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Chances are, if you put a loaded barbell in front of powerlifter Andrew Hause, he’ll have no trouble lifting it. On July 5, 2022, Hause shared a video on his Instagram profile he squatted 467.8 kilograms (1,031.4 pounds) with wraps for a new all-time personal record (PR). The new squat with wraps figure surpasses his previous PR by 25 pounds.
In the caption of his Instagram post, Hause details what appeared to be a challenging journey toward this squat feat. The main obstacle was a dramatic shift in his weight. He logged a fresh top strength mark anyway.
“I had a rough week this week, body weight was own to 284 pounds today,” Hause writes. “I was shocked when I stepped on the scale I lost around 14-16 pounds in the past 3 weeks. Not intentional, and no excuses, only gotta try to be bigger and better.”
It could be a testament to Hause’s resolve that he captured a new PR despite losing such a large amount of weight in a relatively short period. The athlete did not publicly disclose or theorize why he lost that significant weight seemingly so fast. That said, it seems to be a motivator for Hause to squat even more on his next opportunity.
He maintained that he’ll work with his coach Ben Pollack to return better than ever.
“I’m not happy with how it moved and how shaky the descent was,” Hause writes. “I know I’m capable of more.”
Hause at a Glance
The 140-kilogram competitor in Hause isn’t unfamiliar with staggering strength feats. A squat of 456.3 kilograms (1,006 pounds) from the 2021 Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate (RPS) Showcase Super Classic gave him the current all-time squat Junior World Record (Raw With Wraps). It’s also the third heaviest squat with wraps at any age category. At that same contest, Hause eventually notched a total of 1,105.9 kilograms (2,438 pounds) to give him the all-time total Junior World Record (in wraps).
While he might be a well-rounded powerlifter with strong arms, Hause’s leg power and conditioning are what typically have given him the most notoriety.
If Hause were to transfer over his new PR squat with wraps to a sanctioned competition, it would be just 10 kilograms short of the second-heaviest squat ever in the 140-kilogram division. Eric Lillibridge owns the second-heaviest squat of 477.5 kilograms (1,052.6 pounds) from the 2016 United Powerlifting Association (UPA) Iron Battle on the Mississippi.
James Searcy is the owner of the raw with wraps World Record. According to Open Powerlifting, Searcy captured his record 480-kilogram (1,058.2-pound) raw with wraps squat at the 2018 RPS Live Large Big Spring Showdown. Hause’s PR puts him 12.1 kilograms from Searcy’s benchmark.
In his early 20s, Hause might have a bright and fulfilling career ahead of him. If he’s breaking records and already putting himself in the conversation for more, this likely won’t be the last time the powerlifting world hears from the athlete.
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Your body naturally knows how to run, right? You ran around as a kid. You can (hopefully) run when you’re in danger. While lifting weights will always be near and dear to many people, running is a universal language. Some people run for sport, for heart health, or just for fun.
Credit: Daxiao Productions / Shutterstock
Like any skill, however, a little work can make the experience (and the results) even better. Do you want to be more competitive with yourself or others? Have you been stuck at a pace and wondering how to improve your time? Maybe it’s time to check-in and make sure you can keep up a respectable speed.
The 8-minute mile is a high-performance standard. Sustaining that pace for a marathon would complete the 26.2-mile feat in just under three and a half hours, which puts you in the top 25% to 30% of runners. For non-competitive context, the majority of military and law enforcement organizations require fitness tests which include a one and a half or two-mile run. An 8-minute mile pace would score you squarely in the middle of the pack.
No matter your reason, it’s a significant goal to aim for. Here’s a training plan to help you get there.
It takes a detailed program to start running more efficiently and improve your running time. Here’s a plan to start shaving time off your run and keep your body balanced and healthy.
Monday
Strength Training
Even one day of focused weight training can build strength and functional muscle when the total training volume is sufficient. (1) A full-body workout can help runners build their legs, upper body, and core — all essential parts to being a strong runner.
Credit: Photology1971 / Shutterstock
“There is usually an improvement in time when a period of training is devoted to strength training,” says Yusuf Jeffers, a coach with Mile High Run Club. “Compound lifts like barbell back squats and unilateral work like lunges are good for developing muscles in the legs. Not just the quads, but also hamstrings and glutes. Muscles don’t work in isolation.”
“Core strength workouts are also of great utility. The trick is to integrate improvements in leg strength and have it expressed as power. Core strength helps with maintaining posture, all of which ultimately leads to faster times.”
Run 400 meters for four to six sets with two minutes rest between each run.
Use a submaximal stride, meaning you work just below the anaerobic threshold and not at full capacity. Each run should be difficult but you shouldn’t be completely breathless.
Wednesday
Active Recovery
Active recovery is a hybrid between a day of serious training and complete rest. It can be a 30-minute walk, slow jog, or other light cardio activity at a comfortable pace. Also spend time working on flexibility, such as long, deep stretching or a Yin yoga class.
Thursday
Tempo Run
A tempo run is a distance run performed at a tempo, or speed, you can maintain for the entire duration. Start with two or three-miles at a consistent speed. As your running improves, work toward a quicker tempo and eventually increase up to five miles.
To hit the 8-minute mile pace, many runners will need to reach 180 steps per minute, or three steps per second. Consider that as an eventual target.
Tip: To stay on tempo and keep a steady pace, try listening to the Running Tempo Mix playlist on Spotify by Nike Women. You can also search many music streaming services for BPM-specific playlists depending on the speed and pace you need.
Friday
Active Recovery
Take another active recovery day for restorative work. Perform another 30-minutes of light cardio followed by more flexibility work.
Saturday
Endurance Run
This should be your longest run of the week to build overall endurance and push your physical and mental limits. Keep your speed between the “active recovery” speed and the “tempo” speed. You should be able to speak in sentences during this run. Start with three miles and increase your volume each week, eventually up to 20 miles.
Sunday
Rest
No training, no running, and no lifting. Take the day off, eat some nutritious food, and recover for the upcoming week.
Improve Your Form, Improve Your Speed
Achieving an 8-minute mile pace is a respectable achievement for any non-professional runner. It’s a sign that you’re starting to bridge the gap between recreational and specialized performance.
Even if you’re not a dedicated runner, allocating some training time to improve your running will boost your aerobic conditioning base, which can be beneficial for everything from high-rep sets of weight training to running the bases in your local rec-league softball game.
Like any exercise or skill, improving your technique can lead to better results and a lower risk of injury. Most people will invest time and energy learning how to deadlift properly because it’s seen as a relatively complicated exercise that requires coordination between multiple muscles.
However, many of those same people would simply take off on a run with minimal attention to factors that can have a significant effect on how the run feels and, more importantly, how your body responds to all those miles. Here are some of the most important cues to run more efficiently, which will shave down your time and reduce wear and tear on your joints.
Cue 1 — Drive Your Knees Forward
Credit: Nico Cuervo / Shutterstock
Many people focus on kicking their legs back as they move. Instead, focus on driving your knees forward on each step. This improves stride length and helps to activate the hip flexors and core, which are essential for optimal performance.
Form Tip: Incorporate standing high-knee drills and marching in place during your general warm-up to reinforce this type of knee-forward movement.
Cue 2 — Make Contact with the Balls of Your Feet
Credit: Bohdan Malitskiy / Shutterstock
When striking the ground during a run, think light and quick. You don’t want to slam your foot into the ground. Most modern running teachers no longer teach a heel strike. Hitting your heels on the ground can be slow and lead to foot and ankle issues.
Instead, they teach runners to strike the ground with the balls of their feet. Have a friend watch you run or set up a camera to record your form. If you are striking back on your heel, take the time to move forward on your foot.
Form Tip: While you’re reviewing your form, check to see if you pronate or supinate your feet. If you’re shifting to the big toe-side of the foot (pronating) or the pinky toe-side of the foot (supinating) instead of remaining in a neutral position, you may be at risk of foot and ankle problems down the road. You can also check the wear patterns on the bottoms of your sneakers as an indicator.
Cue 3 — Run with Your Upper Body
Credit: Taras Grebinets / Shutterstock
Running doesn’t just happen by moving your legs. Your entire upper body needs to be involved if you want to perform well. As you start your run, think about leaning forward with your hips, chest, and ears in front of your ankles.
Keep your head and chest up by looking 50 to 100-feet ahead of you. Swing your arms like pendulums in sync with your legs. Keep your forearms passing by your sides, not across your body, and keep your arms bent about 90-degrees.
Form Tip: Keep your posture tall. Don’t allow yourself to bend forward at the waist. If your upper body starts to collapse, your overall running form will suffer and speed will slow down.
Cue 4 — Keep Your Core Engaged
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Your core is essential for keeping your posture upright, as well as keeping your breath strong. Focus on keeping your core engaged and lifting up out of your pelvis.
Maintain tight enough abs so you don’t wobble side-to-side or over-rotate while you run. If your shoulders are tilting or turning significantly as you run, it’s an indicator that your core may be too relaxed and not fully engaged.
Form Tip: Practice breathing in tempo without losing core tension. Count your steps as you breathe in and breathe out, and work on breath consistency in your pacing. Start slow and determine your individual optimal number of steps per breath.
Running Mistakes to Avoid
Running may seem easy because, technically, anyone can do it anytime. However, to improve your time and become a better runner, you need to follow a structured routine. Running without a plan can lead to pain, injury, slow times, and wasted energy. Here are the most common issues to avoid.
Running Too Much
This isn’t so much a technique issue as it is an enthusiasm issue. When it comes to improving your running, some people think it’s better to just do “more” and somehow any issues will sort themselves out along the way. This isn’t true.
Credit: AstroStar / Shutterstock
To become a better, faster, and more efficient runner, you need a balanced running program — like you would for any other fitness goal.
Avoid It: Follow a well-planned, structured running schedule (like the sample plan laid out earlier in this article). A comprehensive plan should include training time, varied distances, and cross-training days to build skills, balance training and recovery, and avoid injury.
Skipping Recovery
Trying to get better without rest and recovery can set you backwards in your training. Your body needs recovery days to allow your muscles to repair, your cardiovascular system to adapt, and your nervous system to refresh.
Credit: PR Image Factory / Shutterstock
Trying to be “all gas, no brakes” won’t get you to your goals any faster and can potentially put you on the sidelines if you rack up an injury along the way.
Avoid it: Make sure your training schedule includes rest days and recovery methods, including flexibility training which can reduce soreness and improve your range of motion. (2)
Benefits of Running
Running has definite benefits, both physiologically and psychologically. Those benefits become more pronounced when supported by proper recovery and other forms of exercise.
Cardiovascular Health
Running is an aerobic, cardiovascular activity that forces active work on the heart and lungs. This work strengthens the heart and lungs and can lead to a lower resting heart rate and higher blood oxygenation. In all, this leads to better cardiovascular health and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. (3)
Psychological Health
A “runner’s high” is often considered to be a post-run endorphin rush, where your brain releases feel-good chemicals in response to the almost-meditative blood-pumping exercise you just completed. There’s actually an abundance of science that connects running with improved mental health. Some research even suggests that running consistently can be as beneficial as pharmaceutical intervention. (4)
Credit: Dusan Petkovic / Shutterstock
Additional studies have linked a regular running routine with improved sleep, citing that some people have a significant deep sleep improvement and a reduction in insomnia with as little as two short runs per week.
Note: Avoid any interference with your current doctors’ orders. If you are on prescription medication when starting or improving your running routine, let your doctor know and monitor your results.
Fat Loss
Cardiovascular exercise is a reliable method of fat loss. Many times, a simple walk can be an effective starting point. However, running has been shown to contribute more significantly towards fat loss and improved body composition than walking. (5)
A running program not only burns calories during the run, it has also been shown to suppress one’s appetite, making it easier to stick to the type of calorie-restricted diet necessary for fat loss.
FAQs
Why do my feet hurt after running?
It may be due to running too much and/or too quickly for your foot and ankle structures to adapt, or it may be as simple as running on worn-out shoes that offer no protection from repeated impact. Typically, running shoes should be replaced after you’ve put them through 400 to 500 miles of work. Even well-built shoes begin to breakdown at that point and they no longer offer the same level of cushioning and support as intended.
It is really important to pay attention to your feet, especially foot pain. Foot pain can lead to a very painful condition, called plantar fasciitis, which can affect foot function for years to come. Have a professional check your form while you run and help you with any stride corrections. Get a pair of shoes specifically made for running. Many specialized shoe stores can analyze your gait and help you find the right shoe.
What is a side stitch and why do I get them?
There are several possible factors that can cause side stitches including the timing of your previous meal, your breathing pattern, and the tightness of the ligaments around the diaphragm.
In general, stay hydrated before, during, and after a run; work on developing a breathing pattern in sync with your strides while you run; eat a light meal two to three hours before your run; and if you have pain during a run, stop and massage the area until the pain subsides instead of trying to run through the discomfort.
Ready to Run?
Are you inspired? Good. Lace up and get going. Just remember that overdoing it is not going to set you ahead. If you want a goal to really get yourself in gear, find a local 5K and sign up. Then mark it on your calendar, follow the plan, refine your technique, and pick up your pace to start shaving your time down.
References
Ralston, G.W., Kilgore, L., Wyatt, F.B. et al. Weekly Training Frequency Effects on Strength Gain: A Meta-Analysis. Sports Med – Open 4, 36 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-018-0149-9
Sands, William & Mcneal, Jeni & Murray, Steven & Ramsey, Michael & Sato, Kimitake & Mizuguchi, Satoshi & Stone, Michael. (2013). Stretching and Its Effects on Recovery: A Review. STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING JOURNAL. 35. 30-36. 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000004.
Lee, D. C., Pate, R. R., Lavie, C. J., Sui, X., Church, T. S., & Blair, S. N. (2014). Leisure-time running reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 64(5), 472–481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2014.04.058
Oswald, F., Campbell, J., Williamson, C., Richards, J., & Kelly, P. (2020). A Scoping Review of the Relationship between Running and Mental Health. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(21), 8059. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17218059
Williams P. T. (2013). Greater weight loss from running than walking during a 6.2-yr prospective follow-up. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 45(4), 706–713. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e31827b0d0a
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Take a general glance over Nick Best’s social media, and you’ll see a man dedicated to strength. The athlete regularly shares videos of himself deadlifting, benching, and squatting. Even after tearing his lat in April 2021, Best has still found a way to push it with what appears to be every movement under the sun. The athlete now seems ready to make his return to strongman competition after nearly two years away.
On July 7, 2022, over Instagram, Best revealed that he received an invitation to the 2022 Official Strongman Games (OSG) in the Men’s Master’s 50+ division. It will be his fourth time competing at the contest, which will take place on November 11-13, 2022, in Daytona Beach, FL.
Got my invite to [2022] Official Strongman Games Masters World’s Strongest Man! … It’s going to be one hell of a battle! Here we go!
Strongman and powerlifting are similar sports on some merits, but strongman contests can be more functional overall rather than only having a focus on the big three of the squat, bench press, and deadlift. The experienced Best may have to shift some of his training focus to account for this distinction.
What’s on Deck
At the time of this writing, the Official Strongman Games haven’t released a full roster of the Men’s Master’s competitors for November’s contest. In the past, there have usually been 10 athletes per division. That said, Best himself revealed some of the athletes partaking in the Men’s 50+ division in his Instagram caption.
First and perhaps foremost, there’s reigning Men’s Masters 50+ Champion Michael Saunders, who is back to defend his crown. Joining him is Mark Felix, who set a World Record on the Wrecking Ball Hold at the 2022 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) when he held the ball up for 2:20.49. George Pearson will also appear again, as he looks to improve upon a 10th place result at last year’s contest. Last but not least, there’s Chad Coy, who has competed as a strongman in some capacity since 1998, according to Strongman Archives.
The events for the 2022 OSG have also not been announced at this time. If they’re anything similar to the 2021 edition, the athletes can expect some combination of the Log Lift for Reps, Car Walk, Deadlift Medley, Carry and Drag, Bag Toss Medley, and in strongman tradition — the Atlas Stones.
According to Strength Results, Saunders won last year’s contest on the strength of victories in four of the six events.
To take first place in the Log Lift for Reps, Saunders completed eight reps of the 255-pound log. He then carried his 700-pound vehicle 50 feet in 11.13 seconds to win the Car Walk. As the competition closed, he successfully tossed six bags from 30 to 45 pounds in weight in 19.14 seconds in the Bag Toss Medley. Finally, Saunders put an exclamation point on his title by lifting all six Atlas Stones (the final weighing 350 pounds) in 36.83 seconds.
If anyone can challenge Saunders’ bid for a repeat, it might be Best. Best won the 2016 OSG and came in fourth place during the 2017 and 2019 editions. He even qualified for the 2020 WSM, competing with some athletes roughly two decades younger than him.
Given Best’s absence from strongman for a little while, it’s unclear what he’ll bring to the table in Daytona Beach. Judging by his training commitments and history, the field might do well to prepare for a strong flourish from the athlete.
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Whenever she decides to hang up her lifting belt, Bonica Brown will likely be regarded as one of the greatest powerlifters of all time. For now, the 33-year-old athlete still has more records to set.
On July 10, 2022, Brown (+84KG) squatted 322.5 kilograms (711 pounds) during the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama. The squat mark is a new equipped World Record for the +84-kilogram International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) division. By the meet’s end, Brown’s display of leg strength helped her take home the silver medal.
Notably, Brown came close to breaking her own equipped World Record total of 791 kilograms (1,743.8 pounds). Unfortunately, upon further review, judges overturned her third deadlift attempt of 260 kilograms (573 pounds). As a result, Brown fell just six kilograms (13.2 pounds) short of a new total record, according to the IPF database. Brown’s equipped World Record total of 791 kilograms (1,743 pounds) is from the 2019 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships.
The 2022 World Games were scored on a pound-for-pound basis. On this merit, Canada’s Rhaea Stinn won the +84-kilogram division gold medal on the strength of her top lifts related to her competitive body weight. Per The World Games website, Stinn weighed 83.2 kilograms (183.4 pounds). Meanwhile, Brown weighed in at 135.6 kilograms (298.9 pounds). Brown actually beat Stinn’s top squat, deadlift, and total, but Stinn’s best stats carried more points because she weighed less.
Notably, with a bench press of 227 kilograms (500.4 pounds), Stinn also extended her own equipped bench press World Record from the 2021 IPF World Championships by four kilograms (8.8 pounds).
Here are Brown’s top stats from this contest:
Brown Brown (+84KG) | 2022 World Games Top Stats
Squat — 322.5 kilograms (711 pounds) | Equipped World Record
Brown’s new record at the World Games is nothing out of the ordinary for the powerlifter. The athlete has won the IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships seven times (2014-2019, 2022). In addition to her equipped records, Brown possesses the raw squat and total World Records. She notched both her record raw squat of 273.5 kilograms (603 pounds) and record raw total of 673.5 kilograms (1,484.1 pounds) at the 2022 IPF World Championships. This equipped World Record is only roughly three kilograms off of Brown’s heaviest single-ply squat of 325 kilograms (716.5 pounds) from the 2019 USA Powerlifting Nationals.
Another record in an international competition seems to be par for the course for Brown.
At the time of this writing, Brown has not announced when she will compete next in a sanctioned competition. Given the sample size of her career, it might be fair to assume the powerlifter will add another record to her resume whenever that contest comes around the bend.
Featured image: @powerlifting_america on Instagram
Spend time hanging around alternative health spaces, and you’ll undoubtedly come across seed cycling. This popular protocol aims “balance women’s hormones” and help with all sorts of issues related to hormones and the menstrual cycle. Proponents use seed cycling for everything from PMS symptoms, dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation), and irregular cycles to PCOS, infertility, ovarian cysts, and menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.
Testimonials abound from women who credit seed cycling with changing their lives. No shortage of holistic doctors, naturopaths, dietitians, and bloggers promote it as a helpful tool, or even a miracle cure, for women. There are also plenty of skeptics.
While it’s great to keep an open mind, we also want interventions that actually work. Nobody wants to throw valuable time and money after remedies that don’t do anything or, worse, that cause harm. When you dig into the claims, they seem a little too good to be true, but they aren’t. Let’s look at the evidence.
What is Seed Cycling?
Seed cycling is a program where you eat certain seeds during different phases of the menstrual cycle. According to proponents, if you diligently follow the protocol for several months, you can expect to see improvements in whatever symptoms or malady you’re hoping to address.
Seed cycling looks like this:
During the follicular phase (first day of menses to ovulation), consume one tablespoon of flax seeds and one tablespoon of pumpkin seeds per day.
During the luteal phase (day after ovulation to day before menses), consume one tablespoon of sunflower seeds and one tablespoon of sesame seeds per day.
Don’t know when you ovulate? No problem, you can do flax and pumpkin for the first half of your cycle (approximately days 1 to 14) and sunflower and sesame in the second half (days 15 to 28, or however long your cycle is). Women who don’t menstruate are advised to use the moon cycle as a guide. New moon to full moon corresponds to the follicular phase, full moon to new moon is luteal.
For digestibility, it’s important to grind the flax seeds and sesame seeds. Usually, seed cyclers grind all the seeds using a spice mill or coffee grinder, or you can buy premade seed blends. Sprinkle the ground seeds over yogurt or salads, mix it into smoothies or soups, or just make a sludgy shot of seed water.
How Does Seed Cycling (Supposedly) Work?
Seed cycling advocates claim that it balances your hormones, meaning that sex hormones (mostly estrogen and progesterone) are at appropriate levels at different points of the menstrual cycle. When sex hormones plummet during menopause, seed cycling allegedly helps mitigate those effects, too. Supposedly, this works for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, seeds contain compounds called lignan precursors. When you eat them, bacteria in the gut metabolize them to create lignans. Lignans are phytoestrogens, like the isoflavones in soy. Because their chemical structures are similar to estrogens the body produces naturally, lignans can bind to estrogen receptors and mimic the effects of estrogen. Proponents say that lignans help create an ideal balance of estrogen and progesterone in the body, boosting estrogen when it is too low and binding it to facilitate detoxification when it is too high. (We’ll return to this claim later.)
Other alleged benefits come from vitamins and minerals in the seeds. Specifically:
Zinc, mostly from pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds, is meant to prime the body to produce progesterone.
Vitamin E in sunflower seeds is likewise meant to encourage progesterone synthesis.
Selenium from sunflower seeds is supposed to help clear (or “detox”) the body of excess estrogen.
But does it actually work like that?
That’s the million-dollar question.
As discerning health consumers, we need to understand that a theory can be “mechanistically plausible,” which means that when you explain why it could work, it totally makes sense. However, it still might not be true. In science, hypotheses usually start with ideas that are mechanistically plausible, but then those hypotheses have to be tested. Some hypotheses that seem completely valid and sensible don’t bear out under scrutiny. That’s why empirical research is vital.
Seed cycling is mechanistically plausible. Lignans are phytoestrogens, and flax and sesame seeds are both significant dietary sources of lignans. Zinc is important for reproductive health.1 Selenium does promote glutathione synthesis.2 Glutathione is a critical antioxidant and an important component of the body’s natural detoxification system. The body does excrete excess estrogen.
So you can see where the idea for this protocol might have come from. The problem is, there really isn’t any solid evidence that seed cycling actually does what it purports to do.
Yes, lignans are phytoestrogens, but scientists are still working to understand how, exactly, lignans affect sex hormone levels. They can be either estrogenic or anti-estrogenic, but it’s not yet clear how and when they exert different effects.3 There’s definitely no concrete evidence that they work like smart drugs, increasing or decreasing estrogen on an as-needed basis to create optimal hormone balance.
Proponents of seed cycling rely heavily on one small study from 1993 that asked 18 women to consume flax seeds for three months.4 In this study, flax seed consumption led to fewer anovulatory menstrual cycles (cycles where an egg is not released as expected) and a more favorable progesterone-to-estradiol ratio during the luteal phase. However, most of the effects on sex hormone levels were not significant. Tellingly, this study has never been replicated, meaning the findings couldn’t be reproduced with more powerful studies or other researchers didn’t think this was important enough to follow up on.
Overall, there is only the scantest evidence that lignans directly affect sex hormone levels. Plenty of studies find that they don’t.5 Moreover, remember that lignans are created in the gut. Not everyone has the microbes needed to convert high levels of lignans. 6 So even if seed cycling does work as proponents claim, we’d expect that some people would benefit much more than others.
Zinc, vitamin E, and selenium are undoubtedly important for overall health and reproductive health in particular. However, there’s still a lot to learn about how supplementing affects the outcomes we’re interested in here. For example, a 2020 review entitled “The Role of Zinc in Selected Female Reproductive System Disorders” concluded that zinc supplements may help with PCOS and dysmenorrhea, but there is a dearth of evidence when it comes to issues like endometriosis and menopause.7 Similarly, a 2016 review of antioxidants concluded, “Given the complexities of hepatic processing and the contribution of diet and lipoprotein metabolism, additional research is needed to further explore the potential relations and mechanisms between particular vitamin E concentrations and reproductive outcomes.”8
In short, we still have much to learn about all these processes. Furthermore, the seed cycling hypothesis relies on mechanistic pathways (A leading to B) that aren’t currently well-supported by data.
Seed Cycling Has Never Really Been Put to the (Empirical) Test
The bottom line is that this protocol has never been rigorously tested. I couldn’t find any studies where participants followed this exact regimen and scientists compared their outcomes to a control group. Even if the evidence for all the mechanistic pathways was strong—and it isn’t—the entire protocol would still need to be put to the test.
Currently, all the evidence is anecdotal. To be clear, I’m not discounting the reports from women who feel like seed cycling worked for them. Anecdotes can be informative, but we can’t rely solely on them. They leave too many questions unanswered.
For those who have success with seed cycling, is it because lignans, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids are optimizing hormone balance? Maybe. Or maybe it’s due to other compounds or different mechanisms like reducing inflammation.
Could it be a placebo effect? Perhaps (and you might be ok with that as long as you get the results you want).
Is there a better way to use seeds and/or the compounds they contain to achieve the same goals? We don’t know.
These are all questions that well-designed, well-controlled laboratory studies could answer. Studies that we don’t currently have.
The Verdict: Is Seed Cycling Worth Trying?
On the one hand, I’m tempted to say it can’t hurt, might help. Seeds offer lots of other benefits. They are good sources of nutrients like B vitamins, magnesium, manganese, and copper, as well as fiber and the aforementioned vitamin E, zinc, selenium, and fatty acids. Lignans have known antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. Flax and sesame seeds seem to have cardioprotective effects.91011 Pumpkin seeds can improve blood glucose levels.12
On the other hand, many women turn to things like seed cycling after conventional doctors have been unable, or even unwilling, to help them. PCOS and endometriosis sufferers notoriously struggle to get properly diagnosed and treated. We don’t have great solutions for menopausal women dealing with common symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and depression. These women have been let down so many times. I’m therefore reluctant to give a thumbs up to something that has no solid evidence behind it. There’s a risk, too, of delaying or avoiding medical treatment in favor of alternative therapies that ultimately aren’t what you need.
Although the risks of seed cycling seem low, you should be aware of a few things:
Seeds are high in phytates and can be allergenic, so they don’t work for everyone.
They’re also high in fiber, leading to gastrointestinal issues for some folks.
Seeds aren’t allowed during the elimination phase of the AIP plan.
If your doctor has advised you to limit your intake of phytoestrogens, make sure you talk to them first.
Finally, if hormone health is your goal, the first step is to make sure you’re nailing the big-ticket items: nutrition, sleep, stress management, and healthy movement.
So what’s YOUR verdict? Are you interested in seed cycling or not so much? Have you tried it already?
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There are lifters with incredible all-around strength and an adventurous spirit, but few can match the energy of the incomparable Jujimufu (real name Jon Call). An absolute storm of power and athleticism, Call never says no to a fun and seemingly impossible lift. He’ll push himself with any of the compound exercises like a bench press, then turn around and destroy inverted rope rows while draped with countless chains.
One of his latest feats seems to indicate he’s leaving no weight uncurled when working out his arms.
On June 30, 2022, in a demonstration of his biceps strength, Jujimufu shared a video where he completed a 161-pound preacher curl for a new personal record (PR).
At the time of this writing, Jujimufu has approximately 1.6 million followers on his Instagram profile. According to U.S. Census data from 2020 that World Population Review has gathered, his following would be enough to populate the sixth-biggest city in the United States, surpassing Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
That metropolis of people gets a perpetual front-row seat to all of his obstacles and achievements.
Preaching to the Choir
Jujimufu’s training with a one-rep max preacher curl could say a lot about his near-term goals. The athlete will compete in the 2022 National Physique Committee (NPC) North American Championships. Those will occur from August 31 through September 3, 2022, in Pittsburgh, PA.
The preacher curl is a popular bodybuilding arm exercise. The idea behind it is that curling with your arms sitting on an angled pad, both removes any tension-breaking momentum and creates a more significant stretch in the muscle. In general, studies show performing anywhere from one to five heavy reps is a good range to increase strength on a preacher curl. (1) There’s something to be said for anecdotal evidence, and Call’s arms look jacked. He didn’t reveal his training split, so this one-rep max preacher curl is likely a one-off attempt.
Jacked biceps with a quality pump will undoubtedly be a part of any hopeful victory for Jujimufu at the North American Championships. His planning and strategy may have taken part of that into account.
Balanced Experience
Jujimufu does show off a more “traditional” lift now and then. In addition to previous bodybuilding experience and ambitions, he’s also competed as a powerlifter before. According to Open Powerlifting, the athlete’s best powerlifting result is a podium finish at the 2020 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) Hybrid Showdown II. Meanwhile, per NPC News Online, his top and only bodybuilding result was a fifth-place finish in the heavyweight division at the 2021 NPC Worldwide Amateur Olympia.
That dynamic athletic background should give him Jujimufu a reliable base of strength on the squat, bench press, and deadlift movements. In addition, he might have a more expansive knowledge of nutrition and different training disciplines.
Here are Jujimufu’s powerlifting competition personal bests:
It can prove difficult to predict the next steps of athletes like Jujimufu, who seems open to trying anything under the sun. Whatever lift Jujimufu shares on his social media has an appearance of random, spur-of-the-moment, and creative thinking. In terms of official competition, Jujimufu hasn’t competed in a powerlifting contest since February 2021 and a bodybuilding contest since October 2021.
Aside from the upcoming NPC North American Championships, it’s unclear what individual feat Jujimufu will tackle next. He might prefer it that way.
References
Schoenfeld, B.J., Grgic, J., Van Every, D.W., Plotkin, D.L. (2021) Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports (Basel). 2021 Feb; 9(2): 32.
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If powerlifter Phillip Herndon has a loaded barbell set up in a squat rack, chances are high that he’ll lift something staggering.
On July 9, 2022, over Instagram, Herndon shared footage of himself completing a raw 410-kilogram (903-pound) squat during a training session. The mark is roughly 44 pounds more than the current World Record for a 110-kilogram competitor, which Kevin Oak set at the 2020 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) Hybrid Showdown II.
Additionally, per the caption of Herndon’s Instagram post, the raw squat feat is 3.6 times his current body weight of 252 pounds. It’s also a 30-pound personal record (PR) for Herndon.
Of late, Herndon has been on a mission with his squat.
While training in early May 2022, the American powerlifter captured a 410-kilogram squat in wraps. Then, in late June 2022, Herndon squatted five kilograms (11 pounds) more than the raw World Record. That Herndon is extending the latter training mark by over 30 pounds roughly two weeks later could be a testament to rapid progress with his leg and back strength.
A Clear Focus
Meanwhile, regarding overall achievements, Herndon has an impressive record to lean on.
For example, the athlete broke the Raw with Wraps World Record for the 110-kilogram division at the 2022 United States Powerlifting Coalition (USPC) Mid-Atlantic Classic. Herndon’s 435-kilogram (959-pound) mark surpassed his peer Daniel Misencik, who squatted 432.5 kilograms (953.5 pounds) at the 2022 WRPF Ghost Clash. Misencik had previously exceeded Herndon on the old squat with wraps World Record.
The 26-year-old Herndon wouldn’t be sitting in a potentially fruitful time of his career if he wasn’t a well-rounded powerlifter. As far as a competitive resume, Herndon has won 23 of 33 powerlifting contests as both a Junior and Open competitor. If that weren’t eye-opening enough, he has missed the top three in only five instances.
Here are Herndon’s top powerlifting competition lifts, according to Open Powerlifting:
At the time of this writing, Herndon has a winning streak of nine straight competitions. Herndon’s last loss came at the 2019 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) The Tribute. He still attained second place at the contest.
Per Herndon’s social media, his next contest will be the 2022 WRPF American Pro. That competition will occur in Manassas, VA, on July 29-30, 2022. Depending on whether Herndon elects to lift raw or with wraps, he’s looking primed to take first in either category. Notably, according to Open Powerlifting, the athlete has competed raw just once throughout his career.
Whatever competitive decision Herndon inevitably makes, he could soon wrap a World Record around a streak 0f 10 straight wins.
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Oleksii Novikov is the champion of the 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic. On July 9, 2022, the Ukrainian strongman successfully made it back-to-back years (2021-2022) as the winner of the strength contest.
Rounding out the podium in London, England, Canada’s Mitchell Hooper and the United States’ Evan Singleton finished in second and third place, respectively. Hooper and Singleton earned qualifications for the 2023 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) with their podium results. Novikov has a perennial invitation thanks to his 2020 WSM title.
Here are the final standings from this year’s competition:
Novikov completed his Strongman Classic repeat thanks to a performance where he won three of the five events. He only finished outside of the top three once. Here’s a short recap and the results from each of the contest’s individual events:
Dumbbell Medley
In the first event of the Strongman Classic, the 12 athletes had the task of lifting five circus dumbbells ranging from 80 to 120 kilograms (176.3 to 264.5 pounds) to an approved overhead lockout position. Whoever could lift the five dumbbells in the fastest time would be the victor.
With a time of 38.38 seconds, Novikov beat second-place finisher Rob Kearney (42.21 seconds) by roughly three seconds. Hooper could only lift four dumbbells in 31.46 seconds, but his effort was enough for a third-place result.
Oleksii Novikov — Five in 38.38 seconds
Rob Kearney — Five in 42.21 seconds
Mitchell Hooper — Four in 31.46 seconds
Paul Smith — Four in 43.36 seconds
Gavin Bilton — Four in 46.27 seconds
Spenser Remick — Four in 52.70 seconds
Maxime Boudreault — Four in 69.81 seconds
Ken McClelland — Three in 59.3 seconds
Evan Singleton — Two in 13.13 seconds
Eddie Williams — Two in 18.10 seconds
Mark Felix — One in 8.06 seconds
Andy Black — One in 15.08 seconds
Black suffered an undisclosed injury during this event and withdrew from the rest of the contest.
Hercules Hold
The Hercules Hold was a challenge all about grip strength. During this event, the athletes had to hold a 160-kilogram (352.7-pound) pillar in each of their hands for as long as possible with their arms stretched wide while maintaining their grip.
Late contest addition Eddie Williams captured the first-place upset when he held the pillars up for 72 seconds. Paul Smith (67.1 seconds) and Mitchell Hooper (64.65 seconds) rounded out the top three. The Hercules Hold was the only event where Novikov did not notch at least a top-three result.
Eddie Williams — 72.01 seconds
Paul Smith — 67.1 seconds
Mitchell Hooper — 64.65 seconds
Evan Singleton — 64.04 seconds
Oleksii Novikov — 58.11 seconds
Mark Felix — 53.59 seconds
Gavin Bilton — 52.34 seconds
Spencer Remick — 52.16 seconds
Maxime Boudreault — 50.21 seconds
Ken McClelland — 47.53 seconds
Rob Kearney — 35.95 seconds
Notably, Mark Felix holds the Hercules Hold World Record of 83.62 seconds from the 2019 Giants Live Wembley. On this occasion, he finished outside the top five.
The third event of the contest saw the strongmen carry two 150-kilogram (330-pound) implements for max distance with a one-minute time limit. The winner would be who could cover the longest distance within that time frame. Novikov (63.3 meters) managed to hold off another promising late addition in Maxime Boudreault (60 meters) to win the Farmer’s Walk. Paul Smith (58 meters) wasn’t far behind his peers in third.
Oleksii Novikov — 63.3 meters
Maxime Boudreault — 60 meters
Paul Smith — 58 meters
Evan Singleton — 55.5 meters
Eddie Williams — 53.25 meters
Mark Felix — 52.35 meters
Spenser Remick — 44.15 meters
Ken McClelland — 41.4 meters
Mitchell Hooper — 29.6 meters
Rob Kearney — 20.5 meters
Gavin Bilton — 15 meters
Axle Deadlift for Reps
As the competition started to close, Novikov began to separate himself from the other athletes. In this event — where the competitors had to axle deadlift 360 kilograms (793.8 pounds) for as many reps as possible in a minute — Novikov was the only person to finish seven reps. Hooper (six reps) and Felix (five) were the next to flank behind Novikov’s dominant first-place outing.
Oleksii Novikov — Seven reps
Mitchell Hooper — Six reps
Mark Felix — Five reps
Evan Singleton — Four reps
Spenser Remick — Four reps
Rob Kearney — Three reps
Maxime Boudreault — Two reps
Gavin Bilton — Two reps
Paul Smith — One rep
Eddie Williams — One rep
Ken McClelland — One rep
Atlas Stones
As is typical in strongman, the famed Atlas Stones were the finisher to this year’s Strongman Classic. The person who could lift all five stones ranging from 120 to 200 kilograms (264 to 440 pounds) into their podiums in the fastest time would be the winner. Boudreault hit the Stones hard, lifting the five stones in 24.03 seconds. Singleton came in second with five stones in 25.59 seconds. In third place, Novikov (25.6 seconds) finished behind Singleton by one-hundredth of a second.
Maxime Boudreault — Five in 24.03 seconds
Evan Singleton — Five in 25.59 seconds
Oleksii Novikov — Five in 25.6 seconds
Gavin Bilton — Five in 27.23 seconds
Eddie Williams — Five in 34.31 seconds
Mitchell Hooper — Five in 35.58 seconds
Spenser Remick — Five in 51.24 seconds
Rob Kearney — Four in 23.21 seconds
Ken McClelland — Four in 23.94 seconds
Paul Smith — Four in 31.78 seconds
Mark Felix — Three in 24.56 seconds
Even still, Novikov’s Stones result was enough to cement his repeat Strongman Classic title.
With the latest Strongman Classic in the rearview mirror, it remains full steam ahead for Giants Live competitions this year. The organization’s next contest will be the 2022 Giants Live Open and World Deadlift Championships. Those will occur on August 6, 2022, in Cardiff, Wales.
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On July 10, 2022, over Instagram, strongman Rauno Heinla shared footage of himself completing a 450-kilogram (992-pound) deadlift during a training session. Heinla’s staggering strength figure is roughly 30 pounds more than the current strongman Master’s World Record.
Heinla wore a deadlift suit, a lifting belt, and lifting straps to capture his massive pull.
Heinla turned 40 in early June 2022, so he now qualifies for the strongman Master’s 40+ division. Russia’s Mikhail Shivlyakov currently holds the official Master’s World Record thanks to a pull of 436 kilograms (962 pounds) from the 2020 World’s Ultimate Strongman (WUS) “Feats of Strength” series.
Heinla’s Deadlift Journey
It’s been an eventful past few months for Heinla around the strongman sphere. After a decade-plus-long absence (2011) according to Strongman Archives, the Estonian athlete was set to compete in the 2022 World’s Strongest Man (WSM). Unfortunately, after an undisclosed injury following a Silver Dollar deadlift attempt, Heinla eventually withdrew from his return to strongman’s most prestigious competition.
Approximately a month later, while apparently recovered from his injury, Heinla’s persistence paid off. In June 2022, he broke Sean Hayes’ previous Silver Dollar deadlift World Record with a pull of 579.7 kilograms (1,278 pounds). A couple of weeks later, Heinla smashed a 420-kilogram (926-pound) traditional deadlift for four reps in training.
The Silver Dollar World Record is merely another significant pulling feat for Heinla. He previously set the current all-time 400-kilogram (881.8-pound) deadlift for reps World Record with six at the 2020 WUS “Feats of Strength” series. The Estonian strongman is also one of the few people to have ever deadlifted at least 453.6 kilograms (1,000 pounds). Other noteworthy names in that exclusive club include former WSM Champions Eddie Hall (2017) and Hafthor Björnsson (2018), and powerlifter Krysztof Wierzbicki. Björnsson retired from strongman in August 2020.
By showing he can surpass the current Master’s World Record, Heinla only continues his familiar trend as one of the world’s premier deadlifters.
The Road Ahead
All these substantial recent deadlifts are part of Heinla’s preparation for the 2022 Giants Live World Open & World Deadlift Championships (WDC). The WDC is a segment of the Giants Live World Open. Heinla notched an eighth-place result at the 2021 WDC and is undoubtedly looking to improve upon that finish at this year’s edition. The 2022 WDC will occur on August 6, 2022, in Cardiff, Wales.
Notably, Giants Live has issued a challenge to the athletes at the 2022 WDC. Should any of the competitors deadlift 505 kilograms (1,113 pounds) during the competition, Giants Live will reward them with a $55,000 cash prize. Björnsson possesses the current all-time World Record deadlift of 501 kilograms (1,104.5 pounds), which he achieved at the 2020 WUS “Feats of Strength” series.
Considering his resume, Heinla could be in a quality position to meet the lofty challenge from Giants Live. With the 2022 WDC less than a month away at the time of this writing, he could soon add another record to his career ledger.
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“Down the road, in a gym far away, a young man was heard to say, ‘No matter what I do, my legs won’t grow!’ He tried leg extensions, leg curls, leg presses, too. Trying to cheat, these workouts he’d do!
From the corner of the gym where the big guys train, through a cloud of chalk and the midst of pain, where the big iron rides high, and threatens lives, where the noise is made with big forty-fives, a deep voice bellowed as he wrapped his knees.
A very big man with legs like trees, laughing as he snatched another plate from the stack, chalked his hands and monstrous back, said, ‘Boy, stop lyin’ and don’t say you’ve forgotten! Trouble with you is, you ain’t been squattin’!’”
Credit: Dean Drobot / Shutterstock
This poem might sound like something written by a meathead Dr. Seuss, but it’s been popular among lifters since its first publication in Iron Man magazine in the early-1980s. It highlights how essential the exercise can be for building size and strength.
The back squat is such a foundational lift; it’s the default reference point when people talk about “the squat” — sorry, front squat, it’s just not your day. It’s time to get better acquainted with what some call the king of all exercises. Here’s a complete guide to the barbell back squat.
Coach Traver Boehm demonstrates how to perform the classic back squat. See it in action and then continue reading to learn all the details you need to get the most benefit from this significant movement.
How to Do the Back Squat
The back squat is often the first barbell exercise lifters learn in the gym. It’s a fundamental movement for developing lower body strength, muscle size, and total-body stability.
Competitive powerlifters spend years refining their squat technique for optimal power output, but it doesn’t need to be quite that complicated.
Step 1 — Get Under the Bar
Credit: Paul Biryukov / Shutterstock
Set a barbell in a rack at mid-chest height. Grab the bar wider than your shoulders with a palms-down grip. Set your feet in front of the bar, bend your knees, and duck down to place the bar across the top of your shoulder blades or the backs of your shoulders. Squeeze the bar with your hands and pinch your shoulder blades together. Make sure your elbows are angled down, not straight back.
Form Tip: You may need to adjust the bar height slightly to your comfort, but you should not be able to stand fully upright with the bar remaining in the rack.
Step 2 — Unrack the Bar and Set Your Stance
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Flex your abs and straighten your legs to lift the bar out of the rack. Keep your shoulder blades retracted and your back straight. Pause briefly to let the weight “settle” onto your muscles. Take one or two small steps backward, and one or two small steps to widen your stance more than shoulder-width apart. Your toes should be pointed at a slight angle outwards. Take a breath and pause to regain total-body tightness.
Form Tip: Your feet should remain flat on the floor when unracking the bar. If you rise onto your toes, the bar is set too high in the rack, reducing stability and increasing the chance of an ankle or knee injury.
Step 3 — Squat Down
Credit: David Herraez Calzada / Shutterstock
Pull the bar into your upper back and tense your abs to encourage upper body tightness. Maintain a neutral spine and look straight ahead. Keep your feet flat while pushing your hips back. Squat down until your thighs are roughly parallel to the ground. This depth is an effective balance for building strength and power, and stimulating muscle growth. (1)
Form Tip: Descend at a controlled speed. Dropping quickly into the squat or trying to bounce out of the bottom can increase joint strain and decrease muscle recruitment.
Step 4 — Stand Up to Lockout
Credit: Nestor Rizhniak / Shutterstock
Squeeze the bar tight as you drive your feet into the ground to rise from the bottom. Your hips and shoulders should move up at the same time. This ensures balanced muscle recruitment from your legs, lower back, abs, and upper back; and a safer, stronger lift. In the top position, flex your abs, glutes, and quads to ensure a complete lockout.
Form Tip: If your hips rise before your upper back, you’re not keeping your core tight. Focus on building strength in your abs and lower back, and reduce the weight used for squatting until you can maintain a proper position.
Back Squat Mistakes to Avoid
As popular and widespread as squats are, several common mistakes can limit muscle growth, decrease strength gains, and increase the risk of injury.
Rounding Your Back
Maintaining a neutral spine position is essential for strength and stability in almost any exercise. A rounded back reduces activation of the spinal erectors (the lower back muscles) and increases strain on the vertebral discs.
Credit: Guryanov Andrey / Shutterstock
In particular, rounding your back can be extremely dangerous with the squat because your back muscles support the load. The shearing stress of the barbell can increase dramatically if the movement is performed with a rounded back.
Avoid It: Driving your elbows under the bar to keep your upper back engaged. Keep your abs tense as you descend and stand.
Using a Short Range of Motion
You can manipulate the range of motion of your squat as a training technique, but performing squats with a short range of motion is more often done unintentionally, under the guise of “proper form.”
Credit: Bojan656 / Shutterstock
Squatting until your thighs are parallel to the ground has been shown to build more leg muscle than squatting to higher depths. (2) For maximum training efficiency, use parallel-depth as a minimum target.
If you’re a competitive powerlifter, squatting to parallel is required. Otherwise, your lift doesn’t count.
Avoid it: Maintain body awareness and monitor your technique throughout each rep. If necessary, reduce the weight on the bar to ensure consistent depth on each set.
Caving in Your Knees
Allowing your knees to wobble in or out during a squat increases strain on the knee joint. If your knees cave inwards as you squat, it’s often a sign of muscular imbalances or weak glutes due to how various muscles interact with the thigh and pull across the knee joint.
Credit: Aleksandr Lupin / Shutterstock
Avoid it: Experiment with adjusting your stance since squatting too wide or narrow may affect your knee position. Focus on driving your knees outward when rising from the bottom position of a squat. Incorporate glute-strengthening exercises like Romanian deadlifts and hip thrusts.
Benefits of the Back Squat
You don’t build a reputation as “the king of all exercises” if you don’t bring some serious gains to the table.
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The back squat builds size and strength in multiple body parts, predominantly your legs, while your core and upper back are heavily recruited to stabilize the weight. And that’s not to mention the mental toughness and grit developed from consistently squatting heavy.
Lower Body Strength
The back squat is one of the Big Three powerlifts; it’s a test of strength for the entire lower body. The exercise recruits all the muscles of the legs for some serious power output and the ability to move very heavy weights.
Leg Size
Some lifters believe the back squat is the only exercise you need to build a muscular set of legs. While that type of approach is debatable, it has some credible roots. The back squat significantly recruits the quadriceps and glutes, while the hamstrings are recruited relatively less. (3)
Muscles Worked by the Back Squat
The back squat is one of the most complete lower body exercises you can perform with a barbell. It fully engages the legs, activates the core, and involves the upper body for stability.
Credit: Mongkolchon Akesin / Shutterstock
Here’s a closer look at the muscles involved.
Quadriceps
The quads, found on the front of your thighs, are primarily responsible for straightening the leg. During the back squat, the quads are heavily activated when transitioning out of the bottom position as well as closer to lockout.
The quad muscles are also the largest on the leg and contribute to most leg size. While the quadriceps muscle is composed of four different heads, there’s no significant way to emphasize one head over the other to result in visibly different muscle growth.
Glutes
The glutes are a series of three gluteus muscles that work together to manipulate the leg at the hip joint. Primarily, the glutes are responsible for hip extension — bringing the legs into a straight line with the upper body.
During squats, the glutes are put under a significant stretch in the bottom position and are maximally contracted at lockout in the top position.
Hamstrings
The hamstrings, on the back of your thighs, are responsible for bending your legs and extending your hips (similar to the glutes). They also play a role in knee health.
The squat works your hamstrings during the descent and transition out of the bottom position. The hamstrings are activated during the squat but not significantly compared to the deadlift. This is why squats are typically considered a “quad exercise” while deadlifts are considered a “hamstring exercise.”
Upper Back
The entire upper back, composed of multiple muscles like the trapezius, rhomboids, teres, and rear deltoids (shoulders), works to control your shoulder blades. The upper back is heavily recruited to maintain the barbell position during squats.
Even though the upper back doesn’t move through any significant range of motion during the squat because your shoulder blades should be kept pinched together throughout the set, intense isometric contractions have been shown to build size and strength. (4)
Spinal Erectors
The spinal erectors are a long pair of muscles running the length of your spine, from your tailbone to the base of your neck. The lower section of the spinal erectors are the “lower back muscles.”
They are responsible for bending your torso sideways and backward, rotating, and resisting forward bending. During squats, your spinal erectors should act as stabilizers to keep your upper body straight. If they’re not strong enough, your back will round forward.
Abs
The rectus abdominis is the primary ab muscle across the front of your body — the coveted six-pack. The abs control torso flexion, or bending forward. They also work to provide static support and stability throughout the entire upper body.
The abs are under significant muscular stress to maintain a stable upper body while squatting. Like the lower back, if your abs are weak, you’ll find yourself rounding forward.
Who Should Do the Back Squat
The back squat can serve a purpose in nearly every lifter’s training program. Its wide range of benefits can be applied to multiple goals and lifters with various experience levels.
Strength Athletes
Competitive powerlifters should perform the back squat because it’s one of the powerlifts. CrossFit athletes, strongmen and strongwomen, Olympic weightlifters, and other strength-based competitors will also benefit from building complete lower-body strength with squats.
General Sports Athletes
Any sport that requires an athlete to run or jump can benefit from squats. From baseball to volleyball and everything in between, squats help to develop strength and power that transfers to performance on the field.
Physique-Focused Lifters
Squats are invaluable for building muscle in the legs. Whether you’re getting on stage in a physique competition or you’ve just decided to add an inch or two to your legs for fun, squatting can be the difference between reaching your goal or missing out.
How to Program the Back Squat
The back squat is often the cornerstone of lower body workouts. It’s almost always the first exercise done on leg day, and it tends to be an exercise lifters approach with trepidation because of the intense strain and total-body challenge.
Heavy Weight, Low Repetition
Squatting heavy weight for low reps is a classic way to build serious leg strength. A scheme of Three to five sets of three to five reps is hard to beat for power and strength. Be sure to keep your depth consistent. Don’t fall into the trap of squatting higher and higher as the weights get heavier and heavier. Make sure to lift slightly more weight than you did the week prior.
Moderate Weight, Moderate Repetition
To pack on leg size, train squats with a time-tested bodybuilding approach — four to five sets of eight to 12 reps. The higher volume is associated with triggering more significant muscle growth. (5)
Breathing Squats
Some lifters consider this old school approach to training a rite of passage. It can be traced back nearly a century to lifters in the early-1900s who trained with high-rep squats using a unique breathing pattern throughout the set.
Perform one set of 20 reps. The key, however, is to take two or three deep breaths between each repetition. On the one hand, the breaths allow you a very brief rest to focus on one perfect repetition after the next, rather than performing a non-stop series of reps. On the other hand, it’s not uncommon for one set to take several minutes to complete. This is why it’s considered by many to be one of the most challenging squat workouts of all time.
Back Squat Variations
The back squat with a low-bar position is a versatile movement for building size and strength while learning the basic squat pattern. However, not every lifter is ready or able to perform a low-bar squat with good technique, whether it’s due to mobility issues, limb leverages, or other factors. Here’s how to get similar benefits with a bar on your back.
High-Bar Squat
The high-bar squat is incredibly similar to the low-bar squat. Expectedly, the critical difference is the barbell’s position on your back. The high bar places the weight slightly higher on your traps, which starts a cascade of subtle but significant technique changes due to the slightly different leverage.
Your upper body will be more vertical, your stance can often be closer, and the overall muscle recruitment will be slightly different. Most significantly, high-bar squats can reduce lower back strain compared to low-bar squats because your lower back is less involved in the lift due to the upright torso position.
Anderson Squat
Sometimes called a pin squat or a bottoms-up squat, the Anderson squat was popularized by legendary weightlifter and powerlifter Paul Anderson. This movement begins the lift from a dead-stop position, with the bar resting fully on the rack supports, which requires increased muscle recruitment, mobility, and perfect technique to get the weight moving.
Anderson squats are often done with a deliberately shortened range of motion to target key zones where a lifter’s strength may stall. This is one of the exceptions to the “always use a full range of motion” rule because it’s done with intention, not accidentally.
Safety Bar Squat
The safety bar is a unique and specialized bar found in many gyms’ corners. The thick pad raises the bar slightly above your traps and upper back, which shifts the weight’s center of gravity and significantly increases upper back recruitment.
The key benefits are improved upper back strength since the weight will try to “push” your upper back down, which you must resist throughout the movement. The safety bar also drastically reduces shoulder strain and shoulder mobility requirements because the handles allow a more natural grip.
Back Squat Alternatives
Some lifters may be unable to perform the low-bar squat due to pre-existing lower back issues, shoulder mobility problems, or other factors that require individual attention. Here are the best alternatives that build similar leg size and strength.
Front Squat
The front squat is one of the most common alternatives to the back squat. By supporting the bar on the fronts of the shoulders instead of across the upper back, you significantly reduce stress on the lower back because you can maintain a more upright torso (even more so than with high-bar squats).
Front squats are also shown to reduce strain on the knee joints compared to back squats, making it a potentially better option for lifters with any type of joint issue. (6)
Trap Bar Squat
The terms “trap bar squat” and “trap bar deadlift” are sometimes used interchangeably because the exercises appear nearly identical. However, like the low-bar and high-bar squat are subtly but significantly different, so are the trap bar movements.
Focus on keeping your shoulders pulled back and your upper body vertical. Resist the urge to hinge forward at the hips, which recruit more glutes and hamstrings and turn the exercise into a deadlift.
Leg Press
Sometimes the best alternative to a squat is not to squat. The leg press delivers comparable muscle-building benefits. The supported seat nearly eliminates upper body involvement, making it ideal for lifters with shoulder, elbow, or lower back issues.
Two keys are to maintain contact between your hips and low back with the seat at all times. Don’t lower the weight so far that your hips curl up — this would put the lower back under immediate dangerous strain. Secondly, like squats, never trade range of motion for added weight. Overloading the weight sled and reducing the range of motion is generally counterproductive.
FAQs
My stance doesn’t feel right during the movement. I feel stress in my joints, not my muscles. How do I fix it?
One’s squat stance is something that should be fine-tuned to the individual. Begin with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width and angled slightly outward. If that’s uncomfortable on your hips, knees, or ankles, experiment until you find a stance that makes the movement feels smooth and natural.
One “hack” to discovering the right stance is to jump high into the air two or three times. On the final jump, stick the landing and quickly look at your feet. That’s roughly where your body “wants” to perform from because it’s where you naturally landed to absorb and re-apply force. Memorize that foot position and try to replicate it in the gym.
I’ve read that every “serious” lifter should include back squats in their program. Is that true?
No, it’s not true. Every competitive powerlifter should include back squats because it’s one of the three lifts they perform in a meet. For everyone else in the gym, there is no such thing as a mandatory exercise.
Sure, plenty of reasons to perform back squats have been explained throughout this article. But a handful of equally effective squat variations can be done instead. Focus on choosing the most effective exercises for your specific goals and your individual needs (based on things like your limb length, previous injuries, current mobility, etc.).
And Now, You Know Squat
“If you could only do one exercise for the rest of your life, what’d it be?” That’s a popular thinking exercise many lifters consider. Considering its versatility and effectiveness, “I’d just squat” is always going to be a safe answer. It’s an ideal movement for beginners establishing a base of strength and muscle, and it’s a time-tested classic for anyone looking to reconnect with one of the oldest and most revered exercises in the training world.
References
Clark, D. R., Lambert, M. I., & Hunter, A. M. (2012). Muscle activation in the loaded free barbell squat: a brief review. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 26(4), 1169–1178. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e31822d533d
Kubo, K., Ikebukuro, T., & Yata, H. (2019). Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volumes. European journal of applied physiology, 119(9), 1933–1942. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04181-y
Ribeiro, Alex & Santos, Erick & Nunes, João Pedro & Amarante do Nascimento, Matheus & Graça, Ágatha & Bezerra, Ewertton & Mayhew, Jerry. (2022). A Brief Review on the Effects of the Squat Exercise on Lower-Limb Muscle Hypertrophy. Strength and Conditioning Journal. Publish Ahead of Print. 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000709.
Oranchuk, D. J., Storey, A. G., Nelson, A. R., & Cronin, J. B. (2019). Isometric training and long-term adaptations: Effects of muscle length, intensity, and intent: A systematic review. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 29(4), 484–503. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13375
Schoenfeld, B. J., Contreras, B., Krieger, J., Grgic, J., Delcastillo, K., Belliard, R., & Alto, A. (2019). Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy but Not Strength in Trained Men. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 51(1), 94–103. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001764
Gullett, Jonathan C; Tillman, Mark D; Gutierrez, Gregory M; Chow, John W A Biomechanical Comparison of Back and Front Squats in Healthy Trained Individuals, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: January 2009 – Volume 23 – Issue 1 – p 284-292 doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31818546bb
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