Why are squats considered #1? Anyone can solve this mystery?

[Imnotdutch]

Call me dumb, but I find bent over dumbell rows far more taxing than squats. gees I breath heavy after a set of em vs squats.

WHen you think about your upper body is pretty much relaxed in squats, in a dumbell bent over row on a bench you whole body has to contract to stabilise the movement, especially chest and legs.

How is your upper body relaxed when doing squats?? If you are using respectable weight your abs and erectors are working overtime stabilising your torso. Your traps are supporting a big weight. Your shoulders and back should be locked. Sounds like a whole body movement to me.

 

[Lumberg]

Call me dumb, but I find bent over dumbell rows far more taxing than squats. gees I breath heavy after a set of em vs squats.

WHen you think about your upper body is pretty much relaxed in squats, in a dumbell bent over row on a bench you whole body has to contract to stabilise the movement, especially chest and legs.

Uhhhhh....NO. First of all your trunk supporting muscles factor in very significantly so the squat is essentially exercising every muscle below your sternum. Add to that the fact that you're using your arms to stabilize a pretty heavy weight on your shoulders and I'd say you have a whole-body exercise. If your upper body is relaxed during squatting you are squatting WAY to little weight.

Now I'm not gonna say your arms are gonna be sore after you squat but you're definitely tensing them.

JC

 

[GRIMMER]

What? Rows? is this a joke. Please tell me you did not actually mean that.

 

[coolcolj]

I'm not joking!

I dread doing single bent over dumbell rows on a bench more than squats because its so damn much work for me. Squats are easy by comparison, and both are very easy compared to sprints interval training

 

[kingsquat]

Call me dumb, but I find bent over dumbell rows far more taxing than squats. gees I breath heavy after a set of em vs squats.

WHen you think about your upper body is pretty much relaxed in squats, in a dumbell bent over row on a bench you whole body has to contract to stabilise the movement, especially chest and legs.

You are dumb. (Hey, you asked for it yourself) You have obviously never actually done a set of squats... When you say, "WHen you think about your upper body is pretty much relaxed in squats", that is the red flag that tells me that you are jacking around in the gym instead of squatting. Don't tell me that your upper body is relaxed when you squat. I've had rear delt cramps, ab cramps, etc from a good round of squats. Try throwning 405 on the bar and trying to do 20 reps with it. And not these half-@ssed squats either, I'm talking about breaking the parallel plane with your quads.

Kingsquat

 

[coolcolj]

I go below parallel, and I do it flat on the floor without any extra height behind my heels. Sure it hurts, and its taxing, but its taxing in a way I enjoy. Its quite relaxing in a funny sort of way. Up and down nothing to it.

Powercleans feel a heck a lot more taxing for me, and you have to concentrate a lot more.

 

[bigfatty]

Hey Coolcolj,

I feel the same way!! ... When your squatting the bare bar. Either you got legs like tom platz or you are going way to light!

 

[Lumberg]

You are dumb. (Hey, you asked for it yourself) You have obviously never actually done a set of squats... When you say, "WHen you think about your upper body is pretty much relaxed in squats", that is the red flag that tells me that you are jacking around in the gym instead of squatting. Don't tell me that your upper body is relaxed when you squat. I've had rear delt cramps, ab cramps, etc from a good round of squats. Try throwning 405 on the bar and trying to do 20 reps with it. And not these half-@ssed squats either, I'm talking about breaking the parallel plane with your quads.

Kingsquat

He's not dumb, maybe just ignorant. He just has to up the intensity on the squats bro!!!!

 

[coolcolj]

The only thing that makes squats seems harder than they are is the "scariness factor", ie all the iron sitting on your back with no where to go. Not everyone is the same, for me powercleans wipe me out far more than squats ever do. There is a hell a lot more muscle groups involved, and you have to explode every single one in a co-ordinated fashion to get the weight up to you shoulders, and then deadlift it back to ground in a controlled manner.
Just a lot more nerves required to fire off the muscles in a explosive manner.

I can easily do squats at the end of the workout. But try doing power cleans after you've worked your upper body and see how you go...

 

[Imnotdutch]

A few points:

1. You started off talking about 'bent over dumbell rows'. Now you talk about powercleans. Why are you changing your mind? Nobody will deny how tough powercleans are......but dumb-bell rows is a joke in comparison to squats.

2. You can easily do squats at the end of a workout? Ok so you just told us that you obviously don't believe in tough workouts else you wouldn't be fit for squats at the end. Mind you I could do squats at the end if Iuse a much lighter weight.......maybe that is what you meant?

3. The only things making squats tough is the scariness factor?? Is that why alot of people on this site do walkouts with more weight than they can squat?? They must be really intimidated by the weight if they do that huh? BTW the iron does have somewhere to go if you are in a cage.....or......you have spotters.

Oh and please tellus how much you squat. There are several people here doing 700+.......at least one on 800lb+ (there are prob more). You think they are scared of that weight? You don't lift that much through being scared......you lift it by dominating the weight and knowing that you own it.

The only thing that makes squats seems harder than they are is the "scariness factor", ie all the iron sitting on your back with no where to go. Not everyone is the same, for me powercleans wipe me out far more than squats ever do. There is a hell a lot more muscle groups involved, and you have to explode every single one in a co-ordinated fashion to get the weight up to you shoulders, and then deadlift it back to ground in a controlled manner.
Just a lot more nerves required to fire off the muscles in a explosive manner.

I can easily do squats at the end of the workout. But try doing power cleans after you've worked your upper body and see how you go...