If You Ain't Squatting, You Ain't Training

Who the fuck came up with this rule? Why isn't it training if you don't squat? Granted squats are essential but what kind of squatting are we talking about? Are we talking about High Repetition? Holding certain postures? Lifting a crazy amount of weight? All the above? What do we know what's right or wrong with training the squat?

I think it depends on the goals you have and what variations constitutes a squat type of training or part of a regimen. Squats again are essential but because of the plethora of variations, it doesn't have to be one or the other. When it comes to high repetition, it can be debatable depending on who you ask. Now something like 500 Hindu Squats is a great goal but is it a complete necessity outside of sports conditioning? There are plenty of fighters and wrestlers who can do 500 Squats like it's a cake walk but not all of them last in an actual match (which in a perspective is counterproductive don't you think?). High Rep squats can be healthy if you have experience and are consistent with it and it wouldn't matter if you did 100 or 1000 a day but there comes a time where high rep squats can be harmful to an extent. You're not going to see many 80-90 year olds doing 300 or more squats. 

Unless you have specific goals, you can do high reps in total with multiple variations to really reap the benefits. Do 50 of Hindu Squats, 25 Side Lunges each side, do several Pan Squats (Bodyweight Goblet Squat basically) and others. Step-Ups is great for leg conditioning as well to strengthen the legs unilaterally. Sometimes doing less number of squats can be good because you can do them slower to really tackle the tendons and ligaments. Some people think if you train slow, you'll be slow, that's not necessarily true. When you do Squats or variations at a slower pace say ten seconds or more up and down, it creates that time under tension which for older folks or those who have sustained injuries, can be extremely beneficial.

I would do various squats within a good level of repetitions but I prefer Step-Ups and Isometric Squats and Lunges which really help strengthen the joints from another perspective and give that protective shield for the skeletal structure. Wall Sits, Iso Zercher Squats, Iso Leg Presses, 30 second Hindu Squats and Isometric Lunges (Hybrid Style) can do far more for the legs as we get older than doing hundreds of reps. I've done 500-1000 squats and as great as that was for a period, it doesn't have as much value to me as it use to be. Quite frankly, some of the best squatting exercises aren't stationary but moving within an amount of space such as Duck Walks, Bigfoot Walk, Frog Jumps or combining the squat into a sequence of animal moves. 

Lifting extremely heavyweight may work for a powerlifter or strongman but again, you can't go that hard forever and expect to not have some form of injury or needing some kind of surgery. An extreme few exceptions in the entire world can manage some incredible numbers in the heavy squats and still function later in life. Hip replacements, broken bones, shattered femurs, ankle breaks and low back pain are going to be the majority's life if they continue that path. 

When it comes down to it, we squat a lot as it is in our lives; picking up stuff, putting on our shoes, getting baskets of laundry, being at the level of a child, gardening and other things. It's a natural form of movement no question but to say if you ain't squatting, you ain't training is like saying if you're not going fast on the streets like in Nascar, you're not really driving. There's a time and a place for squats but the question is, what squats are a priority and what style are you talking about? 

You don't have to do traditional squats to get awesome benefits for the lower body, in reality, the unconventional ways are far more interesting than to just shove rep after rep down someone's throat. Build strong and durable legs, be resourceful and keep being amazingly awesome.

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