4 Scary New Ways to Squat

[krazyduck]

Because that is why we squat.

•  Newbies should stick to front and back squats, but experienced lifters, strongmen, and combat athletes need to experiment with challenging new variations.

•  The wobble squat requires the lifter to control the weight against chaotic forces. With the proper load, these squats can be used for both hypertrophy and conditioning.

•  Russell squats use asymmetrical loads to recruit the core and the legs in a completely different manner than regular squats.

http://www.t-nation.com/training/4-s...-ways-to-squat

[Simon Rest]

He totally missed the fifth option of squatting while someone throws sandbags at you and you need to duck out of the way

[Adam Skillin]

Why would "combat athletes" be on the list of people who need to incorporate this silliness? I get the idea of adding squatting variety when squatting is the sport (or part of it), sort of. But aren't combat athletes in the gym to get strong, and on the mats to practice combat sports? Why do wobbley and/or unbalanced squats help you kick, punch, and grapple more than just plain getting freakishly strong?

[John Bono]

"Wobble Squats" is what Dan John calls a Koji Squat:



Frankly, they don't do shit for the core. I've done them, and what they are really for is to nail down your form in the squat. What adding the wobble from a kettlebell or plate suspended from a bar does is make a comparatively light weight have the feel and stability of a much heavier weight. For example, if you have 135 on the bar, and a pair of 25s hanging by bands, it will make that 185lb bar feel like 245 in terms of how hard it is to stabilize. It forces you to concentrate on a more controlled descent and better posture, especially when front squatting. For high bar, it might have some value as well. For a LBBS, though, I think it is kinda useless.

[ericholas]

…the black and white photo at the top of the article reminds of the new squat variation : the sodomizer…I heard it works better for you when you are in the hole though…

[krazyduck]

"Wobble Squats" is what Dan John calls a Koji Squat:



Frankly, they don't do shit for the core. I've done them, and what they are really for is to nail down your form in the squat. What adding the wobble from a kettlebell or plate suspended from a bar does is make a comparatively light weight have the feel and stability of a much heavier weight. For example, if you have 135 on the bar, and a pair of 25s hanging by bands, it will make that 185lb bar feel like 245 in terms of how hard it is to stabilize. It forces you to concentrate on a more controlled descent and better posture, especially when front squatting. For high bar, it might have some value as well. For a LBBS, though, I think it is kinda useless.

Seems to be a break-off of Louie's bamboo bar bench with kettlebells hanging from bands (I don't know what the official name is).

[Feng_Li]

Why would "combat athletes" be on the list of people who need to incorporate this silliness? I get the idea of adding squatting variety when squatting is the sport (or part of it), sort of. But aren't combat athletes in the gym to get strong, and on the mats to practice combat sports? Why do wobbley and/or unbalanced squats help you kick, punch, and grapple more than just plain getting freakishly strong?

<Japanese voice>Don't know. Never fight wobble bands.</Japanese voice>