Thanks for that very informative answer. I do own the book and i have only read thru it once as Im waiting to achieve Sinister before applying it and really studying the book.
Its an interesting idea on testing the power output on a hindu squat and i was womding if you had any suggestions on how to do that?
I have Kensui plate loading weight vest. If I can do the same weight squats in the same time as my swings would that have similar power output?
The book recommends an accelerometer or force plate for swings. I'm not sure off hand how you would use an accelerometer for hindu squats (or that it would even give you an accurate representation of the actual force involved), and you would have to find a clinic with a force plate they would let you use. To be a good experimenter
you would have to test hindu squats against other movements like jumps and swings.... but . . .
I can tell you right now that from a physics perspective, it is Newton's third law that propels you forward/up via "reaction force" off the ground, and as such, jumping and swinging will pretty much always produce more power.
Force = mass times acceleration, or "how much stuff is changing direction how fast."
Power= work divided by time
Work= force times distance
A short way of summarizing things is that the more force you can produce over a longer distance
in a SHORTER amount of time produces more power. Thus, sprints are great. Swings/jumps also cover a respectible distance (the distance the bell/body moves).
Jumping has to produce enough force for your body to go
airborn (a force
greater than the mass of your body times acceleration due to gravity) while a hindu squat does not. A swing with a kettlebell has the force involved in the weight of the kettlebell, PLUS the acceleration required to swing it up after swinging it down. Ten g's is cited in the book for practitioners with a 24kg bell. That's the mass of the bell times the acceleration due to gravity ten times over. Compare the hindu squat to the jump or swing. You tell me which produces more power.
It is my understanding that reaching Simple is a more accessible benchmark for running Q&D, though strength-wise you would be more than ready if you completed Sinister. In the book, Pavel also recommends either a bodyweight bench press or the ability to do at least 20 pushups at a steady pace ( not rushing the reps, as I understand it). The rational behind having reached some level of strength before attempting Q&D is that you will not be able to generate enough power at the cadence required at low/beginner strength levels. There is a comment in the book about how beginners made gains, but more advanced practitioners made the most dramatic gains. Also, in sports science power exercises are generally recommended at something like 30-50% of your 1RM. So that's something to consider. Can you maintain MAXIMUM power in a given exercise for the prescribed reps? If not, you are not ready to use that exercise
for the intended purposes of Q&D.
Alllllll of that is to say:
Use hindu squats in the format of Q&D if you want. You will certainly get stronger legs, but you will very likely not reap the biochemical benefits of the program as it is written.
