Dr. Squat - Dr. Fred Hatfield

Picture this: The great Olympic weightlifter Vasily Alexeev’s ponderous body draped over a gymnastics long horse with his feet wedged between the stall bars of an unbelievably archaic training gym in Moscow’s Lenin Institute of Sport. With four hundred pounds precariously perched behind his head, he explodes for five reps of back raises. There is virtually NO hip extensor involvement, only pure erector spinae contraction. That means 1) tremendous low back limit strength and speed-strength is developed far beyond what any other low back exercise could possibly accomplish, and 2) virtually NO trauma to the tenuous intervertebral discs of the lumbar spine, which is something no other low back exercise ever conceived can claim.

Now picture this: Valery Borzov, the great Russian sprinter (Olympic gold medalist in 1972) in the same archaic setup doing explosive hip extensions followed by an immediate bending of the knees to simulate the glute-ham pull characteristic of sprinters in full stride. He carries 70 pounds behind his head. That means 1) far greater gluteal and hamstring speed-strength, which is something no other sprint training exercise can claim, and 2) almost one hundred percent injury-proofing against hamstring pulls, which is also something no other sprint training exercise -- or any exercise for that matter -- can claim.

Over two decades ago, these two training techniques were brought back to the US and the first glute-ham machine was fashioned. It was clumsy to get into and out of, the foot rollers were not adjustable to accommodate big feet and small feet alike, and the padding was unmercifully uncomfortable for the bigger athletes. And it was alarmingly unstable.

Now, for the first time ever, these two fantastic exercises (and several others specifically for athletes) can be accomplished without the foot and ankle discomfort characteristic of earlier models. Also, the rails upon which the foot roller assembly slides are partially removed to allow for easier mounting and dismounting. The saddle-like design of the padding is unbelievably comfortable and stable enough to accommodate even the biggest down-lineman’s prodigious belly! No more shake, rattle and roll! No more unproductive pain and discomfort. Only perfect comfort, stability, safety and design.

This is the kind of technology that allows athletes to focus on the task at hand -- sports excellence!