I’m not asking wether to do them, or how to do them (kinda…)
But what are all the variations of the squat? I know back squat (obviously), front squat, hack squat…
Like what is a “power squat” and “olympic squat”? And any other variations that I don’t know of?
Powerlifting squats go to parallel or a little lower.
Olympic squats go all the way down.
1/4 squats which go a quarter of the way down.
There’s also overhead squats which are pretty cool.
Here are the one’s I can think of:
Front Squat- Great for core stability and it forces you to keep your torso upright which is great for general squatting technique.
“Olympic” Back Squat or full back squat- A back squat where you go all the way down as deep as you can go (hamstrings on your calves). I think this hits the quads a lot and is good for flexibility and core work.
“Powerlifting” Back Squat- A back squat with a wider stance and generally only goes to about parallel. Usually is initiated more with the hips and thus hits the glutes a little more.
Box Squat- Somewhat of a variation of the powerlifting squat where you squat way back onto a box that is placed about parallel. You relax your hip flexors on the box for a second and then squat back up. It breaks the concentric-eccentric chain and is great for teaching to sit back and then activate the hip flexors. Really hits the glutes and hamstrings hard.
asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=4092&tid=51
Hack Squat- I’m not a huge fan of this. Kind of like a deadlift with the bar behind the heels.
Overhead Squat- The king of stability and core exercises. You definitly won’t be able to use as much weight, but I don’t think you can find more of a true total body exercise.
Additionally, you can do squats with bands. This increases resistance as you get towards the top. Also, squats can be performed dynamically for a speed emphasis.
Hip belt squats, Magic Circle squats. Split squats, Cyclist squats (feet very close and heels elevated) Sissy squats, Ski squats (leaning against a wall) Jump squats, hindu squats, Bulgarian squats, Cucumber-patch squats (This one is performed by females ONLY). Oly squats are usually with a narrower stance as well. I know there’s more…
I am surprised no-one has mentioned Zercher squats yet. These are what I use instead of front squats: normal front squat grip with arms crossed hurt my shoulders too much (they give in way before quads); and I don’t have the flexibility in my forarms to use the olympic-type grip.
[quote]xenithon wrote:
I am surprised no-one has mentioned Zercher squats yet. These are what I use instead of front squats: normal front squat grip with arms crossed hurt my shoulders too much (they give in way before quads); and I don’t have the flexibility in my forarms to use the olympic-type grip.[/quote]
Yes, Zercher too! I had just done these Monday night and I have bruises in the crooks of my elbows. Doing them with my 3" bar is WAY more comfortable. I used my oly bar and I don’t think I could ever do my lower body justice with these. I switched to front squats.
Any variation mentioned above, but starting from the bottom!!!