Dr. Squat - Dr. Fred Hatfield

http://www.tmuscle.com/issues/622/622.jsp#the_tao_of_boyle

"A lot of what people tell you isn't true.

• First, I didn't say the "people shouldn't squat" thing to be controversial or sell DVDs. That clip was pulled directly from the DVD set by a marketing guy who watched the entire presentation and said, "This is the hook.

• Since then, I've had people forward me information about the bilateral deficit. All of a sudden, they're saying, "You're really right.

• The bilateral deficit? Well, they've found, particularly as it relates to the lower body, that you're clearly stronger when you train with one leg versus two.

Let's say you've got a guy who can deadlift 300 pounds for reps, but can't squat 400 pounds for reps. More often than not, he will be able to single-leg squat with 200 pounds on each leg for reps. So what does that tell you? He's at less risk because the load is lighter, but he's getting more work out of each leg.

• The thing I always hear is, "Well, if they have weak backs, why don't you just get their backs stronger?" Hold on. We're not talking about having a weak back. We're talking about the back being a limiting factor. That's very, very different. A guy who hang cleans 300 pounds doesn't have a weak back. The simple fact is that when someone fails in the squat it's not because they don't have any more juice in their legs. It's because their back can't handle the load.

• I have the huge value of hindsight. I was just like you. I was a meathead. I wanted big muscles and to be strong as hell. If my shoulders hurt after benching, I'd ice them, take Advil and bench again five days later. If my back hurt from deadlifting, well, my back is supposed to hurt from deadlifting, right? I came to realize over time that I was wrong.

• Take a look at all these guys with surgeries. It's insane. How can they still be espousing the same principles when they've gone under the knife so much?

• Everyone squats ass to grass? Where are they? I go to gyms and I don't see them. When you live in the Internet world there are thousands of guys doing heavy squats ass to grass with no problems. Call me skeptical. By the way, I'd love to see all these guys "laying it on the line.""

Ok, on the one hand i'm thinking, he's got a point. If we're dealing with athletes or average people their performance will be improved more by unilateral strength work and their for their time is better spent working on that over the squat which does take time to learn and if you don't have the right body type it's even harder.

Still, i DO squat ass to grass. and have regularly for the last six years and i do so with excelent form. i normally work out with 336 pounds for sets of 3 to 5 and i'm only 170 pounds. I feel they have made my lower body rediculously strong and have actually made my single leg exercises stronger.

thinking about the "bilateral deficite" i don't know of any unilateral exercises with the same range of motion as the ATG squat except Pistols which definetly are lower back reliant. I don't think whatever these comparisons are are fair their for, it would be like comparing rack pulls to deadlifts. I can split squat 300 pounds but i'm only moving 1/3 of the distance.

Still i do regularly use single leg exercises for variety and b/c single leg exercises do make you ALOT stronger and i'd say they definetly make you stronger than squats that arnt ATG.

I like alot of what boyle has to say i don't think it's really that different perse from what poliquine and other strength specialists talk about, what makes boyle different is he takes an exercise and modifies it to his needs to reduce the risk of injury with his athletes and maximise their time (exercises that are simple to learn , simple to coach, have a low risk or injury, and will make you strong).

His argument about the lower back being a "limiting factor" is simantics to me. How much force is the lower back experiencing in the athletes sports, that is does the athlete reliy on loading alot of force through the back? most would argue it all sports do. if you get the legs stronger the athlete will still only perform as good as his limiting factor.

with that said i was under the impression (and it seems true from experience) that unilatera leg work is extremely taxing on the lower back, it has to work even harder as a stabilizer.

However if you are using less weight but loading each leg with more weight and causing the lower back to work harder to stabilize AND the athlites form is better b/c the weight their lifting is less AND their working in a functional range of motion (with in what they experience in their sport) what's really lost by giving up squats?

i figure doc and todd especially will have opinions on this but i want to hear from every one.