Thanks, Supervenomsuperman. Injury potential depends on whether the conditioning program is proper or not. I agree with you that dropping into full squats can be dangerous – if the individual hasn’t been conditioned for it. Olympic weightlifters have been dropping into full front squats, snatches, and cleans with one or two hundred kilograms (and more) for over a century, yet Olympic weightlifting remains a sport with the least incidence of injuries when compared to popular sports, and even fewer than general resistance training. Any exercise done without proper prior conditioning will increase injury risks.
The thing you are missing here it that it doesn’t matter if an olympic athlete can drop into full front squats at 400lbs if there 1RM in the squat is 800lbs! That’s only %50 of your 1RM! It all comes done to intensity! Also, if you are referring to the olympic lifters dropping into full squats in terms of what they clean in competition; then, that’s different bc they are essentially pulling themselves under and are still going down slower IMHO then somebody who would drop down as fast as they can and bounce out of the bottom position.
We might simply be talking semantics here. The only problem I have with athletes in doing fast squats are that YOU SHOULD NOT BE BOUNCING OUT OF THE BOTTOM POSITION. I do agree with you that a well conditioned athlete will have a lower risk of injury when doing DE squats but I can’t see anybody no matter how elite they are, doing %90 fast full squats.
It is unlikely anyone would “drop” into a full squat with 800 lbs. or with >90% of max. If on the rare chance they are doing this, then it is also likely that they’ve trained this way with lighter weights and have become accustomed to such forces. You’re correct that Olympic lifters pull under the bar, but they still “bounce” out of the deep catch position with 250 kgs. or more (550 lbs. or more). And it has been observed that many weightlifters in training can squat this much weight and more with a “bounce” out of the bottom.
In the end, I think we are on the same page. I also can’t see anyone doing fast full squat at >90%; but, the one thing we know is that Olympic weightlifting exists more toward the power end of the strength-power continuum, where as an 800 lb squat sits more on the strength end – thus the force-velocity is expressed differently. But the force for both is relative. Bottom line is that before this debate can progress with meaningful outcome, speed of execution in the full squat must be strictly defined.
Why not if athlete’s technique,structure,strength and flexibility levels,and load itself allow for the bounce?
Different question is how to have all these variables in place,and how and when to teach the full squat.
If safety is a priority issue is full squatting the only option available really?