Squats overrated?

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  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    I really find myself questioning squats, they interfere with my running routine. I did a kettlebell class last week with high intensity squats with weights and I couldn't walk properly for 5 days afterwards, missed all of my running sessions for one high intensity class. Sucks!

    You can't run and do squats. Those two things do not work together.

    Pick one or the other.

    Perhaps you can't do each of them *well* together, but I see no reason why you can't suboptimally perform both.

    Or, purposely "park" one whilst you improve the other. Rather than not doing one at all and getting worse at it....
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    Discusses the "functional" aspect of the squat.

    http://www.nsca.com/videos/conference_lectures/the_science_of_squatting/
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
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    I really find myself questioning squats, they interfere with my running routine. I did a kettlebell class last week with high intensity squats with weights and I couldn't walk properly for 5 days afterwards, missed all of my running sessions for one high intensity class. Sucks!

    You can't run and do squats. Those two things do not work together.

    Pick one or the other.

    Perhaps you can't do each of them *well* together, but I see no reason why you can't suboptimally perform both.

    Or, purposely "park" one whilst you improve the other. Rather than not doing one at all and getting worse at it....

    This is why football players are slow and weak
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    Options
    I really find myself questioning squats, they interfere with my running routine. I did a kettlebell class last week with high intensity squats with weights and I couldn't walk properly for 5 days afterwards, missed all of my running sessions for one high intensity class. Sucks!

    You can't run and do squats. Those two things do not work together.

    Pick one or the other.

    Perhaps you can't do each of them *well* together, but I see no reason why you can't suboptimally perform both.

    Or, purposely "park" one whilst you improve the other. Rather than not doing one at all and getting worse at it....

    This is why football players are slow and weak

    Hang on...

    are we talking about football...

    or handegg?
  • mayfrayy
    mayfrayy Posts: 198 Member
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    so much bad information...
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    You can't run and do squats. Those two things do not work together.

    Pick one or the other.!

    this is your answer.
    If you want to play a sport or prioritize something like running, you need to schedule the rest of your progressive resistance around that. That includes sensible volume and intensity and scheduled for maximum recovery.

    But yeah, busting out an unplanned high rep squat workout will interfere with your other training goals!

    seriously.

    have a goal- if over all fitness is your goal- sure you can train both.

    If being a runner is a goal- then you dial back the weights to 2 whole body- hell if you are in good shape as it is- most people can survive on 1x a week if you know what you are doing- ideal for long term- no- but it is doable.

    If powerlifting is your goal- go for a run/yog once or twice a month- you'll be fine.

    I can run a 9 min mile- lower than that for mile only- but on average I am putting down 9-9:30 averages for even longer runs- upwards of 6 miles- I'm training for a power lifting meet. I'm still doing okay. I don't run long runs regularly- and I don't run often- but I still run- or do some stair master.
    it's fine.

    It's not an If this than that- it's a sliding scale. Fitness- like life- is not made of absolutes. it's made of having a goal and picking a path that gets you there- that means often times there is a sacrifice of something else to make you better at the other thing- OR you generally just get okay at both things.

    This is not new or ground breaking- I'm not sure why you think it MUST be one or the other.
  • jhc7324
    jhc7324 Posts: 200 Member
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    Drop down the amount of volume you are using. You're doing too much.
    Keep the weight up and progressively increase.
    I found squatting "heavy" 3x a week was too much. I still squat 3x a week but one day is "heavy", one day light, one day moderate but more volume.
    For the record, I'm 41 and just started squatting in August 2013. Current PR is 240x5.

    This makes me feel better. I'm 35 and started 5x5 around November. Reading the 5x5 website it makes it sound like you'll be pushing 400lbs in no time. Maybe if you're 18 and eating like a beast I guess. I got up to maybe 265 but I felt my form was crap (lots of half squats) and I could never do the whole 5x5. So I put the ego in check and took it way down to 185 semi recently to build back up slowly with a 5/3/1 approach. Just now getting back to 225.
    This is just about exactly my experience. My form sucked at about that same weight, I deloaded a couple times, and wasn't getting the recovery I needed to keep going with the program (I was using Starting Strength instead of 5x5). Now, I'm in cycle 15 of 5/3/1 and I just hit a 300 lb squat this month.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    I really find myself questioning squats, they interfere with my running routine. I did a kettlebell class last week with high intensity squats with weights and I couldn't walk properly for 5 days afterwards, missed all of my running sessions for one high intensity class. Sucks!

    You can't run and do squats. Those two things do not work together.

    Pick one or the other.

    Perhaps you can't do each of them *well* together, but I see no reason why you can't suboptimally perform both.

    Or, purposely "park" one whilst you improve the other. Rather than not doing one at all and getting worse at it....

    This is why football players are slow and weak

    Hang on...

    are we talking about football...

    or handegg?

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    American football :tongue:
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Options
    I really find myself questioning squats, they interfere with my running routine. I did a kettlebell class last week with high intensity squats with weights and I couldn't walk properly for 5 days afterwards, missed all of my running sessions for one high intensity class. Sucks!

    You can't run and do squats. Those two things do not work together.

    Pick one or the other.

    Perhaps you can't do each of them *well* together, but I see no reason why you can't suboptimally perform both.

    Or, purposely "park" one whilst you improve the other. Rather than not doing one at all and getting worse at it....

    This is why football players are slow and weak

    Hang on...

    are we talking about football...

    or handegg?

    Yup, I LiterallyLedOL.

    :laugh:
  • RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle
    Options
    I really find myself questioning squats, they interfere with my running routine. I did a kettlebell class last week with high intensity squats with weights and I couldn't walk properly for 5 days afterwards, missed all of my running sessions for one high intensity class. Sucks!

    You can't run and do squats. Those two things do not work together.

    Pick one or the other.

    Perhaps you can't do each of them *well* together, but I see no reason why you can't suboptimally perform both.

    Or, purposely "park" one whilst you improve the other. Rather than not doing one at all and getting worse at it....

    This is why football players are slow and weak

    Hang on...

    are we talking about football...

    or handegg?

    he meant the handegg sport thingie.
  • Kenazwa
    Kenazwa Posts: 278 Member
    Options
    Back off on the amount of weight. Sometimes you have to start much more conservatively than you want, that's just fact.

    (just finished a sports and exercise class at college)
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    Options
    so much bad information...

    Which bits?
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    Options
    I really find myself questioning squats, they interfere with my running routine. I did a kettlebell class last week with high intensity squats with weights and I couldn't walk properly for 5 days afterwards, missed all of my running sessions for one high intensity class. Sucks!

    You can't run and do squats. Those two things do not work together.

    Pick one or the other.

    Perhaps you can't do each of them *well* together, but I see no reason why you can't suboptimally perform both.

    Or, purposely "park" one whilst you improve the other. Rather than not doing one at all and getting worse at it....

    This is why football players are slow and weak

    Hang on...

    are we talking about football...

    or handegg?

    he meant the handegg sport thingie.

    Ah handegg...

    well, I can't claim to be an expert, but that's the one that's like rugby but with more semi-naked chicks?
  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
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    so much bad information...

    Care to elaborate? Should he do more curls? Maybe some crunches? Should he skip legs day entirely?
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    Options
    I really find myself questioning squats, they interfere with my running routine. I did a kettlebell class last week with high intensity squats with weights and I couldn't walk properly for 5 days afterwards, missed all of my running sessions for one high intensity class. Sucks!

    You can't run and do squats. Those two things do not work together.

    Pick one or the other.

    Perhaps you can't do each of them *well* together, but I see no reason why you can't suboptimally perform both.

    Or, purposely "park" one whilst you improve the other. Rather than not doing one at all and getting worse at it....

    This is why football players are slow and weak

    Hang on...

    are we talking about football...

    or handegg?

    he meant the handegg sport thingie.

    Ah handegg...

    well, I can't claim to be an expert, but that's the one that's like rugby but with more semi-naked chicks?

    Semi-naked chicks and handegg
  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
    Options
    I really find myself questioning squats, they interfere with my running routine. I did a kettlebell class last week with high intensity squats with weights and I couldn't walk properly for 5 days afterwards, missed all of my running sessions for one high intensity class. Sucks!

    You can't run and do squats. Those two things do not work together.

    Pick one or the other.

    Perhaps you can't do each of them *well* together, but I see no reason why you can't suboptimally perform both.

    Or, purposely "park" one whilst you improve the other. Rather than not doing one at all and getting worse at it....

    This is why football players are slow and weak

    Hang on...

    are we talking about football...

    or handegg?

    he meant the handegg sport thingie.

    Ah handegg...

    well, I can't claim to be an expert, but that's the one that's like rugby but with more semi-naked chicks?

    Exactly. We have priorities, after all. Sport without semi-naked chicks is just, well, sport. And what fun is there in that?
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    Options
    I really find myself questioning squats, they interfere with my running routine. I did a kettlebell class last week with high intensity squats with weights and I couldn't walk properly for 5 days afterwards, missed all of my running sessions for one high intensity class. Sucks!

    You can't run and do squats. Those two things do not work together.

    Pick one or the other.

    Perhaps you can't do each of them *well* together, but I see no reason why you can't suboptimally perform both.

    Or, purposely "park" one whilst you improve the other. Rather than not doing one at all and getting worse at it....

    This is why football players are slow and weak

    Hang on...

    are we talking about football...

    or handegg?

    he meant the handegg sport thingie.

    Ah handegg...

    well, I can't claim to be an expert, but that's the one that's like rugby but with more semi-naked chicks?

    Exactly. We have priorities, after all. Sport without semi-naked chicks is just, well, sport. And what fun is there in that?

    Thank you. I couldn't have said it better myself.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,662 Member
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    idk what handegg is... but it will never beat good old fashioned American Lingerie Football!


    i mean Lingerie Football!
  • JoyeII
    JoyeII Posts: 240 Member
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    Do some light squats the day after, drink a lot of water, up your carbs and protein, stretch, and do some light cardio. The soreness will go away. Also, the lower you squat, the more your activate your glutes vs your legs.
  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
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    My squats currently consist of 4 sets of 10 reps at 225,275,315,335. These are followed by deadlifts, lunges, and straight legged deadlifts.

    If I wanted to be sore as all hell for a week, I would do something like that. It sounds absolutely brutal. Kudos for being able to endure all of that in one session.

    As others pointed out, this is a lot of volume. Have you thought about trying heavier weight with fewer reps? Possibly reverse pyramid or 5x5?