guardian7
Level 6 Valued Member
I realized last month that I have been really neglecting the squat pattern in favor of hinge and pressing/pullup movements. I don't have a gym membership or a squat rack at home.
I have done goblet squats before as my S&S warmup but I read a Dan John article about a goal of doing half bodyweight squats for 20. I am not there yet.
So anyway, I started doing light goblet squats in more frequent volume. It really hit my abs so I searched the internet to confirm that this is common and not an especially weak area on my part. It is.
Today in my Muay Thai class, I had a real WTH moment. My core strength was MUCH better after only a couple of weeks. We did a conditioning class with handshake planks (pushup shake your partner's hand in plank position repeat on the other side for a minute), wheelbarrow races (hold partner's feet), one leg planks, one leg and one arm birdog planks. etc. Very challenging for a guy pushing 50 not in the fitness industry. I outperformed kids much younger than my middle aged self and previous performance and felt much stronger even after recovering from a cold this week.
Then, it was between classes and a free workout. While practicing Thai kicks, I noticed that my middle kick was higher than before. I attribute this to greater prying frequency that I include in my goblet sets. One pry per set. This seemed to be MUCH more effective than my usual stretching. There are no other factors I can isolate apart from the goblet squats. There was no change in my passive nightly stretching routine.
In short, seeing the goblet squat as just a way for beginners to learn the barbell squat or seeing it just as a warmup for S&S may be a common mistake and selling it short. Load it up to half bodyweight for reps (this is the only exercise I prefer dumbells to kettlebells after 20 KG) before switching to double kettlebell front squats and continue I think.
If you are like me and not "advanced" and neglecting squats, hinging only is not a substitute. Give them another go. For context, I have a double bodyweight deadlift.
One might even do a reverse S&S with swings 3*10 as the warmup and then goblet squat sets of 5*10 or 7*7 or something for variety for a month or two.
I am going to drop my pressing and focus on frequent, light-medium goblet squats with my TGUs and carries till Christmas for strength-endurance/ knee-hip health and mobility and see where it leads.
For more good info see:
Goblet Squat: How To Use It To Move Better, To Become Stronger, and When Not To Use It At All
I have done goblet squats before as my S&S warmup but I read a Dan John article about a goal of doing half bodyweight squats for 20. I am not there yet.
So anyway, I started doing light goblet squats in more frequent volume. It really hit my abs so I searched the internet to confirm that this is common and not an especially weak area on my part. It is.
Today in my Muay Thai class, I had a real WTH moment. My core strength was MUCH better after only a couple of weeks. We did a conditioning class with handshake planks (pushup shake your partner's hand in plank position repeat on the other side for a minute), wheelbarrow races (hold partner's feet), one leg planks, one leg and one arm birdog planks. etc. Very challenging for a guy pushing 50 not in the fitness industry. I outperformed kids much younger than my middle aged self and previous performance and felt much stronger even after recovering from a cold this week.
Then, it was between classes and a free workout. While practicing Thai kicks, I noticed that my middle kick was higher than before. I attribute this to greater prying frequency that I include in my goblet sets. One pry per set. This seemed to be MUCH more effective than my usual stretching. There are no other factors I can isolate apart from the goblet squats. There was no change in my passive nightly stretching routine.
In short, seeing the goblet squat as just a way for beginners to learn the barbell squat or seeing it just as a warmup for S&S may be a common mistake and selling it short. Load it up to half bodyweight for reps (this is the only exercise I prefer dumbells to kettlebells after 20 KG) before switching to double kettlebell front squats and continue I think.
If you are like me and not "advanced" and neglecting squats, hinging only is not a substitute. Give them another go. For context, I have a double bodyweight deadlift.
One might even do a reverse S&S with swings 3*10 as the warmup and then goblet squat sets of 5*10 or 7*7 or something for variety for a month or two.
I am going to drop my pressing and focus on frequent, light-medium goblet squats with my TGUs and carries till Christmas for strength-endurance/ knee-hip health and mobility and see where it leads.
For more good info see:
Goblet Squat: How To Use It To Move Better, To Become Stronger, and When Not To Use It At All
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