Dumbbell Squat

[blvsm]

skinny legs and belly......why are you instructing squats....not hating, just saying

[betterthanbooks]

I CAN"T HEAR SHIT!

[bunnygopoke]

what weight should the dumbbells be if i'm looking to gain muscle??

[btwbrand]

@bunnygopoke Gaining muscle involves (1)damaging the muscle, safely and slowly, (2) then allowing it ample time to repair it's self through rest (3) while having a good supply of building blocks ( food ) to grow from. How much weight that requires, and how many repetitions of that weight, depends on your muscles alone. Personally I think it's ideal to lift in 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions, moderate weight. If final set goes over 10 reps lifting as many times as possible, increase your weight.

[farscape1]

this is great idea for dumbell squatting!! didnt think about it. it maintain good leg form (shoulder wide and everything) and keep the weight near the center of body!

no need to pause tho, and i lay the dumbells on my shoulder so it wont stress the elbows and shoulder blade

[shylildude]

low audio

[Austendude2]

@KaeruthePaladin

You do realize that dude posted over 3 months ago, i bet he is still not looking at this video.

[germino777]

whats the difference between a deadlift and a squat?

[heat4yoass]

@germino777

deadlifts work out the hamstrings whereas squats works out the butt and quads primarily, also the quads depending on if you put your ass to the grass.

[ilikeshinythings]

do dumbell squats work upperbody?

[AppleSouffle]

Ilikeshinythings, yes, he's working his arms from balancing the dumbbells, but he's working his arms indirectly. Most of the work is done by the quadriceps, which is the idea.

And you'll work your quadriceps more by going up slowly. He's going up too fast. The idea is to work the muscles, not to lift as much weight as possible or to do each repetition as fast as possible.

[x1101011x]

They tell you to stop at the bottom, so you don't bounce because bouncing (1) redirects a significant fraction of your downward velocity into upward velocity, making the move rather ineffective, and (2) greatly increases strain on the connective tissue and the probability of injury.

There is no such thing as static inertia. (Its existence would contradict the fact that there's no absolute reference frame). Inertia is just the property, measured by mass, that says big things are harder to move.

[KaeruthePaladin]

@x1101011x

Yeah he's just another guy looking for excuses to cheat because fast reps are easier, they still don't work your muscles as hard though. I'll stick with my slow reps and get better results.

[MichaelMyers87]

Guys i think the reason they say stop at the bottom, is because with only dumbbells obviously you cant do as much weight as you would with a normal sqaut. Since the arms and shoulders give out to fast if you use really big dumb bells. And with lighter weights, the knees probably wont get injured.

[baeronautics]

IF YOU WANT TO GET INJURED THEN DO THE SQUATS THIS WAY!!!!!

[weathered79]

i having a hard time keeping my balance when i do these i can do back and front squats easily any suggestions

[Sternoproductions]

@weathered79 don't use dumbbells

[motus]

I like to hold them on my sides, it can work your core even more as well as your upper body

[confuzathor]

Lordy, so many macho girly-fights on this thread.

I blame 'rhoid rage (haemorroids, that is)...

[11xXDANIXx11]

my knee's hurt after this...

[Milleniumlance]

@11xXDANIXx11 try doing it with the weights at your side, and dont pause at the bottom keep a smooth motion, keeping tension on the quadriceps

[JSDavis82]

@BOHICA2k10 I'm not sure how posterior chain activation connects with your logic. As long as the weight is on the heels, the hips drop back, and chest stays up, posterior chain is in perfect position to receive the load.

As for box squats...i never meant to say they had no application (though they don't, for most gym-goers). They are great for sport specific training and for conditioning explosiveness. That said, I rarely see them taught or executed properly.

[goodaiyai]

guys

will squat affect growth of height?

im 15 and i want to grow leg muscle

but im scared if squat affects growth of my height badly

[harmonicminorshred]

Does it matter how you hold the dumbbells? And how much weight is ok hold? Doing it the way that is shown in this video just tires my arms and does nothing for my legs...

[Tennuuuuu]

What should be the weight of dumbbells when my own weight is 70kg?

is 4x12 with 25kg on both hands good enough?

[thedoors360]

hold dumbells at side u dumbass

[wudthedamaja]

@thedoors360 it's actually a dumbbell front squat. but this video is jacked up in so many places.

[simonwitney7]

@JSDavis82- bollocks, there are various squatting techniques depending on the goal u are after. i understand that you are saying that u shouldnt pause because your body wil lose all it's tension and will want to stay in that position, but you can still squat, pause, lift with no harm. it isnt dangerouss, just depends on what u want to achieve.

[voncoolio]

lift heavy weights and eat protien.

[JSDavis82]

you should NEVER pause at the bottom of a squat....ever.

[alinalin0]

why not?

[JSDavis82]

pausing at the bottom of a squat (or any exercise, for that matter) stops inertia. Newton's 1st law of motions states that objects in motion tend to want to stay in motion, and objects at rest tend to want to stay at rest. In this case, the body is the "object". Once you "pause", the body wants to stay paused. The force that MUST be used to overcome the stationary state falls largely on the knee joints, not the muscles...which is a quick way to some knee surgery.

[phoLegit]

@JSDavis82

but if you do them as a every other day routine, it can actually

strengthen your knees, it's proven. Squats are known to

make your knees stronger WHEN doing them properly.

[JSDavis82]

@phoLegit I agree completely...but they're proven to strengthen your knees when done properly. Pausing at the bottom of the squat, or any exercise, is not proper technique.

[DrGonzo39]

@JSDavis82 Wrong. Newton's first law states that when the sum of the forces on an object is equal to zero, the objects velocity cannot be changing.

[JSDavis82]

@DrGonzo39 apologies mate, but I have correctly stated Newton's 1st law. Your addendum is merely such...an addendum.

[DrGonzo39]

@JSDavis82 Dumb bitch.

[JSDavis82]

@DrGonzo39 ha ha. better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt, my friend.

[DrGonzo39]

@JSDavis82 Dumb bitch.

[SFO14]

@JSDavis82 as long as the knees track the toes and don't go too far beyond the toes you won't be risking serious injury. A half squat gets you into an "athletic" stance, which is often sport specific but you see it in football, basketball, baseball. So why would you train doing a full squat when it's not sport specific?

[JSDavis82]

@SFO14 I see your point SFO, and though it may be semantics, I would say that an athletic stance would be more of a 1/4 squat, not a 1/2. Regarding the full squat (knee and hip joint parallel, not ass to grass) -- this type of squat recruits the entirety of the hamstrings and glutes. Half squats only nominally recruit the glutes and barely the hamstrings. If you can train to explosive from a full squat, i guarantee you'll be explosive from an athletic stance.

[SFO14]

@JSDavis82 I thought you were talking about ass-to-grass, which I have done in the past (I'm about 7 feet). In the end I'd have to say to each their own, as long as you have good balance between glutes, hams, and quads your knees should be fine, I find a lot of knee problems happen b/c of imbalances, and there are other exercises you can do besides squats that can recruit glutes/hams, although squats are prolly the best way to do it.

[JSDavis82]

@SFO14 gotcha. ATG (ass to grass) squats are great if you have the glute ham flexibility for it. I see so many ppl try to go atg by rounding their lower back. This happens b/c their glutes and/or hams are to tight (like me) and the only way they can continue the motion is to round the lower back. As you hopefully know, that's a BIG no-no.

I agree that balance is important. And yes, there are other moves that emphasize posterior chain, but squats and deadlifts are the best...hands down.

[Avidgaimer99]

@JSDavis82 Agreeing with DrGonzo39, dumb bitch. You knees must sound like a cement mixer if you do ATG.

[JSDavis82]

@Avidgaimer99 you should definitely spend a little more time reading the comments before replying. I have clearly stated...on several occasions in this thread...that ATG is ONLY beneficial if you have the posterior chain flexibility for it. If you do not, it's a quick way to destroy your knees and lower back.

Personally, I don't have the flexibility, so I do NOT go ATG.

[DeV0Ti0N]

@JSDavis82 your comment makes no scientific sense. To go back up is to go against the inertia anyway. If you mess up your knees on this exercise its not because of inertia, its because your knees went past your toes.

[JSDavis82]

@DeV0Ti0N Inertia: "the property of matter by which it retains its state of rest or its velocity along a straight line so long as it is not acted upon by an external force."

Look back at Newton's first law which states that objects at rest tend to stay at rest and objects in motion tend to stay in motion. If you have paused at the bottom of the squat, your body wants to stay paused. You must overcome the static inertia to begin the concentric contraction. As I've said, this will stress the knee

[etcview]

@JSDavis82 i think i get what you both are saying, but i do agree with devotion if i understand what hes saying. in the video, the instructor says pause. you, jsdavis, are saying pausing is bad because inertia's definition. however, when i do squats, i go down, then up. but since they are different directions, there will always be a pause, regardless of how fast u try to (unsafely?) bounce up and down. ppl squat HELLA WEIGHT. so your knees needa be super good in any of those cases.

[JSDavis82]

@etcview i definitely hear what you're saying @etcview. You make a good point, but let me ask you this: when you make a u-turn in your car, is it necessary to come to a complete stop in order to execute the turn? It's not. It is completely possible -- and in strength training, beneficial -- for an object to change directions without coming to a stop. As i've already said many times in this thread, inertia is a bitch.

[NLight95]

@JSDavis82 Thanks for your very insightful comment. You got me thinking about why I'm not progressing in some areas of my workout. I was following advice to pause in the middle of some reps. I think pausing can be beneficial in pull-down exercises (ex: lat) and some other cable exercises but not with free weights. It can be especially dangerous when heavy weight is involved.

[JSDavis82]

@NLight95 awesome. glad the comments helped!

[numbcheese]

@JSDavis82 newton's first law of motion is does not mean that - it means that every body stays in a state of constant velocity (0 also being a constant velocity) unless acted on by an external force (your muscles). Changing directions is reversing your velocity, you have to act on your body with the same force to move it up regardless.

[YodanboogerLives]

@JSDavis82

Numbcheese is right. Newton's first law couldn't have less to do with stopping at the bottom of a squat. Pausing doesn't stop inertia. While you squat, all manner of forces are governing your descent (only one of which doesn't come from a muscle, this is why the squat is such a great exercise). That's not inertial motion. That's not a free fall.

[SFO14]

@JSDavis82 that's why you shouldn't use weight you can't control. you want to lower yourself slowly and explode up through the heels, focusing on using your hips and glutes

[aisakjazz]

@JSDavis82 That's only partially true. Inertia works only in the same direction of the movement. If you are going down, it's not enough to say that your body will "want" to keep moving, it'll want to keep moving DOWN. If you don't stop, and go immediately back up, you actually need more energy to reverse the direction of the movement, than if you were starting from scratch.

[iMPERiOUS]

@JSDavis82 lol, what you said is contradictory. if you wanna talk physics, let's graph the position of the body in the vertical direction on an x-y plane over time. the line would represent motion. the graph is a parabola. so at the point when your body reaches its lowest point before changing from a downward motion to an upward motion, your body comes to rest. so no matter what squats you do, you will ultimately come to rest.

Problem is when you STAY at rest for a prolonged period of time.

[ripperduck]

@iMPERiOUS When you say parabola, do u mean the overall graph? I'm guessing that's what you mean, because on the way down, we seem to only have gravity causing the motion. When you get to the bottom, the mass has gone the full length of its motion with that energy, changes direction and goes the length with the energy within the body,rather than gravity. Change in energy means we have physics, or so I've been taught. So I'm guessing that's what yass means....

[MrRae101]

@JSDavis82 Ha Ha, Thats not true.

[mariyuso]

@JSDavis82 so what you're saying is, bouncing off at the bottom of the squat somehow changes your upper body's trajectory without stopping inertia? bouncing places the knees under even bigger forces.

[ktieulie]

@JSDavis82

Sorry, but that is wrong. Any time an object is decelerated than accelerated in the opposite direction (ie: the body squats then stands upright) the force required to accelerate it from rest is the same regardless of the length of the pause (unless an outside force comes in to play).

Even if you don't hold a pause at the bottom of the squat you still have to reduce your downward motion to zero before you can switch to upwards motion. A moment of zero motion (a pause) is automatic.

[chellam79]

@JSDavis82 this just bad physics

[stonedtolife]

@JSDavis82

You totally misinterpreted Newton's 1st law albeit your point is not necessarily out of way. If an object is to change the direction of its motion the same amount of work must be exerted on it if stands still for a while after ceasing to move forward or if it rushes backward without delay. However, a powerlifter is affected by the gravity force every moment of his exercise, which means his knee joints withstand a load applied to them if he's moving and if he's still just as well.

[soundman420]

my shoulders give out way before my legs on this one. and the "suitcase" squats dont challenge my legs enough with the weights i currently have. what can i do to give my legs a challenge and build some muscle other than dropping $100+ on new weights?

[GenCollado]

@soundman420

maybe work out your shoulders (shoulder press) and traps (dumbbell shrugs) more so that when you hold the weight for squats, you can do them better.

[soundman420]

Yeah I think that might help. I workout every muscle right now so my shoulders and traps are getting hit. Maybe I just need to wait a while until Im strong enough to use the weight I need for my legs. Makes sense, thanks for the reply.

[doctaword]

@soundman420 Get a Gym membership

[soundman420]

@doctaword Nah i got a rack instead, its silly to squat without a rack and i dont want to pay for memberships when they force you into a year commitment and expire etc.

[SFO14]

@soundman420 every gym is different, you can get one month, 2 month, 3 month memberships

[soundman420]

@SFO14 exactly theyre all different. the ones around here lock you into a 1 year commitment. i rather pay for equipment and have it forever.

[solytaire]

Are these dumbbell squats actually effective.

[kleash]

Ok I need some help here. I've always been skinny my whole life and only weight around 130~. What is the best weight for me to squat in order to grow muscles?

[xJeffersonAirplanex]

I was 130 5 months ago i am now 162.....if you wanna get big,you gotta EAT BIG especiallyforus with high metabolism

[keithbarbaro]

man. can't imagine squatting past parallel. i do even less. sometimes a half squat, and I've added muscle, without all the frigging knee problems parallel or deep squats will cause.

yes, the dumbbells recruit the lats kind of like DL's, but not as much.

i really love DB SLDL's. they work the lats, hams, glutes, and rear delts.

every bodybuilder does DL's or SLDL's and they do it on "back" days, not with squats.

[sentenced10]

Actually, it's partial squats that are more likely to cause knee problems. Think about it - you're forefully changing direction partway through a very natural downward phase that begs to be completed.

I'm not denying that partial squats are at least somewhat effective, but parallel or ATG squats will always be safer and obviously more effective due to the far greater range of motion.

They're also damn harder, too. Perhaps that's why people opt to avoid them.

[JSDavis82]

@sentenced10 couldn't agree more. dropping the extra 8 inches or so from a 1/2 squat to a parallel squat is what separates the men from the boys...and by my observation, there are a lot of boys in most gyms. ;-)

[SFO14]

@sentenced10 not everyone is built to do full squats....do what works for you

[stewgenelec]

@sentenced10 Oh yeah everyone at the gym I go to avoid squats, hell they don't even train leg's. Proper pussies..Anyway this style looks well dodgy to me. I wouldnt like to try this with a 75 pounder in each hand.. Arms down like a dead lift all the way ! !

[blackbart1911]

I dont understand why he puts dumbbells on his shoulders: with heavier DBs this is impossibile or dangerous!

[LuckyGuu]

this is one of the most un-natural exercises I have ever seen! I would not suggest them to anyone on earth, however if you hold heavier DBs like suitcases, then squat, that is a good method and 10 times safer. When you reach the last rep, at the bottom of the squat, carefully drop the DBs 2 inches to the floor = 100% safe!

[wookieeassassin]

Perhaps I could be wrong, but I have never heard of anyone TEACHING a movement that is almost always done with a barbell with dumbbells. That athlete looks as if he is barely using any hamstrings or glutes in that squat. Maybe I am overanalyzing but it would make sense as they are basically teaching the squat with a "bar" position between that of a front squat and high bar narrow stance squat.

[gp4nut]

Not everyone has a gym or enough room at home for a barbell. But a couple of dumbbells, anyone can do. I teach this myself actually.

[Valkilmer89]

breathe moron. When it comes to showing workout routines, you have to reveal all safety positions and crap like that. Or you'll end up with a injury or you will mess up your workout.

[wookieeassassin]

While he is not breathing noticeably he is probably breathing through his nose. As far as exercise safety breathing in on the way down and exhaling on the way up in an excellent way to get an injury. You take a deep breath and hold it before each rep and hold it throughout the rep or perform a vocalization through a semi-restricted airway (if you think the Valsalva maneuver is dangerous this is the next best thing I suppose).

[Valkilmer89]

Well, you got me there. I guess with dumbbells, it wouldn't be as hard as with a barbell. Who knows. There are all sorts of squat positions that you could breathe through your nose or mouth. To be honest, when I do squats and front squats with a barbell. I breathe through my nose. But I guess form is most important.

[JSDavis82]

@wookieeassassin exactly. studies show that holding the breath through the negative phase increases abdominal pressure which drastically aids in supporting the spinal chord. Inhaling/exhaling during the lift is definitely a quick way to injury.

[mrDC300]

thanks for the info

[5588tommy09]

why not just hold the dumbells by your sides why put them up by your head?

[iThiZz925]

because you wouldn't be able to get a full range of motion.

[DJEclipseNiagara]

Why not?

[iThiZz925]

think about it, watch how far the guy goes down. if you're holding the weights on your side the dumbbells would touch the ground before you could finish the whole range of motion.

[rosstag]

Not really, your arms would have to be really long, or your extending your back too far when you squat. I do them with the weights at my sides, works just fine.

[nirvanafan833]

yeah same, also you can use a LOT more weight by your sides, I have really long arms but I can still get a nice deep squat, it's harder than a barbell squat but I don't have a power rack so yeah....

[Tiaxthemighty]

Do you squat past parallel? If not, then there's your problem.

[tempemonkey2323]

It seems to me that the model doesnt really know what he is doing... Also, it seems that he risks injury because he comes up way too fast....

[Acibeb]

"staple exercise"?!

not once have i seen someone doing this in the gym.

[BlueBlazer89]

thats cos you dont have athletes working out in your gym..mma fighters and hockey players do this instead of a barbell

[Acibeb]

yeah, just a couple of professional bodybuilders and some runners etc. they obviously don't know the importance of this 'staple' excercise

[hendrixian1]

mate, he's saying its a staple exercise for explosive power, not for pure strength or mass building. All good sprinters and athletes requiring bursts of power prefer this to barbell

[HungAzn]

What's the difference between using dumbbells and a barbell?

[Valkilmer89]

@HungAzn I always that the barbell works the entire thigh, with dumbbell, it only works the quads. It's like the front squats, with the barbell.

[knowmenot36]

pro athletes do this because it reduces the risk of a back injury..you are oviously an amateur who is still learning

[knowmenot36]

as a naive younger lad i used to squat 110 kg and put my self out of any activity for one year...its horses for courses ..i never squat heavy anymore but can bench 150kg..how strong do u want to be??

[Acibeb]

i take it you are a pro then, and you totaly know what you're talking about.;)

[knowmenot36]

back injuries and compressed discs are creatied via the barbell...educate yourself..top athletes prefer this method

[iThiZz925]

knowmen, you need to educate YOURSELF. barbell squats, below parallel for that matter are no where near bad for your back or knees if proper form is obtained.

mark rippetoe would slit your throat if he heard you say that

[ELkORji]

does this have the same effect as the squat with the bar?? coz i cant find a squat rack.... so could i do this instead??

[GODLIKE20000]

yeah, i don't have access to a rack either but this exercise is a killer, try it

[ELkORji]

thx, i shall try it.

[schmopykins]

Dude, what part of "Were done here" do you not understand? What do you go on websites that explain a movement and than post it as your own thoughts? I have already shared this conversation with some of my highly qualified colleagues, and they all laughed and concluded that you have no idea as to what you are talking about. Do you even know what physiology is? What about something simple like the origin and insertion of the subscapularis? Or tell me something about "time-under-tension".

[BigTurd]

A "staple exercise?"

The only reason I can think of to do these is if you don't have access to a squat rack.

[schmopykins]

The reason I put my credentials is to merely show that I have spent some actual time studying the subject. You obviously have little to no knowledge on the subject and are merely quoting a couple of individuals. You could not counter anything I actually wrote because you have zero knowledge with concerns to Applied Anatomy, Exercise Physiology, etc... I do. That's not boasting merely stating a fact. This conversation is a waste of my time. Were done here.

[schmopykins]

GAS - General Adaptation Syndrome. Developed in 1956 by Canadian physiologist Dr. Hans Selye. It was a model which sought to explain how living systems respond to stress in the environment.

Eustress is positive stress while Distress has a negative response.

If you didn't know that is.

[schmopykins]

"The purpose of lifting is to put weight, hence the load, on the muscles, not the tendons and ligaments of the joints."

How do you think muscles are even capable of creating movement? Well, let me tell you. There is an origin and an insertion point, both are connected via tendons and ligaments. The muscle pulls on these tendons and ligaments that are connected to bone in order to create movement. Stress is placed on the tendons and ligaments which helps them to strengthen (eustress, aka GAS).

[schmopykins]

In addition, do you even know what a Zercher Squat is? Strong men use it to mimic movements used during competition - the movement has the potential to put a great deal of stress on the lumbar vertebrae due to the increased moment arm. Furthermore, your comments show severe lack of knowledge with concerns to overall biomechanics - simple applied anatomy.

[TruthAxe]

Your laughable ignorance aside, Zerchers begin the descent load on the abs, followed by glutes, hams and quads in that order.

The upward movement reverses the order, starting first with the calves.

Because the weight is in front, in the crooks of the arms, no strain happens on the neck and shoulders.

Hopefully, you do not plan to charge money from others to damage their bodies with your crazy false beliefs about physiology and biomechanics.

[rmsolympic1]

Why do dumbbell squats ? Are they better than barbell squats?

[TruthAxe]

Where you place the load counts.

Behind-the-neck barbell squats places the load on the shoulders and the knees first during the descent and ascent.

BB Zercher squats places the load on the glutes and hams downward; hams, quads, and glutes upward.

BB Overhead squats places the load on the lats first, then abs, glutes, hams, quads.

Dumbbell squats act much like Zerchers.

Never should athletes do behind-the-neck for it wrecks the knees and shoulders.

[schmopykins]

Never should athletes do behind-the-neck for it wrecks the knees and shoulders.

That is not true at all. You rest the bar on the upper portion of the trapezius, and how do you figure it "wrecks the knees". Look, if Poliquin, Siff, and the rest of the gang are pro back-squat. Than I I'm all for them.

[TruthAxe]

It's true.

Again, never should athletes do behind-the-neck squats.

Putting weight behind the neck puts the load on the knees both on the way down and on the way up.

The purpose of lifting is to put weight, hence the load, on the muscles, not the tendons and ligaments of the joints.

Bodybuilders, none of whom are athletes, want bigger looking muscles. They don't care if they wreck their joints.

Do overheads, Zerchers, step-ups, if you're an athlete.

[schmopykins]

With all do respect, you are absolutely wrong. I have done enough research (I am a Poliquin Level 1 - working on Level 2, CanfitPro (PT), CSEP Certified Fitness Consultant, and just Graduated from College - Health and Fitness Promotion). I interact with very capable strength coaches (one who currently trains a NHL player) on a daily basis, all of whom use back squats. Charles Poliquin has used 50's (Back-squats - 50 reps) to increase vertical jumps. I'm sorry, you are absolutely wrong.

[TruthAxe]

Wow, anyone can write "you're wrong" on YT.

Touting your wet-behind-the-ears just graduated college credentials means nothing.

Proponents of Behind-the-neck Squats defend them from obsolete knowledge.

For the rest of the YTers, google on "Anatoly Bondarchuk".

State-of-the-art athletic training avoids them since they're dangerous for athletes.

Check out Troy Polamalu Sportslab Video on YT.

Athletics is about explosive movement.

Training needs loads on muscles not joints.

[TruthAxe]

He comes up too slow. In doing so, he's training himself to be slow, since his method affects the muscles.

The way to do it is slow down, like a 6 count, hold and EXPLODE, thrusting in the movement in control.

[keeevan]

good point, thanks

[TruthAxe]

Glad to help. Everyone should maximize his or her potential.

[rmsolympic1]

Are you essentially saying that he should control-that is, slow-the weight on the way down and explode it up on the way up?

[TruthAxe]

To do more work, a man must increase the weight over the same distance or

increase the distance, with the same weight.

Yet, it is the rate at which work gets done or energy gets transferred during a unit of time, i.e., power, which leads to growth.

For more intense work, do more work in the same time or do the same work in a less time.

The lifter shall put more energy into the lift.

It's physics and physiology.