veryone trying to sell you a fitness program, myself included, says they have a way to get you success, and their way is obviously the best. Many of these trainers/coaches/gym goers have seen great success with their chosen method, which is why they say it is the best. There is objectively AND subjectively a best method, but is there one exercise you MUST do to achieve the results you are looking for?
Note: I am going to use the example of a barbell back squat. Any mention of squat is referring to a BBS, unless otherwise noted. The following CAN be said about any single exercise.
Everyone MUST to Learn to Squat to Get to Their Goal
Do you sit down on the couch after then end of a long day? How about at work? Do you ever go #2? Unless you don’t have a couch, have a standing desk, or poo standing up, the answer is yes. Do you want to do these things for as long as possible? Then you need to learn to squat properly, and get progressively stronger. One of the easiest ways to do so is with a barbell on your back. Using a squat as your main squatting movement allows you to add weight in the smallest increments (I have .25lb weights!) Learning how to properly perform this lift will strengthen all of your lower body and core, while having a direct benefit to everyday life for a long time.
When talking about efficiency, most would argue that it doesn’t get more efficient than learning to squat properly. It utilizes so many muscles, and focuses on the largest muscles of the body, so from a energy usage standpoint it doesn’t get much more economical than squatting properly. If your goal is muscle size, the squat takes your quadriceps (the four main muscles that make up the front of your upper thigh) through a huge range of motion utilizing both knee extension (straightening out the leg) and hip flexion (a secondary function of the rectus femoris, 1 of 4 quad muscles). Because of the large range of motion (ROM), the ability to load the movement relatively high, and the necessity of control to complete the movement safely, it has the ability to accomplish all three of the ways to cause muscle growth: mechanical tension (Heavy weight), metabolic stress (the burn throughout the whole movement), and muscle damage (a controlled negative, or eccentric contraction).
Plus, it just looks cool to lift a ton of weight. AmIrIgHt?!
So, to achieve your goal, Barbell Squat.
Squatting isn’t a necessity to achieve your goals.
Everybody must squat is probably the thing I see the most thrown around on the internet. But why? It is efficient and does have transferable skills to “real life.” Does this mean you have to do it? What if you have knee issues? Or back or shoulder issues? What if the barbell hurts the skin on your neck? Well, the last one, I would probably say deal with it. However, all the other ones are legitimate issues that people have! So if these prevent you from squatting should you forgo working out? Maybe you should just do cardio? Again, with the last one I would probably avoid as it could cause more problems (and cardio is my least favorite activity, ever! haha)
Working around injuries, discomfort, or general/localized pain is a very common thing. The advantage of being in a gym is there are usually multiple ways to stimulate a muscle to grow or get stronger. In this instance, a leg press accomplishes a similar movement. What about squat variations? Goblet, split squat, rear foot elevated split squat, front squat, safety bar squats, landmine squats, even, *GASP*, smith machine squats. The horror!!! There is also a leg extension, hip thrusts, and step ups, that when combined achieve a similar ROM. While this might not be the best use of time, if you can’t squat, this is certainly a viable option.
It Depends
Do you HAVE to squat? No. SHOULD you squat? Probably. Like I said in the beginning, there is objectively AND subjectively a best exercise for a given outcome. However, they aren’t necessarily the same exercise and that is where the nuance comes in here. I truly believe that everyone CAN and SHOULD squat (and deadlift. and press. and pull), but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they have to use a barbell. I like to think in terms of movement patterns. A squat pattern, or knee dominant movement, is all that needs to be accomplished. The most easily overloaded version, a barbell back squat, is something that should be learned and done as part of most workout regiments. However, when there are confounding circumstances (injuries, mobility issues, etc.), bodyweight squats, box squats, high and low step ups, leg presses, or even lunges (performed with a shorter stride for a more knee dominant movement), in addition to those squat variations mentioned above, can be subbed in for a squat. When done properly, all of these are accomplishing close to the same outcome, strengthening the knee flexors (quads) in a compound movement (utilizing more than one joint). These can all be loaded, in various ways, to get progressively harder leading to the results you are after.
Being able to perform a squat pattern movement in a safe and controlled manner is the basis for sitting down. It should be a goal of everyone who trains to be able to do this pain free. That doesn’t mean that you must squat 500lbs, but there are few, if any, movements that will affect your lower body on a rep for rep basis. Do you have to squat you get stronger or have huge legs? Absolutely not. As long as you are working your lower body, and training some sort of knee flexion in a progressive matter, your quads can grow. (Confession, right now my quad training involves Smith machine squats, front squats, leg press, and leg extensions)
Is squatting objectively and subjectively the best exercise for your desired outcome?
What is your desired outcome?
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Still unsure of what to do? Want to find a plan that is subjectively and objectively the best for your desired outcome? Email me and we can get a plan together for you!