Is this correct?

[dewasiuk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vELNQm42pdk

At the end of the video, it listed how the olympic style placed less stress on the back and the "power" style placed less stress on the knees. I thought the power style squat was the one that had less torque/stress on the back because of the lower bar position? I don't have my copy of SS on me at the moment so if anyone can clarify this I'd greatly appreciate it.

[PVC]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vELNQm42pdk

At the end of the video, it listed how the olympic style placed less stress on the back and the "power" style placed less stress on the knees. I thought the power style squat was the one that had less torque/stress on the back because of the lower bar position? I don't have my copy of SS on me at the moment so if anyone can clarify this I'd greatly appreciate it.

Torque: the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. The power-style squat involves a steeper back angle, which places more torque on the hip joint than a more upright back angle. With equivalent weights, the power-style squat places less stress on the lower back compared to the olympic-style squat because the weight is placed lower on the back, which decreases the lever length - the lever being the spine. However, the power-style squat allows more total weight to be used, which offsets this factor.

[dewasiuk]

Torque: the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. The power-style squat involves a steeper back angle, which places more torque on the hip joint than a more upright back angle. With equivalent weights, the power-style squat places less stress on the lower back compared to the olympic-style squat because the weight is placed lower on the back, which decreases the lever length - the lever being the spine. However, the power-style squat allows more total weight to be used, which offsets this factor.

Thanks. I'm not the greatest at physics anyways haha.

[scoppi]

i dont know either way, but if you look at lever arms and shear, then what was said in the video is correct.

with the low bar squat, the shins are pretty vertical, so shear on the knees is at a minimum. if you look at the distance from where the bar is to the lower back, the distance is pretty large which puts shear force on your spine.

with the high bar squat, the knees go further out, making the angle of the shins more acute, creating more shear on your knees. the distance from the bar to the lower back though, is small, so theres more compression force and less shear force placed on the spine.

if any of this is wrong, or offends your zealous dedication for bar placement, please correct me most vehemently.

[Tom Campitelli]

With equivalent weights, the power-style squat places less stress on the lower back compared to the olympic-style squat because the weight is placed lower on the back, which decreases the lever length - the lever being the spine. However, the power-style squat allows more total weight to be used, which offsets this factor.

This is really tough to say with certainty. If you high bar squat and successfully keep your torso more upright, you may experience less torque around the hip joint/low back. If you wind up bending over more as you ascend on a high bar squat, then having the bar lower on the back has an advantage. It is a very gray area.

[MazdaMatt]

Bar stays over mid-foot. So if you have the bar placed higher the back angle is lesser and the torque about the hip/lower back is reduced. Pretty straight-forward.

[zzt]

This is really tough to say with certainty. If you high bar squat and successfully keep your torso more upright, you may experience less torque around the hip joint/low back. If you wind up bending over more as you ascend on a high bar squat, then having the bar lower on the back has an advantage. It is a very gray area.

I agree. It seems that although you are more upright, the longer lever arm makes you less stable.

There is always trade offs. Squatting low bar (rip style) has saved my knees and my hips from tendonitis issues. I always had niggling pain in these areas, now I have none. However, I have had to go back to oly style because low bar has buggered my right shoulder....trade offs. Ultimately i think rotation between all styles will probably work best

[PVC]

This is really tough to say with certainty. If you high bar squat and successfully keep your torso more upright, you may experience less torque around the hip joint/low back. If you wind up bending over more as you ascend on a high bar squat, then having the bar lower on the back has an advantage. It is a very gray area.

The high bar squat would have less torque on the lower back, but more shear. In terms of which one ultimately places more stress on the lower back ("stress" is such a generic term, isn't it), you're right, it's not as straightforward as I made it out to be. The question of which squat places more stress on the lower back would be dependent on the trainee's anthropometry and the difference in weight lifted between the two squat variations. And probably some other factors as well.