TO SQUAT OR NOT! - Kai Greene Has His Say
To Squat or Not! - Kai Greene Has His Say
Squats: Best Lower-Body Exercise
As a kinesiologist, natty bodybuilder and trainer, I’ve heard all the different opinions. As a person with years of experience and a trainer yourself, I just have one question: as a bodybuilder, to squat or not to squat? It seems as if some people have trouble with the form, and would probably be better off with leg presses.
If you have ever read a single article about my leg training, and I know there have been at least a couple in MD, you would know how much I believe in the value of the barbell squat. You cannot find a more basic, more demanding or more productive exercise for the lower body. You would also be very hard pressed to find a bodybuilder with anything beyond average leg development who did not build his thighs with plenty of squats over a period of years.
There are those who avoid squats for various reasons. A frequent complaint is that the movement is awkward and difficult to master. Others get discouraged because they see how much weight they can load on a leg press and look at the relatively lighter weight they can handle on squats as a failure. The only legitimate reason not to squat would be for those who are suffering from a severely debilitating injury to the spine or the disks between the vertebrae. In a case like this, heavy loads bearing down on the spine would not be advised. For all others, squats are the absolute best option to increase size and strength in the thighs.
Don’t be discouraged because you can’t use as much weight as someone else or as much as you think you should be able to. And don’t worry if perfect form doesn’t come easily to you. There is nothing to be ashamed of! Know that once you do master the form on squats, you can easily begin to gradually increase the weights you use over time. And you should know that squatting even 225 pounds for deep reps with excellent form will yield much better gains than half-reps with 500 pounds, hunched over as if you’re performing a good morning. Never for a minute worry about what anyone else is doing. Focus on your own performance, your own technique and stimulating growth in your thighs.
Put Down the Tape Measure and Open Your Mind
Would you mind having someone measure your arms, legs (largest part), chest and calves on video? It would be kind of interesting to know your measurements.
You’ve probably heard this before, but bodybuilding is a sport judged entirely by visual perception. It’s been called a sport of illusion, because the actual size of the muscles is far less significant than what they appear to be. With excellent shape, separation and detail, an 18-inch arm will appear to be much larger than a 21-inch arm lacking in shape and definition. Further, if measurements were actually important, they would be part of the criteria we are judged by, and judges would be onstage with tape measures recording those numbers.
In the grand scheme of things, I would hope that I have more to offer you than providing you with my measurements. For instance, if I had the chance to sit down with Donald Trump and ask him anything, I really wouldn’t waste time asking him what color his socks were. I would rather know what drives him and what his mindset is when he sets and accomplishes various goals, as well as strategies he employs to stay focused and to convince others to be part of the process of success.
I encourage you to stop focusing on things like how big my arms or legs are or how much another pro can bench press or use in barbell rows. Put down the magazine, turn off the computer and break down the barriers of your own mental walls to start expanding your horizons. Think about your hopes and dreams and what it is you really want out of life, and then start brainstorming about how you can make those things a reality. Use someone like myself as an inspiration, by all means, but know that you are capable of being and doing anything you truly set your mind to and believe in. Forget about my measurements. What are yours? And if you’re not happy with them, change them!