I love OLY Squats .. BUT

[MANWHORE]

OK i started doing the oly squats about 3 weeks ago when i started training at the gym and they feel great. I can now see how they are much easier on the knees than 3/4 reps which i see most people doing. .. Here is my problem : I like the full range to test strength and for the ... basically overall feeling of power and full body tension but i just don't feel the pain in the working muscle with the full range like i do with partials .. not just the burning but the weakness that comes after training because of such a good workout. I will continue full range because of the benefits i mentioned above but i really don't feel like i get a great workout unless i throw in some heavy partials such as heavy hacksquats after oly squats for my quads or 1/4 reps in the bottom position on bench for my chest. What does everyone think of this? I always thought i needed to start concentrating more on feeling the muscle being trained ... what positions give it the most tension and what positions give it the least. I just haven't had a chance to get in a good workout since i've been away from the gym for 4 yrs now. I've used partials at home but could never really get the weight i needed. .. I have to say i am a big fan of partial reps. I will always continue with full squats and deads because they have always been exercises i thought would be great for every day life not to mention being great for the whole body. I believe they are a big reason i never hurt my back while lifting heavy things on the job or in my personal life... But i feel i need those partials in order to directly hit the muscles being worked and give them the best workout possible

[CyniQ]

The great thing about full squats as opposed to hack squats and whatnot. Is that you work the entire muscle group in the manner that it was meant to perform. There is no isolation. Each muscle does their individual part in the full movement. There wouldn't be any way to isolate those muscles if no one had invented the machines used to isolate them.

[MANWHORE]

Originally Posted by CyniQ

The great thing about full squats as opposed to hack squats and whatnot. Is that you work the entire muscle group in the manner that it was meant to perform. There is no isolation. Each muscle does their individual part in the full movement. There wouldn't be any way to isolate those muscles if no one had invented the machines used to isolate them.

Yes and i like the idea of getting more work done or stimulating more muscles with one exercise ... I try isolating them with partials. I can still get a good quad workout with straight bar partial squats but it doesn't feel good having the bar dig into my traps. With the hacks it feels much better since the machine has pads and i can really feel the tension on my quads.

[CyniQ]

Originally Posted by MANWHORE

Yes and i like the idea of getting more work done or stimulating more muscles with one exercise ... I try isolating them with partials. I can still get a good quad workout with straight bar partial squats but it doesn't feel good having the bar dig into my traps. With the hacks it feels much better since the machine has pads and i can really feel the tension on my quads.

That's funny. I've been training my wife recently. She likes BB squats better that the squat thrust machine because the pads put so much pressure on her shoulders that she thinks the BB is more comfortable.