Stronglifts Squats Question?

tula1980

I'm trying to vary my squats and doing different varieties. I tend to pick a squat and do 5x5, then next workout pick a different squat and 5x5. Is this right? Or should I be doing different squats each session?

Slrajr

That really depends on what you are trying to achieve.

FrnkLft

First thing is first, you should be able to determine WHY you want to do different squats each time. Everything you include in your program should have a solid, legitimate purpose. SL5x5 is setup the way it is, towards this end.

That said, it seems like you're relatively new to lifting, so at least for now, you should be doing the same squat each session. Here's a few reasons why:

1) Each squat variety is very different. Even high bar and low bar squats are different (bar higher on shoulders; bar lower behind shoulders), nevermind front squats or any other variety. You're never going to learn the movement correctly if you're messing around this much... leading to injury and bad habits.

2) Weight for each squat can be very different. You can typically back squat much more than you can front squat, and using the back squat weight for the front can screw up your form, provided it was correct in the first place, and otherwise hurt you because it's not the right weight for you and the movement, see #1.

3) Judging progress is going to be really tough. If you have incremented by 15 lbs since the last time you attempted a front squat, you're going to have trouble once you start hitting high numbers, see #2. You're probably going to think you're stalling, when really you're just not training properly.

We don't think of it this way, but weight lifting is like any other sport, you need to practice it so you get the movements correct. You might not be competing against anyone but the bar, but when the weight gets heavier, you'll need to know what you're doing so you don't loose... lol

TheDevastator

Stronglifts recommends low bar squats, because your max weight should be higher. I personally do high bar squats and front squats for Olympic lifting.

tula1980

Okay, objectives (in order) are:

1. Build LBM (I'm eating at TDEE +300 at the moment)
2. Increase 'normal' (as is every day life) strength - I didn't have any owing to bed rest and now I can lift baby/do housework with ease so I'm getting there on this one
3. Improve the look of my butt, it was completely flat and I'm starting to get some shape.

It was suggested I do split squats and others to mix it up for best effect, but is best effect going to be to stick to one squat?

FrnkLft

Okay, objectives (in order) are:

1. Build LBM (I'm eating at TDEE +300 at the moment)
2. Increase 'normal' (as is every day life) strength - I didn't have any owing to bed rest and now I can lift baby/do housework with ease so I'm getting there on this one
3. Improve the look of my butt, it was completely flat and I'm starting to get some shape.

It was suggested I do split squats and others to mix it up for best effect, but is best effect going to be to stick to one squat?

Yeah, the "mix it up" crowd advocates "muscle confusion". But they are usually confused lol Incrementing the weight and changing reps is enough to "confuse" the muscle. What you're looking for is to just continue to challenge the muscle, and upping the weight will do just that. You don't have to do a different movement each time. So... good news

About changing rep schemes, don't worry about this right now. Just do the program as prescribed. Like you said, you're seeing results, and you're not missing out on anything. One of the best things about being a beginner is how quickly you gain at the beginning. Worry about a more complicated program when you start stalling on SL5x5.

Between the squats and deadlifts, you'll be hitting your glutes plenty anyhow. And if you don't feel it yet, just wait until things get heavier.

tula1980

Thank you! x

HappyStack

Low bar squats (recommended for SL 5x5) emphasise the posterior chain (you could simplify this and say 'the hamstrings') more.
High bar squats emphasise the anterior aspect of the legs (i.e. the quads) more.

Both work the same muscles, they just work them differently. When you first start out, you'll probably accidentally position the bar high/low on each squat until you get a better feel for how it should feel when you set up and unrack the bar.

Find out which one feels better for you by paying attention to where the bar is sat when you squat. Some people can't high bar squat because it puts too much force on the anterior part of the knee, but they can low bar squat just fine.

Some people can't squat low bar because they have shoulder or elbow injuries, but they can squat high bar just fine.

Whichever one feels better, do that every session. Muscle confusion is a myth that still has traction in a lot of circles. The whole point of strength training is progressive overload. You can't do that efficiently if you keep changing the way your muscles are recruited when you exercise. This is general common sense.

Personally I wouldn't even consider front squats as a beginner. You want to progress, and you want to progress fast. It's a lot easier to lift and stabilise a heavy weight on your back than it is to do so with your arms.