Cathe - question about stance in plies and squats

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LGB

Cathlete
I've wondered this for the longest time and finally remembered to ask.

Is there a difference in how a stance affects the body's muscles when we do plies and squats? You like wider stances, but you say we can select narrower stance.

Does a wider stance affect different muscles than a narrower one? Is one better than the other?

Do my questions make any sense?

Thanks, Laura
 
RE: I'm not Cathe but . . .

What my experience is with stance as they relate to regular squats and plie squats is that the muscle recruitment of the quads, hams AND abductors (outer glute muscles) and adductors (inner thigh muscles) is indeed affected by the width of the stance. However, and more importantly, what is also affected is the stress on the knee joint. IMHO, if your stance is too narrow, that can compromise your form so that too much stress is placed on the anterior portion of the knee joint, and that can lead to significant problems.

Plie squats (toes and knees in turnout) recruit the abductors and adductors a bit more than regular squats (toes and knees facing straight ahead) for me, anyway. Also, with plies I am better able to focus on keeping my weight in the heels and pressing up through the glutes. But my stance has to be wide enough to feel that.

Hope this helps -

Annette Q. Aquajock
 
RE: I'm not Cathe but . . .

yes it does, thanks. I just wondered whether having a wider stance would create "bulkier" muscles. Since I'm heavier on the bottom, I try to keep from getting too big down there, and was wondering is a narrower stance would help.

Do you have an opinion on the "bulkiness" issue?

Laura
 
RE: I'm not Cathe but . . .

I'd like to know, too. Dr. Connelly in Body Rx mentions something about women not doing squats because it develops hips and thighs in an unflattering way. Wonder what that meant?

Angela
 
RE: Opinion on "bulkiness"

"Everyone's entitled to my opinion."

IMHO, any supposed "doctor" who advocates away from developing strength and mass in any muscle group because of the supposed unaesthetic results (i.e. "bulkiness") should be stripped of his medical license and prosecuted for malpractice.

We as women, even more than men, need to consistently strength train to maintain muscle mass and the muscles' work capacities because #1) we need muscles to move; #2 we need muscle mass's metabolically active properties; and #3 we just plain need them! And as far as not developing the glutes, abductors, adductors, hams and quads simply because they don't "look good" (and it appears that is the Body-Rx doctor's definition of "looking good") . . . well, what does he propose we use as muscles to stand up from a sitting position, sit down from a standing position, go up and down stairs, and walk?

I'm sorry if I sound heated on the subject, but it's hard enough to listen to the perpetual conniption about "bulking up" from the general public; I go into an absolute rage when I hear a supposed medical professional giving advice that is wrong. (P.S. I hate Dr. Robert Atkins as well for his low-carb mantra.)

When people, especially women, shy away from strength training because of aesthetics, that is a prescription for long-term health, metabolic and mobility problems.

Just my $.02 . . .

Annette Q. Aquajock
 
RE: Opinion on "bulkiness"

no problem with your opinion, but there are some women (me included) that can be very strong and muscular in the lower half even without lifting weights.

I actually don't mind looking muscular - I'd LOVE to look like Cathe - but I'd like my body to be proportioned.

If you look at Cathe, she's super muscular, but her hips, thighs, behind are smaller than her upper body.

My body is the exact opposite. When I was at my thinnest, weighing 114 lbs., I'd wear a 4 on top, but an 8 on the bottom. I'd like the top and bottom to be a bit more equal - that's all.

That's why I was wondering about the width of the stance.

Laura
 
I feel MUCH more comfortable in plie squats than regular stance squats, but can I substitute plies for regular squats without giving up any benefits? My knees just ache after doing shoulder width stance squats.
 
Re: about plié vs. regular squats and knee aching. How are you holding your feet? I've read (and follow this advice) that you should keep your toes pointed out at about a 45-degree angle (varies from person to person) when doing squats rather than pointing toes straight ahead. It allows you to go down a bit farther, but also seems to take some of the stress off the knees (because there is less of a conflict between your knees wanting to bow out a bit and your trying to keep them facing forward).
 
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