Meet the 'King' of exercises - Squats

All hail the King!
Your majesty, the all powerful and unmerciless - your Majesty the King of all SQUATS.
(You may address him as Squats though, as we're amongst friends. Oh, and we're not referring to the mising in Las Vegas type either)

The King is the King for many reasons. I'll list these quickly but not concisely;
he is merciless, he is the ultimate authority on strength, he will build muscle like no other, he will enhance appetite yet burn fat off, he induses an anobolic hormone response like no other, he makes you mentally stronger, he trains your nervous system, blah blah etc etc.

If you question the King you may prove him wrong - but only in battle. For those that would defy the King - load up that bar with twice your body weight and rep out a set of squats until the bar screams STOP. You wouldn't dare would you? It wouldn't happen like that would it? That the King is mightier than thou is beyond question.

So how can we become a great servant of the King and in return enjoy the training benfits of his wise rule?

Here's a quick list of Kingly commandments. Follow these and thou shalt reap rich rewards.

1. respect the King at all times. If you do not he will hurt you badly.
2. pay full attention to the King. Do not get distracted when you are in the gym with a bar across you trapezius and expect the King to look upon you kindly. Concentrate.
3. no the King has no limits - but you do. Start off squatting with a very moderate wieght. Begin slowly and in a controlled fashion. Form (or exercise execution) is paramont. So do not make promises to the King that you know you cannot keep - he will not forgive you.
4. the King demands courtley etiquette. Study the exercise form for squats, read about squats and practice. Lest you offend the King - remember he will not forgive easily.
5. wear appropriate footwear and clothing. The King demands flat soled shoes and loose clothing for freedom of movement. Do not show up poorly dressed for the King
6. curtsy commoner. Once you have the bar placed and you are facing forward, head slightly up. The King requires that you squat, all of the way down (often called the hole) until your bum is almost touching your calves. And then all of the way up.
7. once is not enough to be respectful. No - you will repeat the suat for somewhere ranging from 10-20 reps. No excuses the King demands.
8. and again he commands. Thats right he will want sets. Lets say 3-5 sets.

Suffer so that yee may reap (or weep which is more likely)

Know that you will find many many excuses not to face the King. Know that that is your failing not his.

Be strong, face the King, be respectful and safe.
Reap the rewards that only the King can bestow on yee.

__________________
Slayer of Trolls amongst other things.
Made for the Love of a Good Woman, and not a bad little player too ;-)
Chumba Concept Salon
Professional Hair Stylist

ok, thanks for that carl.

will have a go.

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it's more polite on the grating than on the subs bench

Good work Carl. The squat is indeed the king of all exercises and the one that will give you the most unbeatable foundation upon which to build any other training. Choose not to do them at your own risk :-)

great carl thanks
i do like squats and hate them at the same time,they are the dry land version of beep test.
pure torture and mental strenght.

quick question carl.
i have dodgy knees,im now sqauting using a machine where the bar is attached and does'nt sway
any tips like wraps for knees or should i not go all the way down when squaring.

ps
wow the guy in the photo thats squatting in the web link you posted is soooo strong,i had been reading that instruction web link for 20 mins and he was still squating non stop.
wow !

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top of de mornin to yeh

Whats exactly wrong with your knees?
Smith machine squats (i think thats the machine you're referring to) may actually be harder on your knees than regular squats as the motion is fixed on a linear plane (not very natural)

__________________
Slayer of Trolls amongst other things.
Made for the Love of a Good Woman, and not a bad little player too ;-)
Chumba Concept Salon
Professional Hair Stylist

just a few cracks and grinds in my knees,i'm just being cautious,dont think theres too much to worry about.i'll wait and see untill i push heavier weights.
unfortunatley i have to use the machine for squats as there is no squatting free bar.

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top of de mornin to yeh

Carl one quick question i'd like your opinion on. Its been a while since i've been weight training ~1 year+, and it has been ~8 years since i've done free weight squats, but you've convinced me as I start to hit the weights again I'll add these in.

Question is long ago ~16 years old, had a weight trainer who insisted on absolutly flat feet while performing squats. At that time I was flexible enough, and the guys that didn't have the flexibility he insisted they develop it first and never allowed things like a small block of wood under the heels to allow full foot pressure, essentially getting up on their toes at the bottom of the motion.

Come to find out i've lost some flexibilty in this area. So my question is, do I just go as deep into the squat as my flexibility allows and let that steadily increase over some time? or raise my heels to allow my butt to reach the proper distance into the "hole"?

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An aquifer is a water bearing layer of rock or soil. Aquifers are separated by impermeable layers of rock or clay called an aquitard. Aquitard, however may sound a bit offensive to some, and therefore we will be changing the name to Aquachallenge.

Hi Tuck,
the answer is long also.
Really it's hard to say without sighting you in person or assessing you in person. Alot depends on your bodies levers etc.
Flexability is an important part of fitness, so yes that must be improved and should be a priority.
Weight at the beginning is not as important as full range - so worry about this last.
Heel lifts may help but will stress the quads more than the posterior groups. Thats not so bad, so yes try it if you feel.

__________________
Slayer of Trolls amongst other things.
Made for the Love of a Good Woman, and not a bad little player too ;-)
Chumba Concept Salon
Professional Hair Stylist

Ok, that answers my questions as much as I need. I already have a pretty large despairity between quads and hamstrings/glutes that needs to be addressed, so I will just have to go with an even lower weight and suck up the looks I get when my 110 kg body is growning with ~45kg on the bar... sigh... but I supose i need to start somewhere, emphasizing full range of motion. I should be able to add weight pretty quickly.

thanks,
s

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An aquifer is a water bearing layer of rock or soil. Aquifers are separated by impermeable layers of rock or clay called an aquitard. Aquitard, however may sound a bit offensive to some, and therefore we will be changing the name to Aquachallenge.

Actually if you're that rusty - a broom stick for 3 sets of 25.

No joke, you'll be very sore.

__________________
Slayer of Trolls amongst other things.
Made for the Love of a Good Woman, and not a bad little player too ;-)
Chumba Concept Salon
Professional Hair Stylist