Squat stance

[Beethoven]

I was wondering the difference between wide leg placement in squats as opposed to a more narrow stance. I've normally done them about shoulder width apart toes facing slightly out. I've had people tell me a wider toes out stance is more glut than quad dominant. Is this true? Thanks

[jdpeters]

There is an awesome post in the stickies about squats. Its by dave tate I think. Thats a good place to start. I tried his technique the last couple of leg days and feel stronger just from the technique.

JP

[Beethoven]

Thanks man. I've been here long enough and didn't remember rule #1, read the stickies.

[Beethoven]

There is an awesome post in the stickies about squats. Its by dave tate I think. Thats a good place to start. I tried his technique the last couple of leg days and feel stronger just from the technique.

JP

Couldn't find it.

[hell911]

Secret #1: Get your stance out wide!

If you squat with a close stance, move your feet out. If you think you squat wide already, move your feet further out! We teach everyone at Westside to squat wide. We don't believe in a close-stance squatter. When you squat wide you create better leverages for the squat. The distance between your knee and hip is greater with a close stance, thus a longer and more difficult squat.

By using a wide squat you cut this distance back as well as place the emphasis on the glutes, hamstrings and lower back. These are the muscles that squat big weights! While squatting wide, try to keep your toes straight ahead or slightly turned out. This will create a tremendous amount of tension in the hips and glutes and make it hard to squat down. This tension will create a great stretch reflex out of the bottom of the squat. This is vital to the development of barbell speed.

http://forums.steroid.com/lifting-te...-articles.html

[Beethoven]

Thanks brother

[kelkel]

Question is what are you trying to develop? Is your target glutes, hams and lower back or more specifically quads? Bodybuilding or powerlifting?

[Beethoven]

Just getting back to what I had for now. But I'd been squatting the same way for what seems like a lifetime. But my squat has just been weak for a while when it used to be my strength years ago. Maybe it was youth back then. I try now to lift smarter in a sense. It is, at least for me that the better my squat is, the better all my other lifts are, or were in the past.

[Beethoven]

To answer directly, bodybuilding

[M302_Imola]

Seems to me that a wider squat stance would work more glutes and hip abductors. Where as a more narrow (shoulder width) stance would work more quads. I tend to see mostly powerlifters going super wide so I prefer a shoulder width stance for bodybuilding purposes. I tend to do the opposite of powerlifters in general.

[Beethoven]

Thanks. Either way I've got some leg work to do. Oh and today is leg day, The day I love to hate

[kelkel]

Experiment a bit and see how different stances feel to you. Variety works.

[Beethoven]

Used a wider stance today. Felt good. I think you're right Kel, will have to switch it around now and again.

[The Dirty South]

Louie Simmons and Dave Tate both say you can bring a wide stance in but you can't bring a narrow stance out. I definitely believe that is true. Symmetry is not a concern for power lifters. Strength obviously is. Anything from louie, dave or jim wendler is gold in my opinion. Sounds like your killing it in squats bud!


-Dirty South

[Beethoven]

Louie Simmons and Dave Tate both say you can bring a wide stance in but you can't bring a narrow stance out. I definitely believe that is true. Symmetry is not a concern for power lifters. Strength obviously is. Anything from louie, dave or jim wendler is gold in my opinion. Sounds like your killing it in squats bud!


-Dirty South

Don't know if I'm killing it, but it sure did a job on me today. The wide stance definitely did help my balance and helps my arch.

[kelkel]

Used a wider stance today. Felt good. I think you're right Kel, will have to switch it around now and again.

The more angles you attack a muscle from the better it will be. But remember, the quads have a common attachment at the knee so altering the stress on the quads by altering the stance doesn't really effect inner or outer quads as much as most people think.

[MotoLifter]

I used to squat with a wide stance more of a powerlifting style but that began to hurt the outside of my left knee. After fiddling with my stance for a while I found a narrow stance (slightly narrower than my shoulders) with my toes pointed out slightly eliminated the knee pain and really gave me a great quad pump and I feel like they work harder than in my previous stance. JMO


Moto

[MotoLifter]

And DAMN Kel!!! you got that billboard look going!! you should rent out advertising space on that massive back and make some extra $ lol.

[Beethoven]

And DAMN Kel!!! you got that billboard look going!! you should rent out advertising space on that massive back and make some extra $ lol.

Yeah, with multiple signs! One thing I did notice is that my knees felt better this way.

[skindiesel]

The wider the stance the stronger but that always isn't best for bodybuilding for BB they should be slightly wider than shoulder width toes pointed out slightly flexing ur glutes and hams on way down and flexing quads on way up. Well that's at least best for me and what I want.

[Beethoven]

Yeah a bit wider than shoulder with toes out. I used to squat a little closer in for a long time. I've never really gotten into front squats so I may incorporate them but this slightly wider stance has felt good. Although I haven't yet felt it in my glutes as much but my quads are on fire. I do squat all the way down.

[skindiesel]

Front squats I have found are good for my quads but I get more out of hack squats for my quads then front so I don't do me anymore.

[Beethoven]

Machine hacks?

[skindiesel]

Yep feet shoulder width apart

[Beethoven]

Thanks brother

[DontTaseMeBro]

I do both. Wide for glutes and hams - narrow for quads and hams. Hell, have some fun and throw in some front squats with a relatively narrow stance. I like to do those slow of 10-12 reps and feel that nice burn in the quads. Squats - they're what's for breakfast!

[diabeticknowledge]

please do your self a favor and stay away from machines when it comes to squats (and everything else in weight training). squat stance generally is between shoulder and hip with apart, if you go wide like "power"lifters do then you cant perform a full depth squat without blowing out your knees. so hips or shoulder with apart - torso is upright and hamstrings touch the calves (ass to heels)

[Art Vandelay]

Shoulder width toes out a bit and feet forward a bit

[NaijaBoy]

Do all and see what works best for you. I squat a lot as my workout is the big 4 and calisthenics only. Shoulder width stance and box squats for me