Stronger Athletes

The Importance of the Squat

June 28 "as a means to improve in another sport I have a hard time seeing the value in heavy singles lifting given the risks..." -NFL HOF Strenth Coach, Kim Wood

How much do you think Chuck Norris could squat in his prime?

How much should a water polo player be expected to squat?

You Need Lower Body Strength, How You Get It Matters Not.

Well, no doubt many would say that squats are always important. No, not true. Leg strength is important. Squats are but one way to develop that and for some athletes not the best way because of how they may be built. Long femurs and short backs can preclude an athlete from safely performing the lift. No matter. There is leg press, leg curls, leg extension, front squats, zercher squats and any other manner of leg exercises that will give you lower body strength.

When Is Enough Enough?

The key is that more leg strength is better than less, but the caveat being, how much is enough for the sport you are in and what is the trade off in time and energy developing more leg strength vs some other weakness or skill for the athlete. You do have FINITE resources after all.

Firas Zihabi, a top level MMA trainer states that when he has an athlete capable of back squatting their bodyweight, their legs are sufficiently strong for the sport. At that point it would be foolish to spen a lot of extra time to build up to a 2x bodyweight back squat as it would take away from other training the athlete could be doing.

In other words, find the bottle neck and work on that.

An article we wrote awhile back that has some of Dr. Ken's words of wisdom. Simple Does It - Good Advice.