You're a bigger mess than I am, buddy. Sure, just stick with your belt squats.
I recently was able to demo the Squatmax MD. No lever arms, no pulleys, just free weight loaded on a pin connected to a belt below my center of gravity. I was extremely impressed. Had a 45lb plate with a pair of bands on it and i felt my quads and glutes light on fire without having to load my spine. With the addition of a short pin they call a 'transformer pin' that was used to manipulate the center of gravity by changing the attachment point for the belt, I was able to emphasize quads or glutes to my liking. I had never tried a belt squat prior to this, either this is a really good unit or I was easily impressed. Also I found it much easier to squat at a deeper depth than with a loaded barbell on my back. After a few sets my legs felt like jelly.
Can this added/subbed into the program for us more "broken down" individuals to get stronger without having to load the spine? Can it be programmed like the barbell squat on LP or is it just an accessory exercise to add volume?
I'm feeling more broken down than what my biological age of 45 would indicate. I have significant trouble loading my back and stabilizing the bar due to thoracic disc disease; has been an issue for 20 years. Repaired the labrums in both shoulders in my mid-30s, tennis elbow surgery in my dominant right arm 3-years ago, and trigger finger surgery in 8 of my fingers over the last 13 years; only the thumbs have been spared. My doc says the trigger finger is due to thickening of the tendons caused by exposure to high blood sugar (I've had T1 diabetes since I was 9). Last November I had emergency surgery to drain my knee due to an inflammatory reaction/infection caused by an Orthovisc injection. I spent a week in the hospital getting intravenous antibiotics.
You're a bigger mess than I am, buddy. Sure, just stick with your belt squats.
I know I’m a mess, but it’s not like I walked into your gym with a trap bar!
Never did a belt squat before this past Fri-dee night. I feel infatuated with it ever since.
This is a pure free weight movement that utilizes novel loading pin on guide rod technology. Consequently, there isn't a neuromuscular disconnect between you and the load tension
How is your back going to get stronger if you don’t “load the spine?”
He can deadlift, I think.
I do deadlift without issue. Thank God.
I recognize that barbell squats have many benefits including strengthening the back and core and contributing to hormone releases in the body that affirm adaptation. Losing those benefits has me wary honestly. Hence my original question about the belt lift, is it trainable during LP or is it an assistance exercise akin to an exercise machine? Just for sake of argument, even if the belt squat delivers 100% of the muscle activation in the quads and glutes that the low bar squat does, does it even matter if I lose all the other benefits of barbell squat even with my compromised back?
I can see a situation where perhaps I barbell squat for lower weight or only once a week and belt squat heavier loads on the belt squat 2x per week.
I can see something like the squatmax or even the Rogue Rhino being helpful to add volume, but is it ultimately just fucking around in the gym?