Well let's not exaggerate too much now...
Russian Squat Masters - Le retour
- Thread starter Freefaller
- Start date
Caporegime
<3
Caporegime
Incorrect: </3
A bit of deadlift action today \o/
Deficit warm ups:
Bar*lots
70*6
100*5
120*5
140*5
160*5
180*2
200*2
215*2
225*2
175*3
175*3
175*3
Happy with that. Fast. Strong. Good form. Sweet.
WG Pull ups:
20*6
30*6
40*6
50*4 followed by BW dropset of 8 reps.
Done.
Just a quickie today.
Deficit warm ups:
Bar*lots
70*6
100*5
120*5
140*5
160*5
180*2
200*2
215*2
225*2
175*3
175*3
175*3
Happy with that. Fast. Strong. Good form. Sweet.
WG Pull ups:
20*6
30*6
40*6
50*4 followed by BW dropset of 8 reps.
Done.
Just a quickie today.
Back from a long weekend so got back into it with some deadlifts. Didn't have time for a full session unfortunately.
Deficit warm ups:
Bar*lots
70*6
110*5
140*5
160*5
180*2
200*2
210*2
225*2
195*3
195*3
195*3
DS 152.5*10
Deficit warm ups:
Bar*lots
70*6
110*5
140*5
160*5
180*2
200*2
210*2
225*2
195*3
195*3
195*3
DS 152.5*10
A bit of benching and squatting.
Bar * lots
60*8
80*8
90*6
100*5
Bench + chains:
114*5
114*5
114*5
114*5
114*5
DS
90*12
Squats:
60*8
80*8
100*5
120*5
140*5
160*2
160*2
160*2
160*2
160*2
160*2
Incline alternate DB Press:
25*8
25*8
25*8
Done.
Bar * lots
60*8
80*8
90*6
100*5
Bench + chains:
114*5
114*5
114*5
114*5
114*5
DS
90*12
Squats:
60*8
80*8
100*5
120*5
140*5
160*2
160*2
160*2
160*2
160*2
160*2
Incline alternate DB Press:
25*8
25*8
25*8
Done.
A few squats!
Bar*lots
60*10
80*8
100*6
120*5
140*5
160*3
180*2
190*1
200*2
205*1 - PB woot!
210*1 - not quite to depth and no vid but felt good.
I then did a 140*18 for a dropset for lols. Gutted I didn't go for 20.
Bar*lots
60*10
80*8
100*6
120*5
140*5
160*3
180*2
190*1
200*2
205*1 - PB woot!
210*1 - not quite to depth and no vid but felt good.
I then did a 140*18 for a dropset for lols. Gutted I didn't go for 20.
Associate
- Joined
- 28 Sep 2013
- Posts
- 239
Nice PB Freefaller! Congrats.
Its easier to see on your 140kg reps video - you look like you have a really wide stance, your feet look as far apart as your hands - am I seeing that right? May I ask whats led you to that kind of set up?
Its easier to see on your 140kg reps video - you look like you have a really wide stance, your feet look as far apart as your hands - am I seeing that right? May I ask whats led you to that kind of set up?
Thanks 
Better thoracic stability, more glute activation, improved hip movement, improved ankle mobility, easier to keep lumbar neutral throughout lift and especially at depth (i.e. can get deeper without sacrificing lumbar), and most importantly more power development.
Better thoracic stability, more glute activation, improved hip movement, improved ankle mobility, easier to keep lumbar neutral throughout lift and especially at depth (i.e. can get deeper without sacrificing lumbar), and most importantly more power development.
Associate
- Joined
- 28 Sep 2013
- Posts
- 239
Are those benefits generic or specific to your physiology?
Tried and tested However it depends on your goals - I want power/strength, for bodybuilding you need to do narrow and wide stances to help develop vastus lateralis, rectus femoris and vastius medialis separately. I'm not a bodybuilder.
However it depends on your goals - I want power/strength, for bodybuilding you need to do narrow and wide stances to help develop vastus lateralis, rectus femoris and vastius medialis separately. I'm not a bodybuilder.
Associate
- Joined
- 28 Sep 2013
- Posts
- 239
Insightful answer as ever FF, thanks.
I'm no bb - not the look I'm after, ugh! However a good blend of size/ shape and power is what I'm after - I want my gymnast body I had 25 years ago back boo hoo!
I'm no bb - not the look I'm after, ugh! However a good blend of size/ shape and power is what I'm after - I want my gymnast body I had 25 years ago back boo hoo!
My legs aren't exactly suffering catabolism as a result 
Caporegime
Bearing in mind jernau for that wide of a stance and to get that depth you need some lovely adductors!
There are a number of factors that determine optimal foot stance when squatting, but FreeFaller is essentially correct:
- Wider stance does allow for greater glute activation (and, therefore, force generation) in most weight ranges;
- Most people don't have the flexibility required to squat well with a narrow stance;
- Most people who start (and continue) squatting are too quad dominant and don't understand hip mechanics.
Practically, the best foot placement is down to the individual concerned, and what lets them squat with the greatest range of motion without compromising themselves (the lumbar or knees, for example):
So what is the answer? There are a milliion different squat variations out there, because - unbelievably - every lifter is different. I'd wager a lot of people never really realise that just because their mate squats like X, doesn't mean they can or should.
I'd argue a bloke called Mart Seim (Estonian 105+kg weighlifter, #4 at the recent IWF World Championships) - quite possibly one of the strongest sets of legs walking this earth, generates a fair whack of power...
But then his sport is weightlifting...
- Wider stance does allow for greater glute activation (and, therefore, force generation) in most weight ranges;
- Most people don't have the flexibility required to squat well with a narrow stance;
- Most people who start (and continue) squatting are too quad dominant and don't understand hip mechanics.
Practically, the best foot placement is down to the individual concerned, and what lets them squat with the greatest range of motion without compromising themselves (the lumbar or knees, for example):
- What sport are they training for?
Squatting is best done in the manner that gives the athlete the most carry over. This requires an understanding of the sport, and the athlete themselves. IF just squatting for the sake of squatting, then wherever the most power is generated...
- How is their body (and - more specifically - their legs) proportioned?
Longer legs and particularly femurs make squatting like a Chinese weightlifter impossible: the amount of space required for long legs at the bottom of the squat cannot be reconciled to the space availabe... it's simple physics. A wider stance effectively reduces the length of the femurs (due to the angle at which they're positioned), allowing more room to move. The other alternative is to flare one's knees and squat with more toe-out, but that can be quite contentious.
- What is their mobility like, and what is optimal?
If somebody has poor (or rather, average) ankle mobility, sqwuatting wide reduces the requirement for ankle flexion because there is not so much forward knee travel, meaning the positions being hit are less "compressed" than with a shoulder-width (ish) squat (again, dependent on leg/femur length).
- What is their hip anatomy like?
Some people just can't squat ATG, or get parallel in certain positions without compromising their lumbar stability, because their femur-acetabulum (hip socket) does not permit it. Some people's hip sockets point more or less straight down and are very deep, making pistol squats a doddle, but making a wide stance impossible; conversely, shallow, angled socked effectively allow for almost a complete ROM in any direction, meaning the lifter won't be limited by this...
Squatting is best done in the manner that gives the athlete the most carry over. This requires an understanding of the sport, and the athlete themselves. IF just squatting for the sake of squatting, then wherever the most power is generated...
- How is their body (and - more specifically - their legs) proportioned?
Longer legs and particularly femurs make squatting like a Chinese weightlifter impossible: the amount of space required for long legs at the bottom of the squat cannot be reconciled to the space availabe... it's simple physics. A wider stance effectively reduces the length of the femurs (due to the angle at which they're positioned), allowing more room to move. The other alternative is to flare one's knees and squat with more toe-out, but that can be quite contentious.
- What is their mobility like, and what is optimal?
If somebody has poor (or rather, average) ankle mobility, sqwuatting wide reduces the requirement for ankle flexion because there is not so much forward knee travel, meaning the positions being hit are less "compressed" than with a shoulder-width (ish) squat (again, dependent on leg/femur length).
- What is their hip anatomy like?
Some people just can't squat ATG, or get parallel in certain positions without compromising their lumbar stability, because their femur-acetabulum (hip socket) does not permit it. Some people's hip sockets point more or less straight down and are very deep, making pistol squats a doddle, but making a wide stance impossible; conversely, shallow, angled socked effectively allow for almost a complete ROM in any direction, meaning the lifter won't be limited by this...
I'd argue a bloke called Mart Seim (Estonian 105+kg weighlifter, #4 at the recent IWF World Championships) - quite possibly one of the strongest sets of legs walking this earth, generates a fair whack of power...
But then his sport is weightlifting...
I am relatively long limbed so wider suits me better without compromising my form.
The one point that is categorical is that you are able develop more power with a wider stance than narrower.
Associate
- Joined
- 28 Sep 2013
- Posts
- 239
Sorry if this has taken us off topic but appreciate the helpful answers. I'm a different shape than FF being short legged which is partly why I asked the question. My flexibility is pretty good though so I can go wide and narrow if I choose to. I'm in early stages of building a foundation at the moment but will look into the benefits of different stances for the next phase.