Beyond-Brawn-2nd-Edition

EXERCISE SELECTION AND TECHNIQUE
exercise is so demanding that it is so productive. But be sure that you are
experiencing the right type of discomfort. Pain and injury are not part of the
package. Impeccable form is imperative.
10.50 Some people legitimately cannot squat well. is is usually due to injury
limitations or structural restrictions. A tall person with, proportionately
speaking, long legs and a short torso is always going to struggle in the squat,
and perhaps to such a degree that he can never obtain any of the potential
benefits from the exercise. For a minority of people the barbell squat is a
high-risk exercise that should be avoided. Such people need to seek an
alternative to the squat. Leg extensions will not cut it. A major multi-joint
exercise is needed.
10.51 e Tru-Squat machine is an excellent substitute for the barbell squat, even
for people who cannot squat safely and hard using a barbell. But Tru-Squat
machines are few and far between. e Tru-Squat is a high-tech machine
costing over $2,000, and can be found in only a very few gyms. If you have
access to one, or if you can afford to buy your own, exploit it to the full.
10.52 While the leg press can never be the equal of the squat, if you cannot squat,
the comparison is irrelevant. But the leg press must be supplemented with
a variation of the deadlift, because the leg press does not involve the lower
back in the substantial way the squat does.
The Trap Bar (or shrug bar) deadlift
10.53 If you cannot squat safely and productively using a barbell, and do not have
access to a Tru-Squat or a good leg press machine, what are you going to do?
Try the Trap Bar deadlift.
10.54 e Trap Bar deadlift is not just an alternative to the barbell squat. It is an
outstanding exercise in its own right. Some form of deadlifting should be
part of every program. But it need not be the Trap Bar (bent-legged) deadlift.
It could be the stiff-legged deadlift with either a straight bar or Trap Bar,
or it could be the sumo deadlift with a straight bar, the conventional deadlift
with a straight bar, or the partial deadlift. (You may find the sumo deadlift
a safer and more productive exercise than the straight-bar conventional
deadlift, if no Trap Bar is available.) For bent-legged deadlifting, the Trap
Bar deadlift is a superb option—it intensively works a great deal of musculature
and reduces strain on the lower back. Because it so heavily involves
the thighs, it could even be called a Trap Bar squatlift. If, however, you need
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