Tag: Leg Training

Knee Wraps: should you use them for squats?

A while back I wrote about using wrist wraps to prevent pain with pressing movements (bench press, etc.).

I’ve also used knee wraps occasionally without any ill effects.  But I’ll probably put them away for good after reading an article that was published in the Journal of Strength Conditioning.  Researchers compared the squatting technique of resistance trained men in the squat with and without the assistance of knee wraps (using 80% of their one rep max).  The wraps did increase the “mechanical output” (meaning it would help lift heavier weights).  But it also possibly increased their chances of injury:

“The elastic properties of knee wraps increased mechanical output but altered back squat technique in a way that is likely to alter the musculature targeted by the exercise and possibly compromise the integrity of the knee joint. Knee wraps should not be worn during the strength and condition process, and perceived weakness in the knee joint should be assessed and treated.”1

This is a simple risk/benefit issue.  If you are a competitive powerlifter then you’ll want to use every advantage possible to lift more weight.  Otherwise you may want to consider doing some (or most) of your lifting without wraps.

There is another option I haven’t mentioned here: knee sleeves.  Using these may be a happy medium,  providing some support (and keeping your joints warm) without altering the mechanics of the lift.  I’m just speculating here, since no research has been done on squatting with sleeves (that I’m aware of).

Reference:

1. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Oct;26(10):2844-9. Wearing knee wraps affects mechanical output and performance characteristics of back squat exercise.

Front Squat: Tips and Techniques

I’ve always believed in the back squat for building muscle.  But the front squat is an excellent exercise trainees should consider as well. Here’s an instructional video (more information below):

Here’s some research I found comparing the front squat to the standard (back) squat.  It seems their may be some advantages to this exercise as far as long-term joint health goes:

The strength and stability of the knee plays an integral role in athletics and activities of daily living. A better understanding of knee joint biomechanics while performing variations of the squat would be useful in rehabilitation and exercise prescription. We quantified and compared tibiofemoral joint kinetics as well as muscle activity while executing front and back squats. Because of the inherent change in the position of the center of mass of the bar between the front and back squat lifts, we hypothesized that the back squat would result in increased loads on the knee joint and that the front squat would result in increased knee extensor and decreased back extensor muscle activity. A crossover study design was used. To assess the net force and torque placed on the knee and muscle activation levels, a combination of video and force data, as well as surface electromyographic data, were collected from 15 healthy trained individuals. The back squat resulted in significantly higher compressive forces and knee extensor moments than the front squat. Shear forces at the knee were small in magnitude, posteriorly directed, and did not vary between the squat variations. Although bar position did not influence muscle activity, muscle activation during the ascending phase was significantly greater than during the descending phase. The front squat was as effective as the back squat in terms of overall muscle recruitment, with significantly less compressive forces and extensor moments. The results suggest that front squats may be advantageous compared with back squats for individuals with knee problems such as meniscus tears, and for long-term joint health.1

This exercise also may reduce shearing force on the spine since you won’t be leaning forward as much (see the diagram):

I find the front squat hits the quadriceps more directly than the traditional back squat. It also seems to hit my abdominal muscles harder than back squats do.

One common problem is wrist strain, especially if you are trying to do the standard grip (palms facing up).  You can work on wrist/forearm flexibility (through stretching), but another simple solution is to use lifting straps. I tried this and it works well check out this video (below) to see how it is done.

One final tip:  I would recommend you stay in the lower rep range (5-6) for this exercise.  The reason is the stabilizer muscles tend to tire out before your legs do.

You may want to give this exercise a try to ad some variety to your leg training.

Reference:

1. J Strength Cond Res. 2009 Jan;23(1):284-92. A biomechanical comparison of back and front squats in healthy trained individuals.