Dr. Squat - Dr. Fred Hatfield

Emphatic no, and no.

Because quad strength (especially VMO strength) is EXTREMELY important for all sports that require MOVING ON YOUR FEET. I can't believe you would say that it is not important to train your quads (especially if you are a basketball or football player .. ever run wind sprints??). It is VERY VERY important to train your quads as well as your hamstrings (squats build hamstring strength too by the way).

Why should squats have the most carry over? You use hamstrings and glutes more in most sports.

Different styles of squatting use different muscle groups. Full squatting I think uses the quads more...PL style squatting uses your hams and gluts more

I have learned, per Todd, that the hamstrings and glutes are still quite active in the squat, no matter the particular version (oly, PL, and so forth). Knowing this, consider what an athlete (a generalization upcoming, but you get my meaning) will be more likely to do: pick up a load resting at their feet/curl their legs (flex biceps femoris), or...........explode from an athletic position? Then, ask yourself which motion (squat, deadlift, glute-ham) lends itself to the greatest improvement of the position/action you deem most common.

BTW, you mention that the glutes are used more (than what? I assume quads) in sports. For the sake of argument, lets say that is correct. Would squats, really, be trumped by something with more "carry over" in terms of glute development? Remember to assess this within the framework of what you determine to be the most common position employed by an athlete.

OK But just because it is more specifc that doesn't mean it will work better.
You are strengthening the muscles needed not replicating the sporting action.

Drags and pushs and quarter- squats-lunges are much more specific.(i.e. car pushing , elite fitness push sled prowler or whatever they call it. ) would be more specific than the squat or deadlift.

Look at the results the glute-ham produced for the dominant russian sprinter of the 70s.

I read about a girl being trained to a junior world record using solely the deadlift (Article at dragondoor.com i think)

Drags and pushs and quarter- squats-lunges are much more specific.(i.e. car pushing , elite fitness push sled prowler or whatever they call it. ) would be more specific than the squat or deadlift.

Look at the results the glute-ham produced for the dominant russian sprinter of the 70s.

I read about a girl being trained to a junior world record using solely the deadlift (Article at dragondoor.com i think)

It's not a question of choosing one over the other. That's why you periodize training, with respect to general strength and replication of sporting movements.

You're saying quarter squats are better than full-squats for athletes? What leads you to this conclusion?

While dragging and pushing are indeed good, they do not provide the ability to manipulate load, volume and intensity as accurately as a properly structured program with squats. Those are more "endurance" events (see sled-dragging to strengthen the VMO). You don't test limit strength with sled-dragging.

Glute-ham for success of Russian sprinters: what you say doesn't prove anything in relation to the preparation of an athlete other than the fact that hamstring and glute strength is important, which is not a novel concept.

Oly squats are dangerous if you release muscular tension at the bottom, ie "bounce." However, if you don't, it's a very safe movement. If you find that it still bothers you, stick with it and that feeling will subside. Ligaments and tendons, just like anything else, adapt to the stress imposed upon them.

Look, read the article on this board entitled, "I May Not Know Diddley, But I Know Squat!"

There are many different ways to do squats! Go from Genral to specific (e.g., from athletic squats to twisting squats, depending upon your sport-specific requirements). It really is that simple folks!

OK I just asked it in a provocative way. I didn't mean was totally useless just perhaps not optimal. Will read it doc thanks!

I think I know where you are going here. You post here quite a bit about olympic lifts, and I too, love olympic lifting. So I think you are saying that a clean and jerk and/or a snatch is more sport specific and should be done instead of squats. Now I agree with you that the olympic movements will be better for an athlete, but the squat is vital to ALL sports. All olympic lifters squat, and all practice them for limit strength. There is not one who does not squat. Every sport requires the use of the knee joint and hip joint contracting in unison. Football to soccer to basketball to baseball to hockey to rugby to golf to badmitten (sp?) to countless others. My sport in college was football, and the squat is a must. I played defensive end, and coming out of my stance was just like a squat. An explosion of max effort of the hip and knee joint with the force (or weight) at the top of my body.

Now, I do think that the oly lifts will produce much better gains in terms of speed strength, vertical gains, body control, balance, back strength, shoulder strength, and the application of strength on the field than squat alone. But squats should be placed in every workout for almost every person. Even people, who do no athletics anymore, will benifit from squats. Limit strength of the legs is always useful. Even if you just need to move the couch across the room.

Other responses were correct, I'll just add that Ike's point about periodizing squats is the most important thing.

Squats from January to December, are not optimal, but squats the last 6- 12 weeks of the year before competition, could have incredible results. They aren't just a quad exercise, even thought, they are primarily, they still extensively recruit the posterior chain, just no to the degree of a posterior chain dominant movement.

IN addition, they are very specific to many sporting movements involving running and jumping as the recruitment pattern is the same in most cases.

One of the most valuable tips I've ever picked on on periodizing of the squat was from Charles Poliquin, at a seminar once.......when periodizing the squat....the later you can periodize it into a program, the bigger the squat, and the better the results will be. But that's understanding that because it is one of the biggest bang for the buck movements, that you can't always wait, to put it in.