With more trainers and gurus in the world of bodybuilding and fitness than ever, it seems like almost an impossible task to get experts to agree on what exercise works best for what body part. But there’s one thing that still seems to be universally accepted: When it comes to legs, the squat reigns supreme.
Here, IFBB Pro League athlete Jon Delarosa gives us his five best tips on performing the squat and takes us through how he developed some of the best thighs in bodybuilding.
With a lift like squats, many people are eager to move up to the big weights and get into their heavy working sets at a furious pace. No lift taxes the body quite like the squat can, and no lift can cause an injury with the potential to set you back as much if you’re not careful.
“I like to do at least four to five warmup sets before I get into my heavy weights, sometimes more if I feel it necessary,” Delarosa says.
While your program may call for a set number of warmup sets, Delarosa stresses that there is no right number, and the time to get into your working sets is when you feel like everything is primed and ready to go.
“When you think about it,” he says, “doing a few extra warmup sets only adds a few minutes to your time in the gym, and if that short period can help you avoid injury, then it’s worth it every single time.”
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HD92
Keep Your Feet Shoulder-Width Apart
How you place your feet when you squat plays a major role in how the thighs are stressed and which muscles take on most of the workload.
While a narrow stance can help focus on your outer quad sweep, and a wider stance—favored by many powerlifters—can engage more of the hips, glutes, and hamstrings, Delarosa recommends a shoulder-width stance for the best overall development.
“I prefer a slightly narrower stance for front squats,” he says, “but when I’m doing old-school barbell squats, I feel like shoulder width is the way to go. Anything too much farther than that and I feel like I’m not hitting my quads quite the way I want.”
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Use A Weight You Can Handle
Since the squat is one of the big three lifts, along with the deadlift and bench press, many people prefer to focus on how much weight they’re moving rather than form and safety.
“I’m a stickler for good form on most of my lifts, but especially on my squats,” Delarosa says. “I prefer a slower, more controlled movement in which the emphasis is on actually feeling the muscles work and not just moving the weight.”
As with the bench press and deadlift and other powerlifting movements, squats can be an ego lift, and quantity often takes precedence over quality.
“Pyramiding up is a great way to gauge where you’re at each workout as far as how heavy you should be going,” he says. “Pick a target rep range, and if you can hit that with good form, only then should you be increasing the weight for your next set. Conversely, if you put a weight on and it’s too heavy, don’t be hesitant to take some weight off for your next set. Contrary to popular belief, lowering the weight isn’t always a bad thing.”
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Try using Higher Reps
A range of eight to 12 reps seems to be the sweet spot for most working sets in just about every hypertrophy training program. Some routines focused on strength even favor lower ranges like four to six. For squats, Delarosa likes to go in the opposite direction.
“I’ve found that higher reps just work better for me,” he says. “I’ve done the 10-reps-per-set thing, and I don’t find it as effective. With my focus more on the pump and exhausting the muscle, I feel like I can do that better with higher reps. It also helps minimize the stress on my joints and lower back.”
Although many feel as though going over 15 reps gets into anaerobic activity, Delarosa thinks that this rep range can be very productive for building quality muscle.
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Drop It Low
“I feel like we find ourselves beating the proverbial dead horse on this issue,” he says, “but it’s something that really can’t be overstated—you’ve gotta go low.”
Working through a full range of motion is one of the most basic principles of weight training, regardless of what exercise you’re performing, yet the squat seems to be one that is most often performed with disregard to that principle.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen guys sell themselves short by only going halfway down or even less on the squat,” Delarosa says. “The only person they’re cheating is themselves.”
He insists that going to parallel or lower is the best way to make sure you’re getting the most out of your squats and is the most ideal for overall quad development.
“It all comes back to leaving your ego at the door. Lower the weight, use good form, work through a full range of motion, and the results will take care of themselves.”
