How best to load the proper muscles in the squat and bench legs
Sport And Fitness / / December 19, 2019
Performing squats or leg presses on the simulator, you can increase the burden on certain groups of muscles, simply by changing the position of the feet or the body.
Staging feet during sit-ups
How to load the gluteal muscles
In 2009 Italian researchers investigatedThe effect of stance width on the electromyographical activity of eight superficial thigh muscles during back squat with different bar loads. the impact of foot to the load of muscles during squats with a barbell on his back.
The experiment tested three feet of width setting and using electromyography monitor the impact of each rack on the muscles of hips and buttocks.
The results showed that wide stance increases the load on the gluteus maximus.
The same conclusion arrived at earlier studyStance width and bar load effects on leg muscle activity during the parallel squat. . Here, scientists also studied three different strut squat: with feet shoulder width, at 75% and 140% of the width of the shoulders. The results showed that the rack width does not affect the activity of the quadriceps and adductors, but increases the load on the gluteus maximus.
In addition to setting the feet, it has a value and the slope of the body. StudyActivation of back and lower limb muscles during squat exercises with different trunk flexion. 2016 showed that the change in body tilt during squats shifts the burden on muscles the back line, but the preservation of the straight body over the rectus femoris - one of the heads quadriceps.
During the squat body tilt up to 30 ° increases the load on the extensor muscles of the back, glutes and hamstrings.
However, it should be noted that the squat is not the best exercise for pumping the gluteal muscles. The most effective exercises for the buttocks can be found in this article.
How to load the quads
We have already led the study, according to which the width of the rack does not affect the loading of the quadriceps. Also on the quadriceps muscle of the thigh does not affect and turn the stop.
This confirms researchA Comparison of Quadriceps Electromyographic Activity With the Position of the Foot During the Parallel Squat. National Academy of Sports Medicine, in which the process of the six experienced athletes performed three squats four different stop positions: deployed on the inside by 10 °, clearly pointing forward, deployed on the outside at 10 °, and 20 °.
At this time, the scientists tracked the load on the four heads of the quadriceps by electromyography. It turned out that when the position of the stop load on the muscles did not change.
The same study showsEffects of Foot Position during Squatting on the Quadriceps Femoris: An Electromyographic Study. year 2013. In it 20 healthy men and women performed sit-ups in four positions: neutral, with stops which wrapped inside, deployed on the outside and in the "ladder".
Scientists have found that the load on the head of the quadriceps is not dependent on where the focus of the foot, inside, forward or outward. Changes were noted only in the "ladder": it increased the load on all the heads of the quadriceps compared to the rest of the provisions.
You can often hear that a certain position of the feet helps to shift the focus on the inner or outer head of the quadriceps, but studies prove the opposite. As we mentioned above, no statement of the legs or feet reversal does not change the load on the quadriceps - all his head are loaded equally.
Moreover, the study foundMotor Neuron Pools of Synergistic Thigh Muscles Share Most of Their Synaptic Input. That most of the teams coming to the lateral and medial vastus from neurons general. Therefore activate the head separately quadriceps is virtually impossible.
How to load adductors
To study the inner thigh are traditionally used sumo squats, or plies, - with wide stance and steer in the direction of socks. The latter plays a crucial role in the elaboration of the adductors.
StudyInfluence of hip external rotation on hip adductor and rectus femoris myoelectric activity during a dynamic parallel squat. 2010, substantiates that the reversal stop at 30-50 ° outwardly when bent knees 90 ° substantially increases the load on the adductors.
How to load the calf muscles
StudyEffects of technique variations on knee biomechanics during the squat and leg press. It showed that squats with a narrow formulation of the legs increases the activity of the gastrocnemius muscle in comparison with the general formulation.
How to load the hamstrings
If you want a better load hamstrings, try squats on one leg. In a studyComparison of lower extremity EMG between the two-leg squat and modified single-leg squat in female athletes.. 2010 athletes performed three squats on one and two legs with 85% of the maximum trohpovtornogo and scientists monitored activity of different muscles. As a result, we found that during squats on one leg hamstring activity and gluteus medius muscle was significantly higher.
Another studyMuscle Activity in Single- vs. Double-Leg Squats. 2015 confirms the effectiveness of squats on one leg for study hamstrings. This study compared squats on his back, squats lunges and squats on one leg. Recent best to activate the hamstrings, as in the lifting phase and during the descent.
The same conclusion was reached by Norwegian scientists. StudyMuscle activation and strength in squat and Bulgarian squat on stable and unstable surface. 2014 found that in the Bulgarian split squat, compared to conventional, hamstring activity increases by 63-77%. And if you raised the foot at the same time it is on an unstable support for hamstrings load increases another 10%.
Thus, the best option to study hamstring using squats - a Bulgarian split squat with his foot in a loop or a fitness ball.
The position of the feet during the Leg Press
As in the case of the squat, the bench press in the legs is important, as you put your feet on the platform. Wide stance allows you to work the hamstrings better. In a studyEffects of technique variations on knee biomechanics during the squat and leg press. 2001 found that the leg press with a wide staging high on the platform increases the load on the hamstrings to a narrow formulation of the legs.
If you want to focus on the quadriceps, put your feet low. StudyAnalysis of Muscle Activation During Different Leg Press Exercises at Submaximum Effort Levels. 2008 proved that to work out the direct and lateral vastus suitable bench with a low of foot.
The same study showed that for maximum inclusion of the gluteus maximus need to put your feet up high on the platform.
The result is such a scheme.
- Feet high on the platform - the emphasis on the glutes.
- Feet low on the platform - the emphasis on the quadriceps.
- Wide stance high on the platform - the emphasis on the hamstrings.
That's all. Share your observations in the comments.