Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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As I venture back into strength training, I'm wondering if barbell squats are evolutionary possible at the weights most strength athletes perform them? Grok didn't have a power rack but he did haul meat. Should we only lift what we can: pick up,drag, push (ex rocks and trees)?

past experience: couldn't lift 100lb punching bag from flat ground to shoulder, but could squat 200lbs in a cage.

Many will say to work on rows and deadlifts to strength the low back, but my question is wouldn't it be safer/more natural to lift what we can without assistance?

Thanks

flag	asked Jul 3 at 22:43 Chris J. 531●1●6

	Good question. Squatting with weights whilst very effective at endocrine stimulation and lower body muscle development and strength is not a movement that our ancestors would likely perform frequently. Running at speed or under load is more natural. – meta Jul 4 at 15:32
	For "Running under a load", which activity would you speculate was performed most frequently: carrying (food/water,kids,injured persons,etc...) , or dragging objects (running backwards), etc..? – Chris J. Jul 5 at 17:18

DSSW · Answer 1 · 2012-07-03 23:42:32Z UTC

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Squats are a safe and effective way to build useful full body strength. Why preclude something based on hypothetical incongruence with an archetypical caveman stereotype?

answered Jul 3 at 23:42

DSSW
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I don't doubt that they are, but I would argue that an exercise such as lifting Atlas Stones would be more functional and possibly result in less muscular imbalances. – Chris J. Jul 4 at 0:39

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Actually there are plenty of arguments as to why they are not exactly safe, along with the issue Chris just mentioned. Top loading the spine with a weight you could not have lifted to that point from the ground seems quite likely to produce an incongruent force with how our bodies are made to function. – JayJay Jul 4 at 2:13

@ChrisJ - I agree that lifting atlas stones might be slightly more effective at developing functional strength. But not more practical. Olympic bars/weights/squat racks are found in almost every gym, and can be easily adjusted for the desired weight a person needs according to their workout regime. As for muscle imbalances, the squat is a compound lift that works many major muscle groups and taxes the nervous system -it is not an isolation exercise. – DSSW Jul 4 at 5:22

@JayJay - I was assuming proper form and load as given in my answer. Thousands of highly paid professional athletes, from volleyball players to rugby players, perform heavy barbell squats everyday, to their benefit. Furthermore, deadlifting, or generally, lifting heavy things with the hands, puts a very similar "top - loading" force on the spine as the arms hang from the shoulders. Weight training isn't "natural" nor seen in evolution. Exposure to all sorts of muscular stress was. Olympic weight lifting is an effective way to induce the most muscular stress with the least risk of injury. – DSSW Jul 4 at 5:38

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To answer your question, there's no reason that an exercise should be preferred or avoided based exclusively on a "caveman stereotype". Ultimately, exercise programs should be based on science. In the absence of empirical evidence, however, an evolutionary-based evaluation is almost certainly the best place to start. – Sam Knox Jul 4 at 16:23

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Ralph Furley · Answer 2 · 2012-07-04 15:06:31Z UTC

I include barbell back squats in my strength training program on a weekly basis. I do them heavy and I think that they offer a valuable component to a strength program. That being said, I respect Steve Maxwell a ton and he wrote an article on the barbell back squat and how necessary it may be for some people/athletes. It's a short article with some great points and worth consideration.

Here's the link: http://www.maxwellsc.com/blog.cfm?blogID=70

Swede · Answer 3 · 2012-07-04 20:19:05Z UTC

Do a goblet squat. I suspect that it mimics natural lifting movement more than back squats. It seems more natural to me that someone would lift something from the ground, hold the object close to their chest, and then squat up if needed to move the object to a higher space. I tried many variations of the back squat (ass to grass, raised heels, etc...), but it never felt right with my back. Since adopting the goblet squat as my main leg exercise my back has not had any problems. I focus on doing higher reps since the weight will not be close to what you could do with a back squat. It also depends on your gym. I'm using 100 lb dumbbell now, and they max out at 125 lbs.

Could Grok squat more than he could pick up?

3 Answers