SQUAT: Wide stance or Normal stance

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Proteinboy

2
i know somebody is going to say they both have their own benefits, like powerlifter wide and oly lifter normal/full squat stance.

first off, my goal is to develope huge leg and glute strength AND power. basically so i can run faster, jump higher, be more athletic.

but i have heard both sides...like Westside Barbell has all of their guys wide squat and say they "dont believe in the olympic squat"

however, since the olympic squat is more like a jump stance, wouldnt it be better for developing sports specific agility since your not really ever standing very wide like a wide squat?

what do you guys recommend? a mix?
 
Proteinboy said:
i know somebody is going to say they both have their own benefits, like powerlifter wide and oly lifter normal/full squat stance.

first off, my goal is to develope huge leg and glute strength AND power. basically so i can run faster, jump higher, be more athletic.

but i have heard both sides...like Westside Barbell has all of their guys wide squat and say they "dont believe in the olympic squat"

however, since the olympic squat is more like a jump stance, wouldnt it be better for developing sports specific agility since your not really ever standing very wide like a wide squat?

what do you guys recommend? a mix?
Click to expand...

From my experience in improving my vertical alot (from 18" to 28" in a few months) normal ATG squats are better. Or just a normal stance in general.
 
I notice that when I say to people to go narrow, they go hip width.. wtf? Once in my entire lifetime have I seen someone be able to squat below parallel while using a narrow stance like that. IMO, what I do is a narrow.. or perhaps "normal" stance, most people would consider it wide. When I think wide stance, I think PL box squat wide..

I don't know where I'm going with this, but I'm with Mreik.
 
A stance that is slightly wider than shoulder width and toes slightly pointed outwards is best. This will help engage the glutes, as well as allow the femur to rotate nautrally--allowing the hips to move freely.
 
thanks for the input everyone.

anyone ever hear the tale of the powerlifter from Troy and the olympic lifter from Athens?
well, one day the olympic lifter from Athens challenged the powerlifter from Troy at a squat contest.
the olympic lifter did a perfect full squat with an impressive 400 pounds.
but to his suprise the powerlifter matched it, also full squatting the 400 pounds.

however, when the powerlifter spread his stance, and performed a 600 lb powerlifting squat, the olympic lifter could not handle the weight because he did not have the back, glutes, and hamstrings neccisary.

the story comes from ppl who advocate the wide squat, saying it uses the glutes, hips, and hamstrings and teaches the lifter to handle more weight.

what do you guys have to say about this?
 
The wider the stance, the less force exerted on the lumbar spine and the greater the load exerted on the hips/knees.

I learned how to do squats using PL form. I also started out doing box squats first so I knew how low to go.

Right now, as a result of my lumbar spine injuries, I do wider stance squats with my feet angled at about 45°. I can do Oly style, but my max is only 150 pounds. Using a wider stance I can easily push 250lbs, and that's with a hampered back.

As a general rule, women have wider pelvic structures than men, and find a wider stance more comfortable than a narrow stance.

The bottom line is, regardless as to which style you prefer, as long as you have good form, that's the main thing.
 
Proteinboy said:
thanks for the input everyone.

anyone ever hear the tale of the powerlifter from Troy and the olympic lifter from Athens?
well, one day the olympic lifter from Athens challenged the powerlifter from Troy at a squat contest.
the olympic lifter did a perfect full squat with an impressive 400 pounds.
but to his suprise the powerlifter matched it, also full squatting the 400 pounds.

however, when the powerlifter spread his stance, and performed a 600 lb powerlifting squat, the olympic lifter could not handle the weight because he did not have the back, glutes, and hamstrings neccisary.

the story comes from ppl who advocate the wide squat, saying it uses the glutes, hips, and hamstrings and teaches the lifter to handle more weight.

what do you guys have to say about this?
Click to expand...

I think that's true. Which is why I think power squatting is more suited for max efforts and oly squatting is better suited for assistance/supplemental. Both have their place.
 
But if you did both, you'd have the strength in your back, hams, and glutes to hold the weight (from PL stance); as well as the power in your quads to move more! (from oly stance)

In the end, a mix is almost always best.
 
^^^^^^ Werd-Up.

A mix is the route to go. Having been on both sides of the fence, there is a reason that there are over 1000 different styles of squatting. That is because each one can be used to bring up weaknesses and gain better all around strength.

It is just a matter of assessing what type of squat will give the best result at this point in time.

Which is why I think power squatting is more suited for max efforts and oly squatting is better suited for assistance/supplemental. Both have their place.
Click to expand...

True that. Olympic squatting actually is just an assistance exercise. Errrr...... I guess squatting would be an assistance exercise in everything but powerlifting.
 
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