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Progress Journals & Experimental Routines / Re: chasing athleticism
« on: December 10, 2018, 08:15:33 pm »I would have agreed with you strictly from a purist perspective b/c the squats go something like:
text book paused ATG FS -> text book paused ATG BS -> ... -> belted barely parallel lowbar squat
but purity aside, what's best for athleticism? it need not be the exact same thing.
belts help with IAP yes but that's not all they're doing. They also help the leg muscles contract harder (hams, quads, glutes). That part might be cause or effect (im not sure) but the effects all put together are helping train the lower body to contract more forcefully. Now with the belt the torso also has greater time under tension AND finally for most ppl the belt helps exactly where the squat gets hardest (the sticking point) which is about halfway up. The belt allows you to continue producing force at that very point to help complete the lift (more time under tension). It's basically a way to make the squat more efficient. The IAP alone might be worth the price of admission but if that's all it was achieving it's not why it's a more athletic way to squat. I'm still a squat purist but from a holistic perspective, training with a belt a will get you more gains and that's a good thing. Training with a belt and without a belt offer good synergy because there is a carry over there. All of this will be proven if i can get my vertical back to 32" now that i've started using a belt.
i don't know how it'll prove it tho.. you had your vert up to like ~36" without belt squatting? i recall you getting way up not so long ago .. during/after your first few real bouts with high frequency heavy squatting.
if belt gets you to 38-40", i'll wear one for one set.

if anything, i feel like your nutritional/bodyweight fluctuations/cuts have more to do with your vert going down than your squatting/belt etc. those fluctuations are rough physically and mentally. if you are lifting hard and eating alot, yet still lean, you'll perform at a much higher level on avg.
pC!