i recently came across an article on eastern bloc and it stated that the Bulgarian weight lifting team began to drop all back squatting in favor of the high step-up. it also stated while training before his WR clean & jerk, Leonid Taranenko did no squatting at all, just oly lifts and high step-ups. i believe it said his best step up was 400 lbs for 3 reps with each leg onto a 20 inch box. the main reason they switched is because they said the high step builds more hip power. has anyone heard any truth to this method?
Here is my original post on the Supertraining list:
From: “Tom Green” <greent1@h…>
Date: Thu Dec 27, 2001 2:01 am
Subject: Step Ups vs Squats
Here is an article I thought the group would find interesting.
Any comments?
Tom Green
St. Louis, MO
<http://www.coachsos.com/bulgarianleg_spassov.html>
Bulgarian Leg Training Secrets Explained
by: Coach Angel Spassov and Professor Terry Todd
This is an extensive and thought-provoking article about the different leg
training protocols that were popularized by the dominant Bulgarian
weightlifting teams of the latter half of the Twentieth Century.
Almost a decade ago, a retired Soviet hammer thrower came to the conclusion
that traditional forms of squatting were not the best way to strengthen the
muscles of the thighs and hips. Many in the Soviet Union considered this
heresay, as the squat was the king of leg training in that country just as
it was, and is still, in the United States.
Ten years ago, the full squat was the foundation of exercise programs for
almost all elite athletes in the Soviet Bloc nations, whether they were
weightlifters or not. Soviet athletes - be they wrestlers, runners, fencers,
soccer player or swimmers - all squatted. But because the retired hammer
thrower had won the gold medal in the 1976 Olympic Games and because he was
a respected graduate of the Central Institute for Physical Education and
Sport in Moscow, his opinions were taken seriously. His name: Anatoly
Bondarchuk. His studies led him to conclude that a particular form of what
we’ll call the high step-up had two significant advantages over the standard
back squat. Bondarchuk concluded that high step-ups, firstly, produce
greater gains in thigh and hip power and secondly, cause fewer injuries.
Bondarchuk does his research and coaching in Kiev. His fellow Soviet coaches
and sports scientists were skeptical about his conclusions. However, as time
passed and he was able to convince a few athletes and coaches, in a variety
of sports, to drop squats from their routines and adopt the high step-up, it
became clear that be had made a significant breakthrough. Many of the
athletes using his “new” exercise began to make gains in power that were far
beyond what they had made using only the squat.
[This is not what Bondarchuk really did most of the time with his athletes.
Mel Siff]
We qualify the word “new” because, in one form or another, the step-up has a
fairly long history. A review of dozens of pre-1900 books in the Physical
Culture Library at the University of Texas revealed that the step-up was
commonly practiced before the turn of the century. In fact, Dr. Dudley Allen
Sargent, who was for years the director of physical training at Harvard
University, used a form of the step-ups as he was devising one of the first
known methods of cardiorespiratory testing. Sargent’s method, first used
over 80 years ago, is called the Harvard Step-Up Test. It involves stepping
up, at a timed pace, onto a bench or chair approximately 20 inches high for
a set period of time and checking the pulse rate at predetermined intervals.
But the step-up was also used to strengthen and develop the hips and thighs.
As weight training grew in popularity in the 1920s and '30s, the step-up
with extra weight began to appear in books and magazines of that era.
However, the squat with added weight was also given an enormous boost in
America during this same era thanks to several crucial factors: Firstly, the
wonderful lifting of the young German immigrant “Milo” Steinborn, who could
do a full squat with more than 500 pounds, secondly, the publicity given to
Milo’s world-record-breaking abilities in weightlifting, and finally, the
career of Joseph Curtis Hise, who not only gained a great deal of strength
and muscle size with high-rep squats but also had the ability to fill other
bodybuilders with enthusiasm for this arduous but effective form of training.
Who knows whether the step-up with weights would have become more popular
had Steinborn and Hise not appeared on the scene and raised the reputation
of the deep knee bend, putting it at the top of any serious trainer’s list
of “must” exercises? In any event, the squat became the dominant hip and
thigh exercise in America in the 1920s and has remained so ever since.
SQUAT-CHALLENGED
When the Eastern European nations, led by the Soviet Union, began to assert
themselves athletically after World War II, one cornerstone of their success
was the squat. For a time, they turned to the West, particularly the United
States, for training theory; but as the years passed and they developed
their own coaches and sports scientists, they began to rely more and more on
their own research. It was this tradition of self-reliant research that led
Anatoly Bondarchuk to challenge the supremacy of the squat.
One thing Bondarchuk concluded was that the heavy back squat was potentially
dangerous to the structure of the lower back. In fact, according to his
studies, it can be demonstrated that the back squat places a load on the
structure of the lower back that, in the bottom position, is at least twice
as heavy as the load on the bar. In other words, if you are lifting 300
pounds in the full squat, your lower back is stressed to an amount equaling
at least 600 pounds, usually more. The actual amount depends on the speed of
descent and ascent. The faster you descend and the faster you reverse
direction and begin to arise from the bottom, the greater the load on the
lower back and, according to Bondarchuk, the greater the chance of injury.
[These remarks about Bondarchuk’s alleged squatting research warrant deeper
comment. For one, if you do even one legged quarter squats with 300 lbs
in very slow motion, you will double the force on the squatting leg. Similar
risks
attend the use of step-ups, especially since these often involve lateral tilting
of the pelvis and lumbar spine. I would like to see that research and
especially a
biomechanical comparison between squats and step-ups. Mel Siff]
Bondarchuk also noticed that athletes who were pushing for those extra few
reps on a set of squats almost always sank an extra inch or so at the bottom
in order to get a bit of “bounce” to push them through the sticking point of
the exercise. For this reason, and because he observed that in no sport did
the athlete ever find himself in the normal full-squat position, Bondarchuk
concluded that it would be safer to use a form of weighted step-up.
When he began his research, he was unsure of several things. He wasn’t sure
how high the bench or chair, onto which the athlete would step, should be.
As he began to experiment with different heights, he soon realized that he
could achieve complete development of the thighs and hips by using varying
bench heights, depending on the needs of the individual athlete. Being
well-schooled in anatomy and physiology, he understood that the higher the
bench, the more stress would be placed on the hamstring muscles on the rear
of the thigh. Conversely, he understood that a lower bench would result in
more work being required of the quadriceps muscles on the front of the thigh.
Finally, he concluded that the ideal position generally occurred when the
athlete was standing on the toes of one foot with the other foot flat on the
bench and the top of the raised thigh parallel to the floor. If, however,
the athlete was weak in the hamstring area, he should use a slightly higher
bench. According to research done by Osse Aura, a professor of biomechanics
at the Finnish Institute of Physical Education, the hamstring muscles should
be approximately 75% as strong as the quadriceps muscles. If that ratio is
not maintained, the chance of injury increases, while the chance of maximum
performance decreases. Bondarchuk agrees with Aura’s figures and uses a form
of the leg curl and leg extension to determine the relative strength of
these two muscle groups. If he finds the quadriceps of a certain athlete to
be too strong, he will instruct that athlete to use a higher than normal box
height and thus place more stress on the hamstrings. If, on the other hand,
an athlete’s hamstrings are too strong, the box height will be lowered so
that the quadriceps may be stressed more completely.
[Authors such as Vorobyev (Textbook on Weightlifting) do not agree with these
figures and, anyway, these ratios change with the specific exercise and the
manner
in which each is done statically, dynamically or explosively. These ratios
also change with
joint angle, as I discuss in Ch 4.2.6 of “Supertraining”. These figures were
bandied
about in the West for many years, based upon isokinetic testing and generally
were
discarded as more thorough research was conducted under different conditions.
For example,
some authors found that treadmill testing revealed the dynamic quad-hamstring
ratio to
be nearer 50-50. Incidentally, from such ratios, how can determine whether the
quads
are too weak or the hamstrings are too strong? This information is outdated
and misleading. Mel Siff]
Obviously, since an athlete cannot do a high step-up with even 50% of the
weight he or she can use in the full squat, the problem of the “double
loading” stress on the lower back is greatly reduced. The lower back
experiences far less stress when an athletes does a high step-up with 100
pounds than when he does a squat with 300 pounds, assuming that both of
these lifts are maximum efforts. Also, since it would be impossible for an
athlete to “bounce” out of the bottom position in the high step-up, this
exercise completely eliminates the problem of the bounce. This is an
important consideration since the complete full squat, especially when done
with a “bounce,” is potentially harmful to the structure of the knee.
[On this basis, seated leg extensions would be even better than step-ups because
they eliminate all longitudianl loading of the spine. Right? Why not avoid
set-ups
AND squat by doing leg extensions, leg presses and so on if spinal loading is
such a
problem? If Bondarchuk really did militate against squats, why did he allow
any
cleans or overhead work with weights, all of which impose large loads on the
spine? Mel Siff]
HOW IT’S DONE
The high step-up starts out similar to the regular squat. The weight is
placed on a standard bar and the bar is placed on a squat rack as would be
the case with a squat. But then things are different. Before squatting,
normally you step backward, but with the high step-up you move forward,
toward the platform onto which you will step. But if your gym isn’t set up
to allow you to step forward, don’t be concerned. Simply be careful as you
position yourself for the step-up. You may need to construct a box if you
can’t find a bench or sturdy chair of the proper height. And if you have a
box or chair that’s a bit too tall, don’t forget that you can use a
100-pound or 45-pound plate under your bottom foot. Or, for that matter, you
can use pieces of plywood to achieve the exact position you need. You should
also be careful to keep your shoulders more or less over your hips as you
step up onto the box or bench; don’t bend forward at the waist in order to
do the step-up. Also, slightly bend the knee of the leg onto which you lower
yourself. It takes some of the shock out of the descent and is a bit safer.
Several years ago the Bulgarian weight lifting team began to drop all back
squatting in favor of high step-up. By that time, many Soviet lifters had
abandoned squats and made their higher lifts in the snatch and clean and
jerk than ever before. Perhaps the most dramatic example of this involves
the career of Leonid Taranenko, the current holder of the world record in
the clean and jerk in the superheavyweight class. Taranenko has done the
clean and jerk with the amazing weight of 586 pounds. Think of it! Almost
600 pounds lifted from the floor to full arms’ length overhead. But to many
longtime lifters in this country, it is perhaps even more amazing than it
has been at least four years since Taranenko has done a back squat of any
kind. Besides his practice on the snatch and clean and jerk, the only form
of heavy leg training that Taranenko does is the high step-up with
weights…Heavy weights. His best in this exercise is three reps with each leg
with 396 pounds. Taranenko’s coach, Ivan Loginovich, one of the foremost
trainers in the Soviet Union, was one of the coaches who worked with
Bondarchuk to perfect the high step-up and use it as a replacement for the
back squat; and one of the proofs found in this particular pudding is
Taranenko’s many world records.
[This certainly is not what I heard from Medvedev and others about the training
of Taranenko and other top former soviet lifters. Are there any soviet and
Bulgarian
lifters who did not use various types of squat for several years during the
best stages
of their careers? What is misleading about this sort of remark is the fact that
Taranenko did plenty of front squats in the form of different types of snatch
and
cleans training, anyway. Yes, it may well be entirely accurate to point out
that
Taranenko did not often do back squats, but he did plenty of front squats, which
does not mean that he relied on step-ups. All Russian and Bulgarian lifters do
front squats and many may not rely on plenty of back squats at all, but that is
very
different from showing that they avoided ALL squats and changed to step-ups.
This
is very misleading. Mel Siff]
One thing coaches in the Soviet Union and Bulgaria noticed was that those
athletes, both lifters and those in other sports, who dropped the squat and
used the high step-up developed more complete muscularity than those who
simply squatted. Many of the coaches say that the legs of those who work
hard on the high step-up look more like those of someone who did sprinting
and jumping as well as squatting. Apparently, the balance required in the
high step-up calls more muscles into play, producing fuller, shapelier
development.
[They may have relegated the back squat to a relatively minor position, but they
still retained the front squat and did not rely on step-ups for the major part
of their
leg work. It was not an all-or-none situation in which all squats were
discarded
forever from all aspects of training. Mel Siff]
WORKING THEM IN
As far as how to work the exercise into your training routine, one way would
be simply to eliminate squats and replace them with the high step-up, using
the same sets and reps and handling as much weight as you could in the
step-up. Another way, if you have a desire to push your strength levels up
several notches, would be to do the high step-ups as the Bulgarian National
Lifting Team does them, which is as follows (assuming that the athlete can
do a maximum of two reps in the high step-up with 170 pounds):
- Begin with one set of 8-10 reps with no weight, and
- Proceed to 45 pounds for six reps (45x6), 110x3. I32x3, 150x3, l60x3 for
three sets, 135 x6 for three sets and sets of 115x3 to failure.
The Bulgarian team uses the pulse rate as a gauge to let them know how far
to take the sets. They believe that each of the moderate to heavy sets
should produce a pulse rate of 162-180 beats per minute. The lifter doesn’t
begin his next set until his pulse has dropped to between 102 and 108. The
Bulgarian team does virtually this same workout five or six days a week,
along with quite a lot of other leg work that goes with the snatch and the
clean and jerk. Unless you are young (21 or below) and in unusually good
condition, we don’t recommend that you do such a demanding workout without
at least one day of rest between sessions.
If these low repetitions don’t appeal to you and you’d like to stick with
more traditional approach for step-ups, you might simply do several sets of
progressively heavier warm-ups, go to three heavy sets of six reps, and
finish off with three lighter sets to failure, aiming for 15-20 reps per
set. And if that doesn’t give you a super pump, you need to have your oil
checked.
If you do adopt either of these routines, we suggest you drop all other
heavy lower body exercises such as leg presses, front squats and hack
squats. You could continue with leg extensions and leg curls and, of course,
with calf work, but you should be careful not to overtrain. The trick in all
exercise programs is to do enough to stress the muscles so that they become
larger and stronger, but not so much that they can’t recover in time for the
next heavy session.
Give this result-producing exercise a try. It has literally worked wonders
with the strength and power athletes in Eastern Europe, and with their
bodybuilders as well, most of whom swear by the high step-up. Make no
mistake, squats are a wonderful, effective exercise: but perhaps the high
step-up can allow you to make even more gains than you could with squats
alone. It’s worked out that way in the iron game behind the Iron Curtain.
[Spassov spoke a lot about this exercise when he first came to the USA and it
started a whole disease or fad of step-up training. Interestingly, my one coach
was a member of the Bulgarian weightlifting team and he placed a very heavy
emphasis on squats, with occasional use of step-ups as a variation, not the
reverse,
as seems to be implied by this article. At all stages, front squats and squat
cleans
were an important part of leg training. It HAS NOT worked that way in the Iron
Game behind the “Iron Curtain”, nor has it worked that way among the hugely
powerful powerlifters in training for their squats. The step-up can be a useful
training variation, but it is no substitute for front or back squatting. The
closing
paragraph of this article just about implies this and almost contradicts in
other
words what appeared in earlier paragraphs - interesting! Mel Siff]
Copyright© 1998-2001 CoachSOS.com
Could you provide a link to the article-
This topic was brought up on the Supertraing list last year.
This article was discussed on Supertraining a while back. The conclusion: it simply isn’t true. Step ups were sometimes used, but they were an ancillary exercise and not the main training means for Bulgarian weightlifters.
xlr8
Step ups onto a 20 inch box would guarantee injuries. Using the pulse rate to judge rep numbers and recovery…hmmm. I can only conclude that this is either deliberate mis-information or an article from someone trying to justify his own theories by attributing them to the Bulgarians. (Gee! Where have we seen that before??)
Chris T. has also said that the article was false a few times on his forum.
I like step-ups. Good (balanced) hip & hamstring development but there is a big safety issue with them. How heavy can you go with them? This is what makes them most effective, IMO, purely as a supplementry excercise.
Interesting thread. Step ups effectively ended my sprinting carrer as an 18 yr old. If I was to incorporate them into my current training I would do them in a squat rack with safety bars set just below the height of my shoulders. My feet suppinate? and because of that I tend to turn over on my ankle when making a sharp cut or when approaching failure during, A’s and step ups(I landed on my butt before I could release the load on my shoulders). I think its a great excersice to compliment back and front squats but they must be done in a safe way.
A step up onto a 20 inch box would put most people in a position where their knee was higher than their hip- a sure sign of trouble. Consider the source.
The claims about step-ups have long ago been disputed by some Bulgarians who really knew what was going on. Spassov and Todd are considered, by those who know them, to be unreliable sources.
I don’t know what year this article was written, but the month was probably April 1st as an April Fools joke 
In an interview with Bud Charniga, Taranenko was quoted as saying that he didn’t do stepups. He trained as all oly lifters do— squats. I’m not sure why Spassov would espouse such obviously bad information. I happened to be in attendence at one of Spassov’s lectures. He seemed to make a point of bad-mouthing “American” training methods.
It is always interesting to see the importance given to one (miracle) exercise by many individuals. For all athletes, unless weight lifters, it should not really matter what exercise is carried out. What matters is that the athlete works the muscles involved in sprinting to an extent that he or she will become stronger and thus more capable of running at a higher speed.
After all, Ben Johnson did great squats, Jonathan Edwards is supposed to have stopped squatting in 1995 preferring to do cleans and other exercises, Mike Powell is rumoured to have placed a heavy emphasis upon machine work, and Herschal Walker ran sprints dragging a tyre with a 16 pound shot put in it. All were great athletes in their chosen event.
As long as the involved muscles are worked, then any improvment made in regard to a chosen favorite exercise should convert into a better performance as long as skill and fitness levels are maintained and worked on.
After all, there are many ways to work your quads, hamstrings, calves, abs and lower back
As far as Taranenko is concerned, of course he would need to work on squat-type movements given that the only way to clean 266kg is to squat under the weight to get it up. While step ups may be a great conditioning exercise, they are certainly not as specific to a squat in terms of aiding a full clean. This is just common-sense.
When I do a resistance exercise (and when it is purely for building strength), I want a certain quality of contraction deep in the prime movers. I realise that stabilisers are also important but I want the prime movers doing most of the work. Hell, if I want SPACIFIC stabilization strength, then sprinting, plyo’s, walkin lunges, med ball, shaddow boxing or ballet/martial arts would be closer to the mark anyway. When I last did step ups, the last 2 reps made me feel like I was concentrating more on the particular co-ordination of the exercise, than on raw prime mover strength. The last rep felt like Russian roulette!
Wouldnt squats below parallel be as bad as stepping over a 20"box?
What makes you think that? And no, below parallel squats aren’t bad IF you perform them correctly.
2 legs vs 1 leg is not really comparable.
What would you recommend for someone that can not squat - back squats that is, due to the curvature of their back? Have done previously (and recently) and have resulted in injury (more recently a sprained back which had me bed ridden for 3 days as i could not phyiscally move).
I currently do step ups (not onto a high box) once a week, light front squats once and step ups and lunges on another.
Have trouble with plyo’s as well - ie hopping is no good. squat jumps are ok, which i do after all my leg sessions.
Does this seem ok for someone that really cant do squats?