In Part I of this series I dissected a pig spine to demonstrate the risks of rotational movements like Russian Twists.  In Part II I talked more about crunches and why I think they’re a terrible exercise.

In light of all the controversy lately over Mike Boyle’s no squatting comment I thought it would be a shame if I didn’t include something on that subject as well.  Please watch and enjoy.

I should note that some people have commented previously that pigs do not stand upright so this doesn’t necessarily apply.  Unfortunately, when I asked my friends to use their spines them seemed unusually resistant to the idea.  The good news is that pig spines are a pretty decent model for human spines which is why many spine researchers actually use them in their research.

 As usual, please share your thoughts, comments, and questions below.

One thing I love about bodybuilding purists is that they train so hard that their eyes bleed and their muscles are almost tearing through their skin.  They simply don’t know any other way.  They want to grow and when their bodies want to give up they simply don’t take no for an answer.
 
On the other hand, many bodybuilding purists are so focused on the tradition of how things have always been done that it is darn near impossible to get them to accept anything different.  Below I’m going to give my own experience and beliefs, trying to slay a couple sacred cows of purist bodybuilding.  Get out your torches and pitchforks ready.  I’m assuming the hunt for me will be on at dusk.

Check out my full rant at Muscle & Fitness HERE.

Every so often I hear someone say something that really forces me to think seriously about why I train people the way I do.  Last week was one of those times and Mike Boyle was one of those people.

If you know anything about Mike Boyle at all you’re probably aware that he’s pretty big on single leg training.  Split squats, single leg split squats, and step ups are a huge part of his programming.  But last week when I was listening to his audio interview at RobertsonTraining Systems.com he said something that kicked my brain into gear.

He said that a lot of people can’t squat properly.  I definitely agree with that since a great number of people I’ve worked with don’t have the hip mobility to squat properly at first.  However, he also said (I’m paraphrasing here so don’t crucify me) that when a lot of people do a bilateral squat that their core gives out before their legs so their leg workout suffers as a result.  I also have to agree here to some degree.

The question running through my head though was why on earth can’t mobility be increased, form be instructed, and the core be strengthened to allow someone to perform a bilateral back squat???

Then it struck me.  I haven’t done a back squat in over 2 years.  In fact, I have some clients with back injuries involving compression that have done just as well for fat loss without any bilateral lower body movements at all.  And, their legs are just as developed (aesthetically) as those of the people doing front or back squats. 

We still work on hip mobility and strengthen the core.   We also hit their glutes, hams, and quads hard to bring about hypertrophy, but they just don’t squat.

I guess the point I’m making here is that you can build a great set of wheels without bilateral movements no matter what HyoogeArms21 is telling you on the forums.  As Mike Boyle says, “don’t get married to a movement”.  Just use what works in your specific situation.

If you’re a powerlifter, you HAVE to squat.  If you like squatting, go ahead and squat.  But if you’re training purely for aesthetics and you hate squatting or have an injury that prevents it, don’t worry about it.  All too often I see people trying to squat who shouldn’t be just because someone told them they can’t get jacked without them.

In the end there are plenty of other options for single leg training that you can use and as long as you bust your ass (Mike Boyle has guys doing single leg split squats with over 200 pounds) you’ll still get great results!

Have your  own thoughts about the importance of squatting?  Feel free to disagree.  Post them in the comments below!