How did the Low Bar Back Squat that we use come to be?

[SBegetis]

Hey Coach,

I'm asking this question for a historical perspective. How did the Low Bar Squat, or simply the Squat, originate?

I understand you don't claim to be teaching a powerlifting squat, but rather, a squat that uses the most muscle mass along the greatest range of motion that we can use. When you competed and hit your 611 squat, was the stance Starting Strength, or was it a wider powerlifting stance?

I'm curious because after all this time I've been squatting, I realize the form you teach is the best that can be used raw. It's like the concepts of the Low Bar Position, and the Hip Drive are the only two components of the Squat that seem to derive from powerlifting, but everything else is a hybrid of an athletic stance (closer stance, quad involvement). And I'm saying this in a good way.

Is it a hybrid of your powerlifting experience, in combination with what you learned from Bill Starr? I ask because I don't know what you learned or didn't learn from Bill Starr, and from what I've read, he seems to favor the Olympic Squat.

"High-bar, or Olympic, squats are, in my opinion, the best of the lot because they work the muscles of the hips, legs and back more directly'and therefore more completely'than any other version. If you want to do full cleans or compete in Olympic weightlifting, it's imperative that you do this exercise."

So was it that the powerlifting low bar squat was a wide stanced squat that was meant to be used in gear/a squat suit? And then you modified it to be narrower stance for more quadricep involvement and that it could be performed raw? The Squat we use seems to be the perfect hybrid between the Powerlifting and Olympic Squat. Did Starr teach you the Low Bar Squat?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Bill didn't teach me the version of the squat we use today. I distilled it out of my own experience as a lifter and a gym owner, having squatted many thousands of reps and coached several thousand people in the lift over 30 years. The bar position, stance width and angle, and hip-drive cues are a distillation of these experiences.

[51M0n]

I was watching a video from the Arnolds of Mike Tuchscherer squatting and noticed how familar his set-up is (thumb-free grip, head down, not super wide stance ect.) Wonder if he read Starting Strength at some stage (or had a coach who did) or if it's simply the case of convergent evolution. He trains at home in his own garage as well.

[Kregna]

That's interesting what you said about it being a cross between a powerlifting style and an olympic style squat. I'd never thought of it like that before. Is this how you see it mark?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Not at all. I view it as the best way to squat for general strength purposes, having perfected it for that over many years. Since Olympic lifters "back squat" for general strength purposes, it is the best way for them to squat too.

[GHK]

That's interesting what you said about it being a cross between a powerlifting style and an olympic style squat. I'd never thought of it like that before. Is this how you see it mark?

When I was a young guy (1988 in competition), this was the standard starnce. Looking at my books, it was Ricky Dale Crain (and a Japanese fella that I need to dig out his name) used a wide stance. I even tried this at 15yrs old but just did not work for me. Most used the above one (Check out Kaz squats). A few of the Super heavies used a wider stance but it seemed more of their girth.

[MylesKantor]

I was watching a video from the Arnolds of Mike Tuchscherer squatting and noticed how familar his set-up is (thumb-free grip, head down, not super wide stance ect.) Wonder if he read Starting Strength at some stage (or had a coach who did) or if it's simply the case of convergent evolution.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...#post542055973

[weightliftingfan1]

Sorry for just trying to post this in the wrong thread.
Were you influenced by Ed Coan's squats when you were experimenting with your squat method?

[gape]

I was watching a video from the Arnolds of Mike Tuchscherer squatting and noticed how familar his set-up is (thumb-free grip, head down, not super wide stance ect.) Wonder if he read Starting Strength at some stage (or had a coach who did) or if it's simply the case of convergent evolution. He trains at home in his own garage as well.

Mike T has been lifting for the past 15 years and is a coach himself. Google "Reactive Training Systems" to learn about his approach. He's a strong dude, these are his lifts raw at a meet (guest lifter) in late December as a 275lb:

[hbriem]

Most IPF lifters (by far the largest PL fed, single ply only, moving towards raw, drug-tested) squat in a similar way to SS. Exceptions include the grip and head position. Hardly any use the ultra-wide stance favoured by multi-ply monolift lifters.