Safety of squats

rjroubi

rjroubi

Cathlete
I've purchased STS and I'm really excited, but I am little hesitant about doing squats with any type of a square rack or smith machine after reading a recent news article....is this hype (see #8) or something we all should brush to the wayside. Someone I highly respect brought this to my attention so I thought I would ask. I've never had problems with the Smith Machine in the past, but I do try to keep up to date on the latest fitness information. We all want to look good, but certainly not compromise safety. I would appreciate your thoughts.

http://health.msn.com/fitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100184337&page=1

PS. I do realize we will have other options on the DVD...but I would prefer to do the Smith Squats if they would generate the best results.:)
 
Hi Robin,

I've read the same things from different sources. The motion used by the Smith machine isn't your natural motion.

Also, I've read that using machines like this where you load up your major muscle groups without recruiting the balancing/stabilizing muscles can make you more prone to injury in real life situations when you want to apply that strength, especially if you don't recruit those stabilizers in other exercises.
 
Hey Robin, interesting article!

You can always opt to do STS with no rack at all, as I suspect most people will do -- me included, since I don't have a rack at home and don't really have room for one. If I need to heavy up beyond what I can safely lift overhead for squats (iffy because I have temperamental knees), I am thinking I'll probably get a weighted vest.

But if you wanted to invest in a squat rack, it does seem to me that the motion of squatting with the use of a Smith machine is different in an important way from the motion of squatting with the use of a traditional weight-bench-attached-style squat rack. I could be wrong about this because I certainly don't have any formal education in biomechanics, and I'll be interested to hear what Cathe says. However, when I occasionally use a bench-style squat rack at the gym where I take spinning class, I think I'm doing exactly the same squat motion that I'd do without a rack. The only difference is that the rack is serving to support my barbell until I can get my shoulders under it. I'm then squatting with a slight tilt in my upper body, with knees staying behind toes and with my tush heading backwards as I squat. This feels like pretty natural body mechanics, at least to me. I'm not doing a linear or non-biomechanically-correct squat like this article is saying a Smith machine would encourage.

By the way, I noticed two other things from this article right off the bat: first, Cathe's orthopedist, Dr. Nick DiNubile, was a consultant on this article; and second (and this doesn't surprise me at all, since Cathe keeps herself so ahead of the curve on her education), look how many of the preferred exercises Cathe is ALREADY having us do in her existing DVD's! :)

http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/sport/sport-smiley-003.gif Kathy S. http://planetsmilies.net/sport-smiley-5536.gif
 
Whatever Cathe's opinion may eventually be on the safety and effectiveness of the Smith machine (bearing in mind she runs a gym in which this machine is available to use, I presume), I thank you for bringing this article to my attention. I personally found it very interesting and I agree with Kathy: most of the alternate exercises recommended are already offered to us on Cathe's DVDs. Isn't that good to know?

So, this brings me back again to a question I have been pondering recently: should I bother with starting a gym membership with access to a superlative weight room, or shall I continue on at home as I am?

Clare
 
I’m sure Cathe will comment later when she gets a chance, but let me say every exercise has both a positive benefit and a potential risk of injury. We have been in the health club business for 25 years and I have never seen or heard of anyone having an injury from a squat rack or smith machine in our club- not one! I’ve also competed as a powerlifter for over 6 years in my younger days and never experienced any major injuries from these two types of exercise equipment.

My advice to anyone is to always measure what you read with what you have experienced and observed in your own life. Research studies concerning fitness are important and I encourage everyone to increase their knowledge whenever possible, but make sure you read the actual study and not someone’s interpretation of it. A lot of research that you will find quoted in books or in articles on the net is taken out of context or is simply wrong.

For those of you that have been with us since the beginning you will remember the wars that use to be fought over “what a safe stepping speed is”. At one time researchers said that stepping over 122 bpm was not worth the risk and may lead to injuries. Cathe certainly read this research, but her own teaching experience and common sense made her question this study and she did not follow their recommendations.

With STS you will have an option of doing the normal routine or a routine that uses a squat rack. You will need to decide which is best for you and you will need to listen to your own body.
 
As a person prone to all manner of injuries I must say MOST of the machines the folks in that article have a problem with are the exact machines I myself have found seriously problematic, particularly anything focused on my shoulders. Never used the Smith Machine. Some of these machines are bad for reasons I never would have guessed, If I were to judge by this article. I'm glad you put up this link because I want to print this article out, study it, and show it to some of the guys at work. Very interesting.
 
hmmm, so are we gonna need special equipment to do STS? i hope not. i don't know what a smith machine is. i don't go to gyms. been working out at home for almost 20yrs. don't really know what a squat bar is either. can anyone enlighten me?
cathy:D
 
You don’t need a Smith machine to do STS. We don’t even use a Smith machine in STS. We’re making an optional premix for mesocycle #3 for people who have and want to use a squat rack, but everyone else will do the normal workout that uses the same equipment we normally use in our lower body workouts
 
It should be noted that the article said nothing about squat racks (basically a cage that houses the weight bar with no track). My husband used to have a smith machine and we had no problems with it, although he was bothered by the track because it felt unnatural. Personally, I thought the track made the squat somehow easier. Now that we have a squat rack, I feel more challenged. But that's just me.

Carolyn
 
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