Debunking the Myth of the Vastus Medialis

The quadriceps complex is comprised of four main muscles: the rectus femoris, the vastus intermedius, the vastus lateralis, and the vastus medialis (which seems to have become the most buzzworthy muscle of the four). The vastus medialis obliquus (commonly referred to as the VMO) is the middle “tear drop” shaped muscle of the quadriceps complex. Both personal trainers and physical therapists often blame generic knee pain on this guy being weak, but the literature just does not seem to substantiate that concept. If a doctor or physiotherapist has ever told you that you need to strengthen your vastus medialis, then he or she is spouting off outdated and false information.

I have seen many an article claiming that one can “isolate” the vastus medialis, or emphasize its activation, by raising the heels in a squat, by narrowing one’s squat stance, or by doing some wild exercises. These exercises are frequently prescribed to individuals with patellar tendinopathy, patellar tracking, or post-op ACL tear patients. While these concepts sound excellent in theory, the data has shown that those ideas are effectively no more than broscience. The vastus medialis and lateralis muscles contract together, and no amount of heel raise, hip external rotation, or close-stance squats will change that.

Do decline squats increase VMO activation?

The first exercise myth about the VMO is that raising the heels will increase its activation in the squat. While using Olympic lifting shoes or standing on a board will undoubtedly increase total quadriceps recruitment, as your torso will be more upright, the vastus medialis receives no preferential treatment. Rather, the vastus lateralis and medialis simultaneously work harder to squat when the heels are elevated. Similarly, the high bar squat is more quad-dominant than a powerlifting low-bar squat, and a front squat is the most quad-dominant of the three.

Does squat depth influence VMO activation?

When analyzing the angles at which the vastus medialis and lateralis are most active, Lee et. al. found that 90° or less of knee flexion was optimal. Essentially, deeper squats allow for greater vastus medialis and vastus lateralis contraction. Again, both muscles are being targeted in this instance, so the VMO is working harder, but so too is the vastus lateralis.

The other take home here is that if you want quads of the Gods, you can’t skimp on your depth. If you have to ask someone if you’re going low enough, you’re probably not! If mobility is an issue for you, then you should seek the advice of a qualified professional and dedicate time at the end of your sessions to improving your bottom position.

What about narrow-stance squats?

None of the research to date indicates that squatting with a narrow stance impacts the vastus medialis to a higher degree. In fact, it doesn’t appear that it changes the activation in any of the quadriceps muscles at all. I’m not quite sure where this myth arose, but it seems to be contradicted by the literature.

Squatting with your feet close together won't increase VMO activation,
but it may result in faulty mechanics and potential for hip impingement.

One study with Paoli et. al. looked at the EMG in 8 different thigh muscles, measuring activity in three different squatting widths and three different intensities (no load, 30% of 1 RM, and 70% of 1 RM). They tested both quadriceps and hamstrings muscles, and there was effectively no statistical difference in any of the muscles except for the gluteus maximus. No matter how close the lifters stances, their quadriceps muscles (vastus medialis included) were no more or less active at any intensity.

Surely foot position matters?

This is one that I have heard for years, and even believed myself for a while: trainers boast that externally rotating the feet will preferentially recruit the VMO, whereas a parallel foot position would lead to more evenly divided muscular recruitment. Unfortunately, no studies to date have confirmed this concept.

Murray et. al. tested twenty physically active adults in 4 different foot positions during a partial squat on the Power Tower machine. They found no real differences in EMG amplitude in differing levels of external/internal rotation. Similarly, Ninos and colleagues tested two varying foot positions (externally rotated and neutral) in the Olympic squat, and there was no noteworthy difference in vastus medialis activation.

The take home? If you have strong quads, you have a strong VMO.

Trainers have managed to come up with many creative circus-trick exercises for targeting the vastus medialis muscle, but while they might look exciting to try in videos, the basic foundational leg movements are all you need; squats, lunges, step-ups, and split squats will help you build strong quadriceps muscles, and, in turn, strong vastus medialis muscles. You can perform your leg extensions with your feet externally rotated all day, and you still won’t be able to isolate your medial quadriceps. Instead, just stick to those previously mentioned core movements and reap the benefits of your tree trunk legs!

Works Cited:

1. Caterisano, A., Moss, R. E., Pellinger, T. K., Woodruff, K., Lewis, V. C., Booth, W., & Khadra, T. (2002). The effect of back squat depth on the EMG activity of 4 superficial hip and thigh muscles. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 16(3), 428-432.
2. Dionisio, V. C., Azevedo, B. M. S., & Siqueira, D. A. (2013). Horizontal and Declined Squats in Healthy Individuals: A Study of Kinematic and Muscle Patterns. ISRN Rehabilitation, 2013. Chicago
3. Murray, N. G., Cipriani, D., O’Rand, D., & Reed-Jones, R. (2014). Effects of Foot Position during Squatting on the Quadriceps Femoris: An Electromyographic Study. International Journal of Exercise Science, 6(2).
4. Paoli, A., Marcolin, G., & Petrone, N. (2009). The effect of stance width on the electromyographical activity of eight superficial thigh muscles during back squat with different bar loads. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 23(1), 246-250.

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Much Ado about Hip Mobility

Since I've made a post about shoulder restrictions, I've received a few requests about how to loosen up stubborn hips.

This is my dad, unintentionally showing off his
perfect bottom position and impressive ankle
dorsiflexion.

One thing I'd like to mention, which has been noted in previous posts, is that some people are just genetically and anatomically better suited for squats. Let's take my father, for example. My dad, who does not exercise, and has no notable sports background has a picture perfect squat. He has never mobilized a day in his life, and no one taught him proper squatting mechanics. In fact, I was stunned to watch him squat down to reset our Internet modem with absolute ease. Others will take weeks or months of mobility/motor control drills to execute a partial squat. If you're interested, Dr. Stuart McGill has an excellent video discussing this concept. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do to change one's acetabulum or femurs.

Don't be discouraged! There's hope for you yet. What we can do, instead, is put someone who may be...inept at squatting into a position that optimizes his or her anatomy. We can play around with foot position, stance, and different squat styles to see what is best suited towards their anthropometry (limb length/proportions). I always recommend that those who are struggling with their squat mechanics work with a qualified coach/movement practitioner to improve. If that is not an option for you, then you should spend some time playing around on your own trying different set-ups.  Record yourself when possible. Remember that your squat will not necessarily look the same as mine.

Once you've settled on your ideal stance and foot position, now we must consider the role of motor control (yay for unintentional rhyming) in the squat. As you can imagine, there are many possible compensatory patterns that one might display throughout the movement. From knee valgus/varus, to shooting the hips back too far, to letting the chest drop, I've seen it all; this is when attention and mindfulness become especially important. Again, it will be invaluable to have a coach review your mechanics in these cases. With just a few simple cues, most errors are immediately fixable, and then you may continue to practice these on your own and engrain the proper sequencing in your head.

One exercise that I typically use with my clients who are learning to squat is the pole squat drill: this allows the person to understand how their weight should be distributed, and helps them achieve a lower bottom position almost immediately. I would also introduce them to the quadruped rock, which mirrors the sequencing in a squat and warms up the hips. These movements are best suited in the beginning of a session.

For clients who still have difficulty squatting after those drills, the goblet squat should become your friend. It is generally easier for individuals to assume a better position in a goblet squat. Holding weight in front of the body forces you to maintain a more vertical torso and achieve better depth. I always prescribe these (typically with a pause at the bottom) before moving clients on to barbell variations.

While many people spend an endless amount of time trying to stretch the hell out of their hip flexors, I find that those efforts are often wasted. Instead, implementing movements such as the goblet squat with a tempo (slow negative and 1-2 second pause) will allow you to kill two birds with one stone. Similarly, tempo single-legged exercises will do wonders for opening the hips. Bulgarian split squats necessitate a decent amount of hip flexibility, so it may be beneficial to start with a traditional lunge, again with a slow eccentric phase.

Finally, at the end of the session, the happy baby pose is ideal. Not only does this provide a nice stretch, but it's actually quite relaxing. You can also use this time to practice your diaphragmatic breathing. Focus on pushing your belly against your thighs as you inhale through your nose. Exhale through your mouth, and repeat. 1-2 minutes should be more than enough.

In the long run, an arsenal of hip flexor stretches isn't going to address the source of the problem. Teach yourself proper squat patterns, train your lower body with an eccentric emphasis, and show your hips some love. If you're diligent in your efforts, you'll be dropping it low on and off the dance floor in no time.

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Evde Bacak Kası Geliştirme Hareketleri

Bacak kasları vücudun en büyük kas grubudur. Evde bacak kaslarını sıkılaştırmak ve geliştirmek isteyenler için mükemmel bir antrenman programı hazırladık. Bir çok insan evde vücut geliştirme olayına inanmasa da bu düşündüğünüz kadar zor ve imkansız değildir. Spor salonuna gitmeye vakit bulamayan kişilerin evde rahatlıkla uygulayabileceği bu egzersizler sayesinde bacak kaslarını geliştirebilirler. Bu antrenman programını disiplinli bir şekilde uygulayanlar günlük hayattaki rutin hareketlerini daha kolay yapabilecek ve performansında ciddi bir artış olacaktır. Bu farkı merdiven çıkarken bile hissedeceksiniz.

Evinizde bacak kaslarınızı geliştirmek istiyorsanız bu egzersizler tam size göre. Haftada en az bir gününüzü ayırarak 3 ay gibi bir sürede fark edilir bir değişim yakalayabilirsiniz. İşte evde rahatlıkla uygulayabileceğiniz bacak egzersizleri;

Dambılla Çömelme(Dumbell Squat) 

Elinize bir adet dumbell alın ve bacaklarınızı omuz genişliğinde açın. Görseldeki gibi kontrollü bir şekilde çömelin. Bu esnada belinizi bükmemeniz çok önemli. Daha sonra bacaklarınızdan güç alarak yukarı doğru kalkın. Bu hareketi 4 set 12 tekrar uygulayın.

Adımlama (Lunge)

İki elinize de dumbell alın ve evde birkaç adım atabileceğiniz uygun bir yer bulun. Bu hareketi isterseniz adım atıp ilerleyerek, isterseniz de olduğunuz yerde adım atıyormuş gibi hareket ederek (ilerlemeden) uygulayabilirsiniz. Hareketi uygularken karşıya bakın ve dengenizi bozmayın. Her iki bacak içinde 3 set 12 tekrar uygulamanız yeterli olacaktır.

Dambılı Bacakla Çekme (Dumbell Leg Curl)

Evde bu hareketi uygulayabilmek için bir yükseltiye ihtiyaç duyabilirsiniz. Bir adet dambılı ayaklarınızın arasına alarak görseldeki gibi aşağı doğru indirin. Daha sonra arka bacak kaslarınızın yardımı ile dambılı kaldırmaya çalışın. Arka bacak kaslarınızın gerildiğini ve çalıştığını çok net bir şekilde hissedeceksiniz. Dambılı bacaklarınızın arasına almakta zorlanıyorsanız yanınızdaki birinden yardım isteyebilirsiniz. Bu hareket için 3 set 12 tekrar yeterli olacaktır.

Dambılla Baldır Yükseltme (Dumbell Calf Raise)

Evinizde bulacağınız ufak bir yükselti ile bu hareketi uygulayabilirsiniz. Elinize ağırlığı alın ve yükseltiye ayaklarınızın parmak ucuyla çıkın. Daha sonra topuklarınızı aşağı doğru indirin ve baldır kaslarınızı hissedir. Topuklarınızın yere değmemesine özen gösterin. Baldırlarınızı sıkarak yukarı doğru bedeninizi itin. Kalf kaslarınızın yandığını hissedeceksiniz. Bu hareketi 4 set 12 tekrar yapabilirsiniz.

Evde vücut geliştirme serimizin diğer yazılarına ulaşmak için buraya tıklayabilirsiniz.

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Squat Nasıl Yapılır?

Türkçe karşılığı “çömelme” olarak ifade edilir. Vücuttaki toplam kas kütlesini arttırmak için oldukça etkili olan bu hareket uzun yıllardır vücutcular için bir vazgeçilmez olmuştur. Aynı zamanda testosteron hormonunu da arttırdığı bilinmektedir.

Vücuttaki en büyük kas olan bacak kaslarını çalıştırdığı için squat hareketi en önemli hareketlerden biridir. Hareketin yapılışı çok kolay gibi görünse de bazı püf noktaları vardır. Doğru yapılmadığı takdirde istenilen etkiyi veremeyebilir.

Squat Nasıl Yapılır?

1.Squat hareketine başlamak için ayaklar omuz genişliğinde açılır.

Gereğinden fazla veya az açılması hareketin verimini düşürür ve sakatlanmalara yol açabilir.

2. Kollar yere paralel olacak biçimde uzatılır.

Ağırlık kullanılıyorsa mutlaka birilerinden yardım isteyin.Kaldıramayacağınız ağırlığın altına girmeyin.

3. Doğrulup , eğilerek hareket tekrarlanır.Hareketin zorlanma esnasında nefes vermeyi unutmayın.

Fakat burada dikkat edilmesi gereken nokta kafanın ve üst vücudun mutlaka öne eğik ve ayaklar hizasında olmasıdır. Dik durarak yapılan squat doğru değildir. Öne eğilerek yapılan squat egzersizi hem karın kası, hem bacak kası hemde kalça kası yapmanızı sağlar.

Zamanla bu hareketi yaparken sırtınıza bir halter alarak hareketin zorluğunu arttırabilirsiniz.

Not : Squat hareketini yanlış uyguladığınız takdirde belinizi sakatlayabilirsiniz.Harekete başlamadan önce ısınma hareketleri yapmanızı öneririm.

Diğer Bacak Kası egzersizlerine ulaşmak için buraya tıklayabilirsiniz.

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4 Quick Tips to Fix Your Ankle Mobility

"Ankle mobility" seems to be a buzzword these days. Coaches often tell their athletes that the limiting factor in their squats is the lack of range of motion in the ankles. Everyone claims to have poor ankle mobility, and they're all looking for the magical way to improve it. You'll see them stretching their ankles into oblivion, hooking resistance bands around their malleoli, and placing barbells on top of their knees, yet their efforts are futile.

Why isn't your ankle mobility improving? Well, as I've said before, stretching is like a Band-Aid. It will result in a temporary improvement, but it doesn't get to the root of the problem. You cannot, I repeat, cannot, change the length of a muscle. Therefore, no amount of yanking and distraction and stretching will not miraculously lengthen the gastrocnemius and soleus (calf) muscles. Instead, you have to address the cause of the stiffness.

A lack of ankle mobility can be the result of either improper motor patterning, poor choice in footwear (think: high heels), or it may be from minimal stability up the kinetic chain.

The ankle is, as you see in this photo, a "mobile" joint. The knee is a stable joint, and then the hip is another very mobile joint. If the ankle does not have adequate mobility, the knee and hip will suffer as well. Mike Boyle, a very well known Strength and Conditioning coach, notes:

An immobile ankle causes the stress of landing to be transferred to the joint above, the knee. In fact, there is a direct connection between the stiffness of the basketball shoe and the amount of taping and bracing that correlates with the high incidence of patella-femoral syndrome in basketball players. Our desire to protect the unstable ankle came with a high cost. We have found many of our athletes with knee pain have corresponding ankle mobility issues. Many times this follows an ankle sprain and subsequent bracing and taping.

Address the ankles, and you cure up a lot of other issues! Here are some ideas to help improve your bottom position in your squat and free up some movement in your ankles.

1. Change your footwear. Now, here's where the shoes can be a very important factor. If you're wearing shoes that act as a cast, meaning they try to provide the strength artificially, your body no longer needs to or wants to utilize this strength on its own. So many people roll their ankles because, guess what? They have weak ankles. An ankle sprain is entirely preventable, in most cases!

Other shoes like high heels force your feet to remain plantarflexed (pointed) for hours on end. As a result, the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles become reflexively shorter to adapt to the way you move. Your body remembers routines, and it likes to conserve energy wherever it can. Therefore, regularly wearing certain types of shoes will affect the musculature around the foot.

I do think training barefoot has a tremendous amount of benefits, but, at the very least, try to find a shoe that allows you to "feel" your feet and does not significantly alter your gait. You can also mobilize the plantar fascia before your workout to increase neural activity in your feet.

2. Strengthen your dorsiflexors. Individuals with tight calves have overactive plantarflexors (gastrocnemius, soleus, plantaris, tibialis posterior, flexor hallucis longus, flexor digitorum longus, fibularis longus, and fibularis brevis), which are the muscles that point the foot. A ballerina, for example, would have incredibly strong plantar flexing muscles. The dorsiflexors are the muscles that pull your toes towards your kneecap (tibialis anterior, extensor hallucis longus, extensor digitorum longus and fibularis tertius); these muscles will contract at the bottom of your squat, so if they're stronger, you'll see significant improvement.

One of my favorite exercises for this is banded dorsiflexion. This movement also strengthens the hip flexors, which will further develop your bottom position. Bear crawls will also help improve the range of motion in the calves. For an extra challenge, try them with straight legs.

3. Improve rotation of the fibular head (pronation). As you squat, the fibula, the outer bone in your lower leg, has to rotate. When you have muscular tension in this area, then you will have a limited amount of rotation. If you have this problem, you may experience pain on the lateral portion of the leg.

To improve this rotation, you can do banded eversion and inversion, or you can do this half kneeling drill. Rolling out the calves with a lacrosse ball will also help improve your range of motion.

4. Correct your squat pattern. Finally, we have to think about motor patterns. The vast majority of people I've met who appear to have insufficient ankle mobility, actually just don't understand proper sequencing. Usually, they don't grasp the concept of "hip hinging," and they initiate a squat or a deadlift in an anteriorly tilted pelvic position. I want to help my clients understand what it feels like to initiate a movement properly at the hips. I will start these people doing a squat with the help of a TRX or gymnastics rings. A wall squat will also help reinforce good movement patterns. Sometimes, people just don't really grasp how a well-executed squat or deadlift should "feel," and in those cases, these drills can elicit immediate results.

If your ankles are stiff, stop trying to stretch the hell out of them against the wall. Figure out why your calves are so tight in the first place, strengthen the weaker muscles, and build a rock solid foundation for all of your lifts. With more range of motion in the ankles, the rest of your joints will be spared of excess wear and tear, and you will improve your mechanics.


Works Cited:

1. Michael, Boyle. "THE JOINT-BY-JOINT APPROACH." Gray Cook Physical Therapist Lecturer Author. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Sept. 2015.
2. Splichal, Emily. "Foot Function & Fascial Lines: Lateral Ankle Stability." From the Ground up. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Sept. 2015.
3. Splichal, Emily. "Plantar Cutaneous Feedback & Ankle Instability." From the Ground up. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Sept. 2015.

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Breathe Your Way to Bigger Lifts (Part 2)

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on breathing properly for your lifts. This week, my friend Nate Henry, a competitive powerlifter, wrote a wonderful follow-up article. His strongest lifts include a 523.5 pound squat in competition, and a 535 pound squat in the gym, weighing 206 pounds. His best meet total is 1,372 pounds! He is also currently pursuing a bachelors degree in Kinesiology and an NSCA CPT. If you want to move big weights like this guy, follow his advice.

I mean...look at this guy.

Brief Squat Overview (Kinesiology)

Before I get into anything, let's review all of the primary muscles that are used within the squat because a lot of people overlook them.

When you’re lifting or doing anything and figuring out what muscles are being utilized, you have to analyze the dynamic (moving) joint to be able to identify the muscles worked. The muscles being worked are the ones that are fighting against the load.

As you squat there is movement in these joints:

• Hip (femoral acetabular joint, femur connects in the acetabulum in the coxal bone) 
• Knee (tibio-femoral joint, where the femur connects to the tibia)
• Ankle (taleo-tibula joint, where the tibia meets the talus)
• Spinal column (vertebral column)
•  Sacroilliac (SI, or lumbo-sacral) joint which is where the column connects to the illiac.

Analyzing the movement against resistance, standing up when you squat, we can identify the action of the muscle taken. In this case:

• Hip extension
• Knee extension
• Plantar flexion (ankle)
• Spinal extension (and depending on the lifter, there can be a posterior or anterior pelvic tilt in the SI.)

Rather than listing out all of the muscles involved, here are some nifty graphs I made to show what muscles are responsible for what movement:

Keep in mind these are only the primary muscles and these do not include the statically loaded muscles or the secondary muscles involved in the movements.

Now what?

Now that we’ve identified all the muscles we can get into this cueing business, the muscles will come into play a little later. Outside of reminding everyone reading this that their set up is the most important part of the squat (don't rush it, set up every set the same, etc.). I’m going to assume you’ve squatted before in your life, and I'll get right to it.

One of the biggest things that helped me advance my own squat was learning to properly brace and learning to “breathe into my lower back.”

A lot of lifters rant about “getting tight” and “getting your breath,” but what the heck does that even mean? It’s one of those things that if you know it, you get it. If you don’t, it’s hard to explain fully.

The whole point of getting “tight” or bracing is to prepare your body to handle load. Usually in the form of the Valsava Maneuver (holding your breath). However, a lot of people can’t even breathe correctly without load, so getting your breath and bracing properly is hard to do if you’re just starting out.

Rather than explaining it further, Arianna has written an awesome article already!

That breath and bracing is the most important and overlooked aspect of the squat next to having a proper unrack/walkout.

The reason this is so important is because if you’re not bracing completely you’ll put a lot of pressure on different muscles. We talked about spinal extension as one of the movements in a squat right? Well, when you’re just bracing the frontal core (the rectus abdominis plays a huge role in stabilizing the muscles responsible for spinal extension), you’re leaving your back completely unprotected, even with a belt! When you’ve got something heavy on you, that weight will zero right in on your weakest part of the back and that’s how back injuries happen and why.

This cue is especially important for low bar squatters who tend to use more extension in the back to leverage heavier weight on the way up.

To add to that, a lot of lifters might get the back tight (flexing it rather than creating the tension through the diaphragmatic breathing) and then tip forward because there is no brace on the front. This can also create some havoc within the muscles being worked. The quads may try to take proportionally more load than needed and the hip extensors try to pick up the slack. Things can get weird.

The point is, you need to brace and create that pressure. This is how I learned to do that.

Why breathe into my lower back?

Your core musculature wraps all the way around. A lot of lifters just breathe into their stomachs, creating little pressure, and not getting 360 degrees of tightness throughout all the musculature, extrinsically, nor intrinsically. They lack the understanding of what full abdominal expansion feels like; that’s where this cue comes in handy.

Put your hand on your lower back. Breathe into your stomach with a proper breath (fill it like a balloon). Not much going on in the lower back right? Or the sides, really, correct?

Now, do the same thing but try to breathe into the back while still trying to fill in the balloon (if that’s not helping, try to breathe into the lower back lying on your back and try to focus on pushing against the ground). If you’re doing this correctly, you should feel your back, stomach, and sides fill with air. Put your hands on your sides as well, you’ll feel it.

This is what I mean by breathing into your lower back. Proper inhalation helps your muscles in the core/lower back get tight/brace. Think of your core musculature as your body's own belt.

Using this, let's go over a quick squat without getting too much into the whole process:

1. Approach the bar, get your hand placement. 
2. Without rushing, get under the bar and get your placement down (high/low/hybrid). Dig into the bar, get the hands set, get everything nice and stable. 
3. Get your hips under you (both feet, not split stance this will prevent injuries in the back as well)
4. Breathing into your lower back, and getting the full breath first, unrack the bar.
5. Take your first step back, settle. 
6. Bring your other leg back, settle. Adjust this foot if need. 
7. If you’re squatting really heavy and the bar is whipping, let it settle. Good walks, make good lifts.
8. If you let out some air during the walk, retake the breath but make sure you create pressure during the walkout phase because even though you’re not squatting, you’re still having to move around that weight. 
9. Squat
10. Stand up
11. Retake the breath (don't descend without completing the breath!)
12. Repeat

I like using Chad Wesley Smith as an example, since he’s the one who introduced me to this cue. Here he is squatting 825 for a double.

Notice the control, the time put into the set up, and how he breathes. Now, Chad is an Elite Squatter. He’s quick about it. Take your time.

The cool thing is this applies to all disciplines: CrossFit, Powerlifting, Strongman, Weightlifting, Bodybuilding.

Try these tips, and add serious weight onto your lifts.


Works Cited:

1. Nuckols, Greg. "Squat Mechanics – The Red Pill." Strengtheory. N.p., 23 Feb. 2015. Web. 02 June 2015.
2. Smith, Chad W. "10 Steps to Great Squatting Technique." JTS Strength. N.p., 20 Aug. 2014. Web. 02 June 2015.
3. Smith, Chad W. "Squatting Specifics - What Technique Is Best for Your Sport?" JTS Strength. N.p., 22 Aug. 2014. Web. 02 June 2015.

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To Belt or Not to Belt?

Part of assimilating into the "lifting culture" means geeking out over new purchases like shoes, wrist wraps, straps, and belts. It's easy to fill up your shopping cart pretty quickly on Amazon.com or other similar websites. The question is, how much of these items are necessary, and what is extraneous and perhaps counter-productive?

I've been hesitant to write this post, because I know many people hold very strong opinions on this issue. There are plenty of people at an elite level who are using lifting belts to deadlift 800+ pounds, so it's natural to want to copy what those guys are doing and hope that all of this gear will lead to similar gains for you. If only that were the case...

Personally, I am not an advocate of belts (and most other "accessories" for that matter, but I'll save that for another post) in many circumstances.

First of all, it's important to understand why you're using a belt in the first place, because I believe a lot people have a great misunderstanding of the purpose of a belt. Some people are under the illusion that the belt will magically prevent back injuries. At the moment, there isn't a lot of evidence to support that belts reduce injury rates or lower back pain in any way. According to the CDC, "although back belts are being bought and sold under the premise that they reduce the risk of back injury, there is insufficient scientific evidence that they actually deliver what is promised."

Stuart McGill also notes that "[individuals] who have never had a previous back injury appear to have no additional protective benefit from wearing a belt," and "those who are injured while wearing a belt seem to risk a more severe injury."

A belt is meant to provide additional support and stability for the muscles of the trunk. Basically, the tension of the belt increases intra-abdominal pressure, activation of the spinal erectors and rectus abdominis. All of these things are clearly important in lifting heavy weight. So why do I have such a conceptual problem with using a belt?

A lifter needs to learn to create intra-abdominal pressure sans belt. When one becomes too reliant on a belt to stabilize his core, the risk of injury without one may increase. Essentially, a belt becomes a crutch for poor bodily awareness and motor learning. If you constantly step under a loaded barbell with your belt on, it's going to be much more difficult to move without it!

A belt will create a false sense of security in a lifter, and thus potentially stunt the growth of postural muscles like the erector spinae, multifidi, external obliques and rectus abdominis, as their roles become more limited with equipment.

In my opinion, a belt is most useful upwards of about 85% of your 1 rep maximum on a squat or a deadlift. That's it. Heavy weights require a greater degree of tension in the body, and that's where the belt will come in handy. You should not be warming up with your belt, and you should not wear it all of the time. When you are working up to a heavy single, or doing a ton of high volume work at high intensity, the use of a belt may be warranted and helpful. If you are not, however, training for a sport that requires you to be stronger than your competitors (such as Strongman, CrossFit, powerlifting or weightlifting), then I don't think using a belt is necessary at all. Instead, you could stand to benefit from a ton of practice in maintaining intra-abdominal pressure without the aid of equipment. Both your intrinsic and external muscles will get stronger in the process.

Again, this is my personal philosophy. Obviously for sports like powerlifting, a belt is going to be necessary after a certain point, but make sure you're strong without it as well. I rarely use belts unless I'm approaching 100% on my lifts. I prefer to train organically, when I can. I feel more accomplished knowing I was able to move a certain amount of weight without the aid of a belt around my waist. Some people like the security of having a belt, but I think it's always better to teach your body how to create that strength on its own.


Works Cited:

2. McGill, S., Norman, R.W., and Sharratt, M.T. (1990) The effect of an abdominal belt on trunk muscle activity and intraabdominal pressure during squat lifts. Ergonomics, 33 (2): 147-160. 
3. Reddell, Cheryl R., Jerome J. Congleton, R. Dale Huchingson, and John F. Montgomery. "An Evaluation of a Weightlifting Belt and Back Injury Prevention Training Class for Airline Baggage Handlers." Applied Ergonomics 23.5 (1992): 319-29. Web.
5. Reyna, J.R., Leggett, S.H., Kenney, K., Holmes, B., and Mooney, V. (1995) The effect of lumbar belts on isolated lumbar muscle. Spine, 20 (1): 68-73. 

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"Neutral Neck:" How to Avoid Straining the Neck While Lifting

It's relatively common knowledge that during the big lifts, you should keep your back flat--some refer to this as a "neutral spine." Despite this, many people forget about the cervical part of the spine, or the neck.

Ideally, on a clean, snatch, deadlift or squat, the neck should stay in line with the rest of the spine. Once the weight gets heavy, however, one may start to compensate by hyperextending his neck as a lifeline. Instead of engaging larger muscles like the latissimus dorsi and the erector spinae, his cervical extensors are now taking the brunt of the work; compensatory patterns like these can lead to big problems over time.

Do not deadlift like this guy. 

To rectify this, I will have my clients find a spot about 3-4 inches in front of them. I will tell them to focus on this point throughout the entire lift. I will also place a PVC pipe behind their backs to help them find a more neutral position: this cue gives them tactile feedback of where their heads should rest.

Maintaining a neutral position of the head will allow you to properly engage your posterior chain while keeping your neck free from overexertion. Stop cheating yourself and find true strength. Movement efficiency is the key to longevity.

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Test Your Squat