quads.<br \/>\n<div class=\"e3lan e3lan-in-post2\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Below Header -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3247500487073208\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"5121188972\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><\/div>\n\u25a0<strong> Go down to just below parallel<\/strong> To develop strength throughout the entire range of motion, it\u2019s important for your thighs to go just beyond parallel to the floor at the bottom of each rep. This is especially important for beginners who are establishing a training base. After you\u2019ve become experienced, it\u2019s OK occasionally to include half squats in your training to allow you to use heavier weight, which adds mass.<\/p>\n<p>\u25a0 <strong>Drop the sets and reps for more mass<\/strong> If size is your goal, as it usually is with squats, you must train according to basic power principles: do fewer sets and reps with as heavy a weight you can handle, and take longer rest periods. That means three or four sets, four to eight reps, and around three minutes of rest between sets. On occasion, include higher-rep sets (10\u201315) to add variety.<\/p>\n<p>\u25a0 <strong>Switch to Smith<\/strong> If your lower back and\/or knees bother you during barbell squatting, use a Smith machine instead. That\u2019s what I did later in my career and it took a lot of stress off of those vulnerable areas. Hack squats are another alternative that I found effectively target the outer thigh muscles.<\/p>\n<p>\u25a0 <strong>Do supersets and compound sets<\/strong> In 1971, when Arnold wanted to add more definition and separation\u2014not to mention sheer size\u2014to his thighs, He got great results by doing compound sets of leg extensions followed by squats, as well as supersets of front squats and lying leg curls (for hamstrings). The burn was unbearable, but it worked!<br \/>\n<div class=\"e3lan e3lan-in-post1\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Article_Banner -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:inline-block;width:468px;height:60px\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3247500487073208\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"2023057778\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ask 100 bodybuilders which exercise they\u2019d do if they could only do one, and 99 would tell you the squat\u2014and the other one probably has chronic knee issues. There\u2019s little doubt that the squat is the king of all exercises, because it adds mass to your thighs and glutes, as well as all over your &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":536,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-arnold-schwarzenegger","category-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indianbodybuilding.co.in\/Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indianbodybuilding.co.in\/Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indianbodybuilding.co.in\/Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indianbodybuilding.co.in\/Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indianbodybuilding.co.in\/Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.indianbodybuilding.co.in\/Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indianbodybuilding.co.in\/Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indianbodybuilding.co.in\/Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indianbodybuilding.co.in\/Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indianbodybuilding.co.in\/Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}