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> Even if you do them correctly, a heavy load might force you to lean forward which can damage your back. Leaning forward damages your back? Then why are you s

by dpark 9y ago

> Even if you do them correctly, a heavy load might force you to lean forward which can damage your back. Leaning forward damages your back? Then why are you suggesting deadlifts? Squats are not hard to do correctly. Risk of injury is probably not higher than deadlifts. And squats work more than just legs. They do work the legs hard, but they also work the back. Front squats will also work the upper back quite a bit.

SmellyGeekBoy 9y ago
Why not both? Plus other mobility and cardio work. It's all beneficial in various ways.
- dpark 9y ago
  Of course do both. I was not advocating otherwise. :)
mattferderer 9y ago
It appears "leaning forward" was not a great phrase to use. I meant to say it may force you to lean forward an additional amount into a bad position where you need to lean backwards to correct it. This is where hurting your back would occur. I agree, front squats are great! But I personally feel squats do minimal to back muscles.
- dpark 9y ago
  Those back muscles are doing a ton of work keeping you from falling forward. They don't work as much in the squat as in the deadlift, but they still do a lot of work in the squat. The amount of work the lower back does is directly related to how far forward the body leans (at the hips; I'm assuming we're not discussing bent-back lifts). The lower back does a lot of work in a deadlift to counteract the torque the weight creates via the upper body lean. In a low-back back squat, the amount of work the lower body does is reduced somewhat because the lean and therefore the torque reduced. It's reduced even further in a high-bar squat, and in a front squat the back muscles are mostly doing isometric work in conjuction with the abs to keep your spine from collapsing. Even if your squat form is bad and you're leaning excessively, you're probably not putting more stress on your back than in a deadlift. Unless maybe you're dive-bombing your squats and letting your lower back round a ton at the bottom.

by dpark 9y ago

SmellyGeekBoy 9y ago

Why not both? Plus other mobility and cardio work. It's all beneficial in various ways.

dpark 9y ago
Of course do both. I was not advocating otherwise. :)

mattferderer 9y ago

It appears "leaning forward" was not a great phrase to use. I meant to say it may force you to lean forward an additional amount into a bad position where you need to lean backwards to correct it. This is where hurting your back would occur. I agree, front squats are great! But I personally feel squats do minimal to back muscles.

dpark 9y ago
Those back muscles are doing a ton of work keeping you from falling forward. They don't work as much in the squat as in the deadlift, but they still do a lot of work in the squat. The amount of work the lower back does is directly related to how far forward the body leans (at the hips; I'm assuming we're not discussing bent-back lifts). The lower back does a lot of work in a deadlift to counteract the torque the weight creates via the upper body lean. In a low-back back squat, the amount of work the lower body does is reduced somewhat because the lean and therefore the torque reduced. It's reduced even further in a high-bar squat, and in a front squat the back muscles are mostly doing isometric work in conjuction with the abs to keep your spine from collapsing. Even if your squat form is bad and you're leaning excessively, you're probably not putting more stress on your back than in a deadlift. Unless maybe you're dive-bombing your squats and letting your lower back round a ton at the bottom.