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Here is my response to a thread by someone that read a "study" that said squats do not effect overall mass, and that they only effect the muscles doing the lift.
I could give a damn about what some half-assed research says, and while some people certainly do not benefit as much as others, it is this simple:
HEAVY squatting and deadlifting definitely helps contribute to overall upper body mass.
People often seem to think we are somehow a collection of different parts and there is no inherent wholeness. Well, our bodies can and do adapt as a unit and when you continually load the major structures in a fashion that forces the body to utilize an extremely high percentage of it’s overall mass there is more often than not a carry over to the parts that receive minimal direct stimulation. Simply put, by the time you are squatting 400-600+ the body will have adapted by not only increasing bone density and muscle in all the heavily loaded structures, but also those less directly effected.
There have been a few studies on short and medium distance runners that just implemented a running program. As you might guess bone density goes up in the legs and load bearing bones of the hips and back. Guess what? It also goes up in the arms and forearms which are not bearing any load while running. Why? The body is a unit and in many cases adaptation is systemic.
People have pointed out that various bodyparts don’t get sore when squatting. That doesn’t mean they are not being loaded during the lift, and as pointed out, chest and triceps are about the only bodyparts that are not bearing a significant load. And that is just a small part of the equation. Other factors are the EXTREME metabolic demands heavy squatting and deadlifting provide, and the hormonal response. Heavy squats and deads also seem to contribute to making the body more efficient at protein synthesis. More so than working the body as “parts” IMO.
Does that mean you can just squat and deadlift and build a great set of arms? Hardly, but squatting and deadlifting will influence the overall results in a positive fashion.
And while I am certainly not an elite level trainer, nor can claim to working with more people than some of the other strength coaches, I do work with 70+ lifters at a time and it doesn’t take long to learn how to connect the dots and see how much heavy squatting and deadlifting contribute to bigger ALL AROUND physiques in a way that is simply not replicated by MOST lifters when doing leg presses and extensions and other less demanding back and leg lifts.
Your mileage may vary.
Iron Addict
I could give a damn about what some half-assed research says, and while some people certainly do not benefit as much as others, it is this simple:
HEAVY squatting and deadlifting definitely helps contribute to overall upper body mass.
People often seem to think we are somehow a collection of different parts and there is no inherent wholeness. Well, our bodies can and do adapt as a unit and when you continually load the major structures in a fashion that forces the body to utilize an extremely high percentage of it’s overall mass there is more often than not a carry over to the parts that receive minimal direct stimulation. Simply put, by the time you are squatting 400-600+ the body will have adapted by not only increasing bone density and muscle in all the heavily loaded structures, but also those less directly effected.
There have been a few studies on short and medium distance runners that just implemented a running program. As you might guess bone density goes up in the legs and load bearing bones of the hips and back. Guess what? It also goes up in the arms and forearms which are not bearing any load while running. Why? The body is a unit and in many cases adaptation is systemic.
People have pointed out that various bodyparts don’t get sore when squatting. That doesn’t mean they are not being loaded during the lift, and as pointed out, chest and triceps are about the only bodyparts that are not bearing a significant load. And that is just a small part of the equation. Other factors are the EXTREME metabolic demands heavy squatting and deadlifting provide, and the hormonal response. Heavy squats and deads also seem to contribute to making the body more efficient at protein synthesis. More so than working the body as “parts” IMO.
Does that mean you can just squat and deadlift and build a great set of arms? Hardly, but squatting and deadlifting will influence the overall results in a positive fashion.
And while I am certainly not an elite level trainer, nor can claim to working with more people than some of the other strength coaches, I do work with 70+ lifters at a time and it doesn’t take long to learn how to connect the dots and see how much heavy squatting and deadlifting contribute to bigger ALL AROUND physiques in a way that is simply not replicated by MOST lifters when doing leg presses and extensions and other less demanding back and leg lifts.
Your mileage may vary.
Iron Addict
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