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Idk, even though people say they aren't, there has been deemed 'facts' in the past that have been debunked. I just don't see how having 200 pounds of weight squeezing onto your spine is safe.
Does anyone have any scientific evidence that squats are indeed safe for your spine?
all exercises have risk and put strain on your body. For me the two questions I ask myself are, is the risk worth the reward and can you reduce the risk. With squats I think that the reward in muscle growth makes them worth doing and you can significantly reduce the strain on your body by making sure your form is good.
[QUOTE=donlxu;1033723103]Idk, even though people say they aren't, there has been deemed 'facts' in the past that have been debunked. I just don't see how having 200 pounds of weight squeezing onto your spine is safe.
Does anyone have any scientific evidence that squats are indeed safe for your spine?[/QUOTE]
If my info is useful, feel free to rep.
This is like saying food makes you fat. The idea that squats will hurt your back gets perpetuated by people who perform squats incorrectly, and sometimes by woefully misinformed professionals who claim to know what they are talking about. A recent article posted on Journal Sentinal Online titled, in part, “Squat lifts likely cause of stress fractures in young athletes” claims that performing squats with good form puts the spine at risk of injury, based on a new study. The main problem with the study they reference is that the researchers don’t know how to properly perform a squat. The pars fracture cited as the predominant injury risk is typically an overuse injury involving hyperextension of the spine, and the increase in “sacral slope” they measured is another indication of hyperextension.
By contrast, the goal in any squat should be to maintain a neutral spine. If there is hyperextension of the spine, then the squat is not being performed correctly. Furthermore, as the weight gets heavy in a squat, the challenge is to resist excessive spinal flexion, not extension. It’s much more common to observe a lifter who is rounding their back when squatting, even when lighter loads are being used. This error can easily be corrected by learning proper form and using a manageable resistance. That study and related article fail on such a massive scale, yet the faulty arguments still have the potential to exert undue influence on the general public for many years to come.
[QUOTE=donlxu;1033723103]I just don't see how having 200 pounds of weight squeezing onto your spine is safe.[/QUOTE]
you're right, its not safe to be a 200 pound squatter, that's why we use 400+
in b4 squat stats
It's safe if done with proper form. When done with proper form, heavy squats are good for you, increase bone density as well.
As for your spine - again, keep proper form, and also decompress your spine from time to time. You can use gravity boots or just dead hangs like if you're gonna do a pullup, but instead just let yourself hang for a few seconds. You should do this at least once a week, imo.
I know a guy that did squats once...now hes a one legged tranny stripper...be careful OP
All I can tell you is I have numerous spinal issues and the day after I squat I'm pain free. I don't squat heavy BTW.
You just need good form and not go so heavy that form breaks down.
They're called muscles. They support our body a lot.
[QUOTE=donlxu;1033723103]Does anyone have any scientific evidence that squats are indeed safe for your spine?[/QUOTE]
Do you have any scientific evidence that squats are indeed [i]unsafe[/i] for your spine?