Kettlebell goblet squats for cardio and getting back into shape

[WhatWouldHulkDo]

@Shahaf Levin has a great point, but I think that also speaks to experience. If you've trained a sprint before, you know what it's supposed to feel like - and you will recognize if you are "cheating" in that way that tries to hide the stress.

Probably the lesson to take there is not to take on a "violent" (I love that characterization) movement as a new training unless you are fresh, uninjured - and maybe have somebody to teach you to do it right. If you are rehabbing, stick to things you know, or things designed as rehab.

 

[Bill Been]

From Marty Gallagher'so article:

"Stance: the first step in learning how to squat is “playing with” the squat stance width. The goal is to find a width that allows the squatter (you) to descend and ascend while adhering to our technical ideal: we seek to squat with vertical shins and a vertical torso, ideally only the femurs move as we rise and fall; moving with great deliberation and precision over an exaggerated range-of-motion"

I don't get this. If the shins are vertical and the torso is vertical, I fall on my butt. No way to escape this.

I see three possibilities with squats:

- vertical shins and inclined torso.
- inclined shins and vertical torso like a high bar back squat with weightlifting shoes)
- everything in between

I don't understand how one can keep a vertical torso and vertical shins. Maybe with an extremely wide stance?

You don't get this because it's wrong unless you're wearing a triple-ply squat suit, which may be what he's talking about.

Your knee angle, back angle, and hip angle are functions of bar placement (high bar vs. low bar) and lifter anthropometry.

A low bar squat REQUIRES a more-horizontal back angle for any given lifter than a high bar squat. "Requires", because the bar must stay over the mid foot. The more horizontal back angle will, at the bottom of the squat, result in a more closed hip angle and a more open knee angle.

A high bar squat REQUIRES exactly the opposite for a given lifter: more vertical back angle, more open hip angle, more closed knee angle.

Anthropometry throws people off all the time. You know you're in the presence of a confused individual if he starts talking about "leverages" without being able to offer any further explanation. "With your LEVERAGES, you need to be pulling sumo". Anyhow, in a squat, the long torso, short femur lifter's perfect squat will look NOTHING like the short torso, long femur lifter's perfect squat. Yes, this includes shin inclination.

 

[Steve Freides]

@Bill Been and @Oscar, I'm sure the article isn't talking specifically about geared lifting. You can't actually wedge yourself under the bar, either. We still think about doing that as a cue because it helps us achieve better deadlift form.

-S-

 

[Abdul-Rasheed]

Marty Gallagher wrote an article you might be interested in here.

Thanks for sharing. Great information. I am trying to hunt down all his interviews. Such a pleasure to listen to.

What if? So here is the tantalizing question: what if the man capable of (initially) performing 50 x 5 in the ultra-deep goblet squat, and ergo, is also capable of a 115×5 paused front squat and a 205×5 capacity in the back squat. What if, over time, that same athlete worked their goblet squat from 50 x 5 up to 100 x 5? Let us further assume the lifter works the goblet squat exclusively. Now here is the question: that lifter originally had lifts of 50 x 5 in the ultra-deep goblet squat and that level of strength normally indicates 205 x 5 in the back squat and 115 x 5 in the front squat. If he successfully works up to 5 perfect goblet squats with a 100, does that mean that he also is capable of 365 x 5 in the back squat and 275 x 5 in the front squat, all as a result of radically increasing his goblet squat capability?

What is the answer to this question? Or was this rhetorical and the answer is a resounding YES?

 

[Bauer]

Other than Goblet SQ you might try crawling variations.

They build a lot of strength, endurance and general preparedness. Here is an article by Aleks Salkin: How (and Why) To Crawl For 10 Minutes Straight

As for explosive conditioning: Maybe sprinting on a bike would be an option?

 

[Kozushi]

Goblet squats are excellent. They aren't about getting to massive amounts of weight, but they are certainly about "clutching strength" to coin a term, for the upper body while you move through a squat with the lower body. Between sets you can do lots of goblet curls while at the bottom position of the squat. This is certainly a decent all body workout.