[quote]conorh wrote:
I’ve always felt that the starting position of the db “squat” is a weak position for the knee. I say “squat” because it’s really more of a deadlift. I don’t think there’s anything this exercise can do that a heavy trap bar dead or picking up a set of heavy farmers walk handles won’t do.[/quote]
You say the starting position is “weak for the knee”, that’s interesting. Do you mean it can be potentially damaging to the knee to start in the bottom position on weight bearing lifts such as bottoms-up squats, step-ups, or DB deads?
I actually think the opposite is true: that reversing the strength curve for the exercise is a fantastic way of improving the integrity of the knee joint and rehabing any existing conditions.
On squat variations where people start at the top, they tend to use heavier weight and “rebound” at the bottom. They use potential energy generated during the descent phase to help them out of the hole. For the first few degrees of the ascent, they are operating almost entirely on kinetic momentum from the downwards phase rather than generating their own power to drive them up.
The faster you come out of the hole, the more you are propelled by the rebound effect. It is only a short while after coming out of the hole that you start to actively generate the force needed for the upwards phase. Try this for yourself and I think you will agree.
The body is at an extreme mechanical disadvantage in a deep squat position, so it’s natural tendency is to rely on momentum to help get you out of the hole. This can’t be good for the soft tissue surrounding the knee joint, but not getting crushed under a heavy load takes immediate precedence over the long-term health of your lower body extremities.
That’s why I think that squat variations which start in the bottom position are very healthy for the knees: By eliminating the “rebound effect”, they develop active strength at a portion of the ROM where very few people have it. The result is improved integrity of the knee joint and a reduced chance of injury in heavy weight-bearing exercises, not to mention carry-over strength to conventional strength-curve movements at precisely the point where most people need it the most.
A complete program incorporates not just uni and bi-lateral movements, but also corresponding movements at opposite ends of the strength-tension curve. For squat variations, this looks as follows:
Normal strength-tension curve:
Squats
Lunges
Reverse strength-tension curve:
Stand-up Squats (DB deads fit here)
Step-ups
Pausing at the bottom of conventional squats can also be used as a technique for by-passing the rebound effect. This limits the load that one can train with, but it’s always interesting to see how much weight you are capable of pushing entirely under your own power.
In typing out the laundry list of benefits associated with the dumbell squat, I completely forgot to mention the powerful rehab and prehab abilities of the exercise. Thanks for the reminder.
