dumbbell squat

[timzaco]

i understand the complications with the traditional dumbbell squats. but i find that holding the dumbells in a shoulder press position while keeping my shoulder blades pinched create a nice centered balance with little strain on my back. is this a suitable form of squats? im limited to equipment. also any opinions on weighted vest squats?

[dyuv001]

You can also try dumbbell sumo squats. Great for the quads with a wide stance.

[PaulRivers]

i understand the complications with the traditional dumbbell squats. but i find that holding the dumbells in a shoulder press position while keeping my shoulder blades pinched create a nice centered balance with little strain on my back. is this a suitable form of squats? im limited to equipment. also any opinions on weighted vest squats?

The biggest drawback to that is that it becomes extremely difficult to do that when the weight reaches a reasonable level for a squat. I've read a lot of stuff that says you've stopped being an "amateur" lifter when you're squatting twice your body weight - if you're a 200 lb guy, can you hold a 200lb dumbell in each hand while squatting? It's pretty much impossible. Not the mention the difficulty of finding two 200lb dumbells.

There's some other stuff about the exact way the force gets distributed across your body as well, but I don't know if that stuff really warrants serious consideration for someone just trying to get into shape.