I used to be into O-Lifting, but unfortunately, about two years ago, I tore/severely strained my quad doing it. There is a visible “dent” in my quad, but the MRI showed that ‘it looks worse than it is’ (words from my orthopedist). Since then, I’ve been reluctant to squat. I still deadlift and do power cleans, but I haven’t squatted heavy since the injury.
I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this injury specifically, and what your thoughts are on the possibility of a powerlifting style squat being safer for this injury than an Olympic style squat (i.e. squatting such that the primary movers are the glutes and hamstrings, not the quadriceps).
The glutes are almost always the prime movers in any squat, the quads will always be very heavily involved, and the hamstrings will never be a prime mover.
However, box squats might be a little safer just because you’ll have to use less weight.
You can’t isolate your quads out of the movement. You are going to have to get over your fear and anxiety and start squating again the way you want to. Get a plan (foam roller, starting at a low weight and slowly working back up etc, analyze why you got injured, etc) write it down and conquer your fears.
In terms of the hams not being involved too much, here’s a quote from Mike Robertson’s article comparing Olympic and Powerlifting squats:
“This style of squat is characterized by a low bar placement across the rear deltoids with the shoulder blades retracted and with a very wide foot placement. It’s initiated with the hips; the shins stay perpendicular to the floor during the entire lift. This reduces the reliance on the quadriceps and maximizes the contribution of the hamstrings, gluteals, lower back, and the assistive gear”
I was just wondering if you guys had real world experience with this; thanks for your time.
[quote]Henry Krinkle wrote:
In terms of the hams not being involved too much, here’s a quote from Mike Robertson’s article comparing Olympic and Powerlifting squats:
“This style of squat is characterized by a low bar placement across the rear deltoids with the shoulder blades retracted and with a very wide foot placement. It’s initiated with the hips; the shins stay perpendicular to the floor during the entire lift. This reduces the reliance on the quadriceps and maximizes the contribution of the hamstrings, gluteals, lower back, and the assistive gear”
I was just wondering if you guys had real world experience with this; thanks for your time. [/quote]
yeah, wide stance box squats, sitting back so your shins actually move back some. And never go forward when you squat. Kneep your knees out chest up tight arch etc. You will be useing allot of glutes and hamstrings, but almost no quads.
I tore a quad sprinting last springtime at the local high school track. Now when I flex the quad, I have a dent where the quad was and a lump above the dent. I took it easy for the first few months. Late summer I started deadlifting and squatting shortly after. I keep the squats fairly light. If I want to go heavier, I stick with box squats.
My doctor said: “Going under the knife to fix a torn muscle is kind of silly. You can’t do much; it’s like trying to sew two pieces of hamburger together and there’s no guarantee that the fix will be permanent.” He said to just watch it and not do anything that might really jeopardize my quad.
Just wondering if you did it squatting heavy or light? You think anything you did or did not do at the time increased the chances of you tearing it (i.e not warming up enough, being distracted, etc.) or was it just a freak injury? As an O-lifter that injury really scares me.
It was totally my fault; I had tweaked it squatting about 2 weeks prior, and didn’t take any time off.
As for the injury itself, I was maxing out on cleans. I caught it in the bottom, tried to come up and felt it tear. I was an idiot and thought I was some Bulgarian who had to go really heavy everyday.