asana: dumbbell squats

yogabook / functional exercises / dumbbell squats

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last update: 18.5.2024
Level: A

effects

(812) Strengthening of the quadriceps
(727) Strengthening the short hip extensors such as the gluteus maximus
(642) Strengthening the autochthonous muscles of the lumbar spine

Instructions

  1. Stand in tadasana and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Start to bend the hip joint and the knee joint at a slow pace.
  3. Move your knees forwards in a straight line along the centre lines of your feet. Keep both heels pressed firmly to the floor.
  4. Maintain the position of the hand and first turn the inner elbow upwards as far as possible (towards the ceiling).
  5. Bend as far as possible so that the thighs are horizontal and only tilt the upper body forwards as far as necessary. Keep the spine stretched.
  6. When you reach the lowest point, approximately the horizontal of the thighs, slowly begin to stretch the knee joints and hip joints again.

Details

  1. Squats are an interesting and valuable full-body exercise. They strengthen the plantar flexors of the ankle, in particular the triceps surae, as well as the quadriceps, the hip extensors and in particular the gluteus maximus, as well as the autochthonous back muscles, especially in the lumbar spine region.
  2. Once the exercise has been constructed, the pelvis must tilt slightly forwards in relation to the initial vertical, i.e. the hip joints must be flexed more than corresponds to the flexion of the knee joints. This necessity is of a physical nature and results from the condition that the gravity plumb line of a statically stable posture must lie in the physical support base. If you tried to keep the upper body in a vertical position above the heels, this would have the advantage in terms of the strength to be achieved that the „horizontal lever arm“, i.e. the horizontal component of the lever arm from the centre of mass of the upper body plus head, arms and external weight to the axis of rotation in the knee joint would be greater, but the requirement for the dorsiflexion capacity of the ankle joint quickly exceeds any feasible measure. If you were to bend to the horizontal of the thighs, the ankles would also have to dorsiflex 90°. Mitigating this requirement by tilting the lower leg less towards the vertical than the thigh would immediately result in the weight plumb line moving backwards beyond the heels out of the physical support base and the performer tipping over backwards. Now that the need for additional flexion in the hip joints is clear, the question of its extent arises. Should it be minimal, maximal or is there a „right amount“? If you try to keep the additional flexion to a minimum, the resulting greater horizontal leverage between the centre of mass of the partial body and the axis of rotation in the knee joint leads to an optimal force requirement on the quadriceps, but also to a very wide dorsiflexion of the ankle. Many people who perform squats as part of their athletic training have a pronounced lack of flexibility in the soleus, which limits the available dorsiflexion to a low level. If this is the case, an elevation under the heels must be used, which reduces the requirement for dorsiflexion, or the hips must be further flexed, the upper body must therefore be inclined more towards the vertical, which reduces the horizontal lever from the centre of mass of the partial body to the axes of rotation in the knee joint, but increases the load in the hip extensors. This makes it clear that with these two parameters (increasing the heel and additional flexion in the hip joint), a certain degree of shift in the effect between the quadriceps and gluteus maximus is possible, but also inevitable. However, the greater the additional flexion, the greater the demand on the autochthonous muscles, especially in the lumbar spine, especially as in most variations of the squat exercise the additional weight either rests on the shoulders or is held by the hands, i.e. very far away from the centre of rotation in the hip joint. The idea of maximising the additional flexion leads to a squat that is more reminiscent of cross lifting and leaves little room for strengthening the quadriceps. The question remains as to whether there is a golden mean that applies to everyone or whether it depends on the resources available, such as the strength of the quadriceps, strength of the gluteus maximus, strength and flexibility of the triceps surae, should find its optimal execution with regard to the desired main effect. The above biomechanical derivation should help.
  3. In deep knee flexion, it is not only the flexibility of the soleus that plays a role, but also non-muscular limitations of the dorsiflexion of the ankle, which are likely to be mainly ligamentous, but also osseous, especially if anterior ankle impingement (OSG-impingement) is present. The possible hard ventral impact must of course be avoided. Footballers in particular can be affected by this problem. Another difficulty with deep knee flexion is too limited flexion ability in the hip joint with a flexed knee joint, as it can be given by short hip extensors such as the gluteus maximus. This would limit the flexion angle and can therefore cause a conexed position of the lumbar spine, which must of course be avoided, especially if the ankle is less flexible and no elevation is used under the heel.
  4. The dumbbell squat described here is a relatively safe exercise, as the dumbbells can be dropped at any time, for example if the grip strength of the hands unexpectedly decreases abruptly or the finger flexors start to cramp. In addition, the overall centre of gravity is lower than with a barbell in the neck.
  5. The grip strength trainer and the Farmers Walk (dumbbell walk) are recommended for training grip strength. This exercise is also helpful for stability and the hip and lower leg muscles, which enable precise control of the knee joints in the squat, or make it difficult if too weak.
  6. With the exception of the first degrees of flexion of the knee joints, which are still under the influence of final rotation, the knees should be guided forwards along the centre lines of the feet. This requires balanced work by the abductors and the adductors, some of which are already involved in the posture, such as the abductor gluteus maximus as the upper partial body weight-holding hip extensor or adductor magnus pars ischiocondylaris, which also plays a role. Because of the great contraction force with which the gluteus maximus works as a hip extensor and to hold the upper partial body weight, further moments arise in its other dimensions of movement, i.e. abduction and exorotation, which act as punctum fixum synergistically for the outward deviation of the knees in the feet. which are counterbalanced with the help of the adductors. For squat beginners in particular, it is therefore advisable to use visual feedback to ensure that the knees move forwards in a straight line along the centre lines of the feet. This is also important to avoid rotational movements in the knee joint under load and in motion, which are known to be very difficult for the menisci of the knee joints.
  7. As the two supporting plantar flexors soleus and gastrocnemius are also supinators, there is a tendency for the inner feet to become lighter or for the metatarsophalangeal joints to lift off. Due to the symmetry of the exercise, this is only critical for stability to a limited extent, but it favours outward deviation of the knees and jeopardises precise guidance of the knee joints. The main reason for this is to improve the flexibility of the soleus; symptomatically, this can be achieved with an elevation under the heels, as is incorporated in so-called weightlifting shoes. Especially if experience and technique are still inadequate, such a measure can be useful in terms of injury prevention.
  8. The question of stance is the subject of frequent discussion. It can be varied both with the distance between the feet and the angle of the feet to each other. The most difficult phase of the exercise is the start of the concentric movement of the agonists, i.e. the start from the lower end position back up again. During deep squats in particular, the quadriceps, but also the glutes are at great sarcomere length, where the muscles can generally still develop little force according to force-length function. For the three monoarticular parts of the quadriceps, the distance between the feet plays no role in this respect, except that a wider stance would result in the leg being stretched in an inclined plane rather than vertically, which is somewhat easier from a physical point of view. For the biarticular part of the quadriceps, the rectus femoris, the distance between the feet is also almost irrelevant, even if it runs lateral to the hip joint, as its abductor lever arm is very small. For the gluteus maximus, however, the distance and rotation of the feet play an important role, as it is both the abductor and exorotator of the hip joint. Due to the very wide flexion of the hip joint, it is at a great sarcomere length and can only develop a small fraction of its maximum force, which it can achieve with favourable sarcomere lengths. What sounds disadvantageous is actually an advantage, because there is great potential for strengthening here, especially as strengthening is more successful with longer sarcomere lengths than with shorter ones. If the feet are positioned slightly further apart, this corresponds to a slight abduction in the hip joint. If the feet are rotated out, this means exorotation in the hip joint. A little caution is required here, as this requires more attention to the axial alignment of the knee joint. Both factors, abduction and exorotation, cause a greater force of the gluteus maximus at the start of the upward movement from the squat and therefore a greater torque. With the same inclination of the upper body from flexion in the hip joints and the same weight, a narrower stance without turned-out feet therefore provides a greater opportunity for strengthening.
  9. In all cases, the knee joints must be moved axially. Both inward and, as is seen much more frequently in practice, outward deviation of the knees must be avoided in order to prevent rotation in the knee joint during extension or flexion, which is one of the most dangerous situations for the menisci. In practice, outward deviation of the knees is much more common than inward deviation because it corresponds to abduction, for which many synergists of the already very strained gluteus maximus are available, some of which are not significantly involved in reducing flexion in the hip joint, i.e. pushing the body upwards, and can therefore be easily acquired without any significant feeling of exertion. On the other hand, this aspect of the biomechanics of the squat means that the knees are not only pulled outwards more or less consciously at times, but also tend to move outwards due to the abductor and exorotator function and the resulting moments of the gluteus maximus in the hip joint. This requires a powerful counterbalance in the form of endorotatory and adductor muscles, such as those found in the adductor group. Among these, the adductor magnus plays an important role not only because of its high maximum strength, but also because it is involved in reducing flexion in the hip joint with its extensor ischiocondylar component, i.e. pushing the body upwards. Training this muscle as well not only offers the advantage of greater strength in the squat, but also enables precise knee control and therefore promotes knee health.
  10. Sometimes you see the recommendation to apply a twisting force with the feet, i.e. to push the forefoot outwards while the heels should move inwards. Of course, the feet do not actually turn on the spot, but remain stationary; the corresponding torques are only generated in the joints involved. The jump joints have no such rotation capability, the OSG only allows dorsiflexion and plantar flexion, i.e. movement in the sagittal plane, while the subtalar joint provides a combination of supination with adduction and pronation with abduction. Of these movements, the last combination, pronation with abduction comes closest to the one described. If this is performed, it is done by the fibularis group and provides a helpful counterbalance to the supination tendency that occurs at the mobility limit of the soleus in wide dorsiflexion of the ankle. Especially for people with fairly low mobility in the soleus and the resulting tendency to tilt backwards or tilt the upper body forwards excessively in order to keep the soleus still in the physical base of support, this seems to be an interesting option, but it should be borne in mind that with the pronation performed, the tension in the soleus tends to increase and the dorsiflexion required for the knee bend becomes even more difficult. The next joint in which the described rotational movement can take place is the knee joint. Here it is the biceps femoris (and perhaps only extremely secondarily the tensor fasciae latae via the iliotibial tract), which can exorotate the lower leg so that the tibia turns ventrally to laterally and the foot, following this, extends outwards with the forefoot opposite the heel. If this leads to an improvement in the biceps femoris, it can make squatting easier, as this muscle is involved as a hip extensor in reducing flexion in the hip joints and lifting the upper body again. In addition, it appears to be not uncommon for knee joints that already have meniscus damage to react positively to the resulting exorotating moment in the knee joint, in that meniscus-related pain such as that caused by impingement does not occur or only occurs much later. However, it is difficult to say how intensively this movement should be performed. It should be clear that the opposite, an endorotatory moment in the knee joint during extension, represents a potentially much more difficult situation, as this counteracts the necessary rotation of the tibia in relation to the femur during final rotation. However, in people with a tendency to patellar dislocation or subluxation or with damage to the medial meniscus, it may also be more helpful to turn in the lower leg.
  11. Last but not least, we need to dispel the myth that the knees should reach beyond the tips of the toes. This is biomechanically untenable and not even possible for deeper squats. The above derivation shows the impossibility if you assume deeper squats and average body proportions. Attempting to bring the knees forwards as far as the toes would lead to such a poor heavy plumb line in most cases that the back would have to be kept much flatter, in order to keep the heavy plumb still in the physical support base, which would often make the lower back the weakest point in squats and also limit the possible strengthening of the quadriceps.
  12. There is much speculation as to which of the known exercises is the best for strengthening the quadriceps. Assuming that this question is aimed at maximum strength or hypertrophy and not strength endurance, the main points up for discussion are:
    • 45° leg press
    • horizontal leg press
    • vertical leg press
    • multi-press squat
    • free squat
    • split squats
    • pistol suaqts
    • leg extension machine

Split suaqts and pistol squats cannot be considered beginner exercises. They not only require a certain strength in the quadriceps and the glutes, but also in the lower leg muscles, which control the ankle and therefore the lower leg from distally, as well as the hip muscles, which control the thigh from cranially. Once they can be performed and are performed correctly and without momentum, they are valuable exercises that go far beyond simply strengthening the quadriceps and gluteus maximus. To assess the two exercises against each other, split squats should first be learnt and practised before moving on to practising pistol squats. Pistol squats are not only more demanding because the second leg is no longer supported at all, they can also easily lead to cramp in the rectus femoris of the lifted leg, as this works actively as a knee extensor and hip flexor in a very short sarcomere length. All variations of the leg press have the disadvantage compared to squats that the hip extensors have to work less, as the partial body weight of the upper body, head and arms no longer needs to be held. They therefore isolate the quadriceps more. The more serious disadvantage, however, is the far greater average flexion angle in the hip joints. While the squat starts at 0° hip flexion, the vertical and 45° leg press start at 90° hip flexion, which means a massive shift in the working range for the rectus femoris towards a shorter sarcomere length. This not only makes it less well strengthened, it also takes on disproportionately more tone. In cases of patellar dislocation or subluxation, these exercises are therefore not recommended, as the increased tonus of the rectus femoris pulls the patella further laterally. Most horizontal leg presses attempt to alleviate this by reducing the flexion angle in the hip joint. However, this relief is negligible. On the other hand, they usually have a higher backrest, which tends to use the autochthonous back muscles in the exercise to relieve the hip extensors, which in turn can lead to hypertonic discomfort in the muscles of the lumbar spine. The squat on the multi-press is better, and can be a good option for beginners who feel quite unstable when squatting. However, great care must be taken here to guide the pelvis correctly. The leg extension machine is a good option for training all parts of the quadriceps largely free of other muscles, although here too the rectus femoris exercises in an unfavourably shifted working range towards the short sarcomere length. This type of exercise is therefore generally not recommended if there is a tendency towards patellar laxity, unless you are only working in the last 20° or 30° or so before extending the knee joint in order to train the vastus medialis in particular. It is highly recommended for this purpose. The leg extension machine is often used unilaterally, particularly for rehabilitation after surgery or in the event of damage to the knee joint.

Variants

Heels raised

Instructions

  1. Perform the exercise as described above, but with the heels on a small elevation.

Details

  1. As already explained in the standard version, insufficient mobility of the soleus leads to a reduced dorsiflexion ability of the ankle in this exercise and furthermore to the lower legs not being able to bend far enough forwards and the performer tending to tip over backwards. There are essentially two ways to prevent tipping over. Since the physical requirement of the posture that the heavy plumb line lies in the physical base of support only means lower legs that are sufficiently inclined towards the vertical, but not in themselves a good dorsiflexion capacity of the ankles, it is possible to work with a corresponding elevation of the heels. If you wanted to manage without elevating the heels with limited dorsiflexion, the pelvis and upper body would have to be tilted forwards accordingly, which shifts the load and the strengthening effect away from the quadriceps and gluteus maximus towards the autochthonous muscles, mainly in the lumbar spine.