| Olympic vs Power Squat |
Which one is best for developing athletes?In athletes other than Weightlifters, I use both the Olympic and Power Squat. Because of the mechanics of the Power Squat I like to use it for supplemental posterior chain work and with athletes suffering with knee tendonitis or an injury the medial structures of the knee. However, the majority of the Back Squatting volume in my training comes from the Olympic Squat. It is true the Power Squat will allow you to squat more weight however, more is not always better. Is a 700lb Back Squat going to help you more than a 500lb Back Squat? In the sport of Powerlifting it most certainly will, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to improved performance in other sports. Sport is not about maximal force development. It is about maximal rate of force development. Once my athletes reach a particular squat weight (between 2-3 times bodyweight calculated as a function of body weight and the physical demands of the particular sport), I maintain their strength levels while switching the training focus to generating force quickly. I use the Olympic lifts to accomplish this because they do it better than any other exercise.It would seem foolish to spend valuable training time continually getting an athlete stronger if the strength gained cannot be utilized on the field of play. A 700lb squat doesn’t mean shit if you’re a statue!The Olympic Squat provides many benefits for athletes that the Power Squat does not. Here is my top three: • The Olympic Squat adheres to the normal anatomical function of the joints. • The Olympic Squat distributes the load evenly between the knee and hip joints. • The Olympic Squat promotes flexibility in the ankle and hip joints. In reality, because of the “functional training” plague that has swept through the Strength and Conditioning world, if a coach has an athlete squatting with a barbell at all regardless of style, it is better than the circus acts the pariahs masquerading as Strength Coaches are pawning off to their athletes as strength development. For those of you that understand the value of the squat and use it as an integral part of strength development, I salute you. If you are a “functional” clown please continue using your revolutionary, 20 years ahead of the science exercises with your athletes. The rest of us enjoy watching our athletes continually help yours off the ground, brushing the dirt off of their backs and sending them on their merry way. I had a bad training day today. I needed to vent Fight until your very last breath! - Wax - |