The muscles affected will mainly be the quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings (or hamstrings).
The training of the calves muscles will have a dedicated part specifically for their particularity, and in addition a bracket will also be open for the lower back, which often has great resentment in the squat.
The choice of one exercise over another always follows the same logic explained for the bench-press. This means that in an exercise such as progressive lunges with dumbbells, the muscles affected will mainly be the glutes and quadriceps but also the hamstring muscles and the trunk stabilizers, in addition to the leg muscles etc., so it is always good to keep in mind the biomechanics and "functional anatomy of the muscles, to draw up a program and understand when a group has already worked enough, or has not undergone the right stresses as scheduled.
As for the bench-press, even in the squat there are 6 possible cases, from the most stressed group to the least:
- Quadriceps-Glutei-Hamstrings;
- Quadriceps-Hamstrings-Glutes;
- Glutei-Quadriceps-Hamstrings;
- Glutes-Hamstrings-Quadriceps;
- Hamstrings-Quadriceps-Glutes;
- Hamstrings-Glutes-Quadriceps.
Keep in mind that in the squat, before starting the exercise test with loads on the barbell, it is good to make sure that you can practice this movement in complete safety and comfort. Therefore a series of tests will be necessary on the flexibility of the ankles, lower back, correct position of the pelvis; in particular it is good to evaluate the symmetry of the lower limbs in order not to create imbalances in overloads that can lead to long series problems; therefore, having the green light for the practice of the squat, it is evaluated in which case it falls the subject under examination.
Again for a statistical discourse, in this test a good percentage of subjects feel greater work in the quadriceps, to a lesser extent in the buttocks and little in the hamstrings (case n ° 1), probably dictated by a genetic discourse based on the function of the tonic muscles postural and phasic-phasic (topic to be addressed separately).
It should always be remembered that the number of reps indicated and the relative work time for that series must be maximum, so when it is indicated, for example, the number of 15 reps and about 45 seconds of work means that that load must lead to "inability to continue.
Training percentages could also be used, but the calculation would become too complicated for those who are not technicians or experts in the field. In case you want to deal with the matter, it is good to remember that for white fibers you should use high loads, around 85-90% of 1RM, for red fibers, loads around 60-65% of 1 RM and for intermediate loads around 75% of 1 RM.
typical of case n ° 1 (Quadriceps-Glutei-Hamstrings) the program should have an order more or less as follows:- 3 sets of squats of 7-10 reps (about 15-20 seconds) with 2-3 minutes of recovery;
- 2 sets of rear lunges with a load of 10-16 reps per leg (35-45 seconds) with 1 minute of recovery between one leg and the other;
- 2 sets of hip-trust lifting with support weight of 12-15 reps (35-45 seconds) with 1 minute and 30 seconds of recovery;
- 3 sets of leg curl of 20-25 reps (> 60 seconds) with 45 seconds of recovery.
In case n ° 2 (Quadriceps-Hamstrings-Glutes) we should have a routine more or less as follows:
- 3 sets of squats of 7-10 reps (about 15-20 seconds) with 2-3 minutes of recovery;
- 3 sets of semi-bent leg deadlifts of 10-15 reps (30-45 seconds) with 1 minute and 30 seconds of recovery;
- 2 sets of leg curl of 12-15 reps (35-45 seconds) with 1 minute and 30 seconds of recovery;
- 2 sets of pelvic lifting or glutes machine of 20-25 reps (> 60 seconds) with 45 seconds of recovery.
In case n ° 3 (Glutei-Quadriceps-Hamstrings) we should have a routine more or less as follows:
- 3 sets of Lunges in progression of 10-12 reps (about 20-25 seconds) with 2-3 minutes of recovery;
- 3 sets of squats 10-15 reps (30-45 seconds) with 1 minute and 30 seconds of recovery;
- 2 sets of 1-leg squats with the other resting on steps of 10-15 reps per leg (about 20-25 seconds) with 1 minute of recovery per leg and 1 minute of recovery between sets;
- 3 sets of leg curl of 20-25 reps (> 60 seconds) with 45 seconds of recovery.
In case 4 (Glutes-Hamstrings-Quadriceps) we should have a routine more or less as follows:
- 3 sets of Lunges in progression of 10-12 reps (about 20-25 seconds) with 2-3 minutes of recovery;
- 3 sets of semi-bent leg deadlifts of 10-15 reps (30-45 seconds) with 1 minute and 30 seconds of recovery;
- 2 sets of 1-leg squats with the other resting on steps of 10-15 reps per leg (about 20-25 seconds) with 1 minute of recovery per leg and 1 minute of recovery between sets
- 3 sets of lex extension 20-25 reps (> 60 seconds) with 45 seconds of recovery.
In case n ° 5 (Hamstrings-Quadriceps-Glutes) we should have a routine more or less as follows:
- 3 sets of semi-bent leg deadlifts 7-10 reps (about 15-20 seconds) with 2-3 minutes of recovery;
- 3-4 sets of squats of 10-15 reps (30-45 seconds) with 1 minute and 30 seconds of recovery;
- 4 sets of lunges in progression of approximately 30 steps (> 60 seconds) with 45 seconds of recovery.
In case 6 (Hamstrings-Glutei-Quadriceps) we should have a routine more or less as follows:
- 3 sets of semi-bent leg deadlifts 7-10 reps (about 15-20 seconds) with 2-3 minutes of recovery;
- 3 sets of lunges in progression of 20-25 reps (30-45 seconds) with 1 minute and 30 seconds of recovery;
- 2 sets of squats of 10-15 reps (30-45 seconds) with 1 minute and 30 seconds of recovery;
- 3 sets of leg extensions 20-25 reps (> 60 seconds) with 45 seconds of recovery.
Always keep in mind that the workouts proposed above are to be considered "indicative", but the thing that should be clear is the sequence of exercises that should always be respected.
Obviously, if you had to replace the squat, you could opt for the leg press, provided that you can do it. We remind you that at the leg press the angle of the hip starts from a position of partial closure, therefore it allows a partial excursion of the hip. The stresses in stability between the two exercises are different and the machine always requires a path that is not always suited to biomechanics. If everything is ok then you can choose the leg press, but absolutely the free squat is to be preferred.
Let us abandon for a moment the idea of the smith machine (multypower), not because it is not a good machine but simply because, again for the joint mechanics, the sensations that are felt are different from the free squat.
It should be remembered, however, that the choice of an exercise with machines or free weights depends on the stability of the subject and the joint freedom, but as a general line it is always preferable to choose exercises that involve the stabilizing muscles; therefore free weights should take priority.
During the squat test, some individuals may experience lower back pain more than other affected muscles. In this case it is good to evaluate, possibly through consultation with a professional, the structural and postural condition.
In healthy people this happens more frequently in those with a very long bust, but like all things this is not the fixed rule. The lower back musculature is mainly composed of tonic-postural muscles, therefore designed to bear the weight of the body for a long time. They keep us erect.
Usually you shouldn't feel a lot of work in the lower back or related muscles, or at least not as much as in the quadriceps or glutes or hamstrings. If pain and no burning sensation occurs, it should be investigated why. Often the non-flexibility of the pelvic muscles pulls the pelvis posteriorly and creates tensions in the lumbo-sacral tract that are amplified with the loads of the squat. It seems clear, therefore, that to practice impact exercises such as squats or other multi-joint exercises it is good to investigate before starting a good training program that uses heavy loads.
they must always be considered in the perspective of the sequence of the exercises described above.
A practical example is that, for example in case n ° 6, to create super sets of squats and leg extensions, considering that in this case the quadriceps muscles should be "tired" as much as possible, while it would not be so suitable (always in the case 6) do a super set of deadlifts and leg curls, since the hamstrings, in this case, have a prevalence of white fibers and must be trained with high loads and low repetitions with long recoveries. In the latter case it would be worthwhile to try a pyramid technique for deadlifts like 5 sets of 10-8-6-6-4. In short, series that are not long but contained in 30-45 seconds.
Programming can be very extensive and still has to respect subjectivity. Certainly if the individual in question did not have particular ambitions and starts from a low condition, it would be useless to resort to a similar strategy. cadence of max 2 times a week, choosing exercises that aim to give her maximum mobility, therefore maximum performance and minimum risk.
In the bodybuilder the goal is growth, if it is a body builder, or to improve performance, if it is an athlete, so the choice of exercises will be more targeted.
The internal planning of the training must therefore respect the characteristic of the majority of fibers in a given muscle district but the annual planning is quite another thing, and always has priority.
For example, if an athletic trainer decides to undertake a mesocycle dedicated to the development of maximum strength, the athlete - regardless of the fibers that make up his muscles - will have to follow the strength programs. endurance that must be trained for resistance and perhaps neglect the hypertrophic component of the muscles, favoring the vascularizing and aerobic component.
