Tell you what:
If a single doubter from this thread goes and tries this exercise in the gym, knocks off 10 easy reps with 100 lb. DB’s and posts a video of it, I will gladly recant and take back my claims about the godliness of dumbell squats.
Any takers? Will someone volunteer to do this on their next leg day?
My bet is that most of you would be knocked out of commision by the 75’s.
[/quote]
No one’s saying its not a hard exercise. And DB squat is far from the only exercise that would knock the crap out of most people with of 200lbs for 10 reps. Even proper form ATG squats with 200lbs for 10 reps is hard, or impossible, for the vast majority of the gym going population.
I think the problem most people have is that someone who can do DB squats for 10 reps with 100# DB’s in each hand, can probably do more weight in an ATG squat. The greater weight is going to tax their whole body more than the lower weight with a DB squat.
Essentially, in a DB squat, the limiting factor on how much weight you can handle becomes your grip, arms, and shoulders, not the prime movers of the exercise (mainly, all the involved musculature between your knees and your chest). It is true, that the exercise may work more muscles than an ATG squat, but just not as hard overall.
I did a dumbbell squat to pick up 75 pounders for a few dumbbell presses yesterday, and a few days before that I picked up a pair of 100 pound dumbbells to do shrugs with and I didn’t realize I was doing the best gym exercise ever …
I mean, I didn’t even think about it when I was doing it … does this mean I’m the strongest man in the world? If so should I work on topping the 1003 deadlift sometime soon or should I just put on the spandex and cape now? I mean if world class powerlifters who can double my bench press for a warm-up can only do half of what I did for a dumbbell squat … then that means … um … damn, I’ve got nothing. On the plus side though, since these are so great for aerobic work, I may just grab a few pink dumbbells and squat until the sun goes down!
The DB squat is actually easier for women to perform than men, due to our lower center of gravity. The movement is much simpler for us. The limiting factor for me is my grip. I can squat 150 for 10 reps with the bar in a conventional squat, but I sometimes start to lose hold of the 75lb DB with my left hand around 8 reps.
[quote]Nominal Prospect wrote:
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. [/quote]
Well, you might think that way, but you’re wrong. Starting bottoms-up is much more stressful on the joints and connective tissue than lowering the lift first. I’m not saying it’s not a valid training method, but I believe you’re incorrect in this statement.
You understand that that the stretch reflex is there to PROTECT the joints, yeah?
Although if you’re doing DB squats, you can get a little bit of stretch reflex going, just as you can when you’re deadlifting, so the point is basically moot anyway.
Yeah, the stretch reflex is there to prevent the joints from exceeding their standard range of motion or getting into a compromising position which may be impossible to get out of.
However the stretch reflex is still muscle contraction. The rebound effect is the muscle contracting harder than it’s used to, but it’s not at all what most people make it out to be (“stored kinetic energy”). It physically can’t be, there’s nothing that actually bounces. It just looks like a bounce.