Topic: Squats BEFORE the classical lifts? Good idea?

[ViKtoricus]

Hi.

I have been recently seeing some training programs created by people where they front/back squat BEFORE they do the classical lifts.

What are the pros and cons of this? Will you get faster squat progress if you do them first in your workout? How much more if so?

Thanks in advance.

[Shaun Le Conte]

I asked Mel Siff, author of "Supertraining" once about this. He said it's a good idea to "sometimes" do squats first to prioritize them (if necessary) and for variety. He commented that elite teams that often do squats first, usually followed up their squats with some restorative process before proceeding to the next movement, contrary to many lifters in the west that would immediately move on to the next exercise. The third point was that usually the squats were not done as a slow, grinding powerlifting movement, but rather explosively not unlike a partial aspect of the lift itself.

I can't imagine somebody new to the sport benefiting more (in the long term) from squatting first in a workout. Leg strength is not really a limiting factor in this case.

[Andy Dick]

The only time I have seen squatting before the classic lifts is if it is done in a morning session and classic lifts are accomplished in a pm session.  Immediately before can have devistating effects on power production and technique because the legs will be fatigued.  This is especially true if the intensity or volume is higher.  In most cases it is best to do the classic lifts while the body is fresh and power can be best generated and technique is crisper.  Fatigue can cause the breakdown of technique.

[Matt Erdman]

Definitely don't do it until you have been training a couple years. After that it may be better to perform squats on their own day, which is what the Chinese seem to favor.

[Arturo Gómez]

I Think better do in differente blocks (or days) of training. But if exigences are not high (for example 80%), and you join both, the order is not significative.

[Mike Sheard]

I think it is a good idea but only under certain conditions... I wouldn't suggest anything like that in a competition period of training but if its pre-competition period and your focus is squats I have found it helpful on occasion :)