My hamstrings, glutes, and adductors feel the effects of a heavy squatting session!
Remember not every muscle/ group of muscles recovers at the same rate. According to Drechsler’s observations, The quads are among the slowest muscles to recover from training. Presumably the hamstrings recover quickly in comparison.
Jimbo, comparing squats to stiff leg deads, reverse leg press and other ham exercises, how do your hams feel in the actual exercise and in the next 24h.
I don’t take any notice of what the muscles feel like during an exercise, and wouldn’t unless I was a bodybuilder purposely seeking a pumped feeling. I think that might be a personal thing, or just having confidence in your program and/or lifting within yourself.
I haven’t been able to tell the difference between the effect of squats vs other exercises in the days following the session. There are a lot of variables. I would imagine commonly in exercises other than the squat the lower back tires out first though, reducing the amount of volume you could put on the hams, unless you go to the level which endangers the lower back. Just my 2c
I don’t really feel my hams during or after squats which tells me they can’t be contracting strongly. Also, when I have had to leave my ham exercises for a period, but kept squats going, my hams have weakened. It seems surprising that my hams aren’t affected like yours and others during squats, but thats all there is to it, and so I will concentrate on other exercises for these damn hams.
So when you are just doing squats, in which activities do you notice a weakness in your hams? Do you not make progress in the squat?
I make progress in the squat just as usual, but any other ham exercises weaken, plus my hams suffer more tightness during track sessions and more soreness after track sessions.
I’ve been doing low box squats, pushing my butt as far back as possible, and feel sore in the ham-glute tie-in. As long as you keep the arch, your back should be fine. Actually, pushing your butt back and arching are complimentary processes (i.e, you need to push your butt back to keep the arch.
sdblue, I do anteriorly tilt my pelvis, but I think coolcolJ was refering to pulling the whole of the lower limbs back, which would require greater back flexion to counterbalance.
Charlie,
Do you have any thoughts on the role of the quads, particularly the VMO, during the second half of a 100 meter race?
Originally posted by Richard Hand
sdblue, I do anteriorly tilt my pelvis, but I think coolcolJ was refering to pulling the whole of the lower limbs back, which would require greater back flexion to counterbalance.
nope 