[Skidrow]

I just recently started squatting and was wondering if it was normal to not feel my ass or hammies being worked? Every time I finish working squats I only seem to feel it in my quads. I have a power lifting friend watch me squat and he said that while my form is not perfect it isnt to bad at all considering I am new to squatting. Is it that I am not going down far enough? I am going parallel. BTW if you guys havent tried pendlay rows, I suggest them.
Thanks

[DieselWeasel]

The prime mover for the squat is the quadriceps, the front of the thighs. It sounds like you're doing it properly and the guy at your gym is wrong, but we can't tell you unless you provide video.

[Team Dragonfire]

man, ive just recently started doing them and I feel it a lot more in my hamstrings... so maybe i'm doing them wrong

[John Lambert]

I normally feel squats in my quads and groin... I do deads for my back (and quads) and do negative BW hamstring curls for hammies.

[maximus__]

go down as deep as possible and you will feel them in your calfs ass and hammies but its still not that much

[itsalive]

the prime mover in a squat are the glutes. erectors and hamstrings assist for hip extension, and the quads and calves assist in extending the knee and ankle respectively.

Nothing wrong with feeling tension in those areas, but if you're not feeling the glutes more than any other - there's a problem.

[DieselWeasel]

Originally Posted by itsalive

the prime mover in a squat are the glutes. erectors and hamstrings assist for hip extension, and the quads and calves assist in extending the knee and ankle respectively.

Nothing wrong with feeling tension in those areas, but if you're not feeling the glutes more than any other - there's a problem.

You're wrong. The glutes are involved, but only play a secondary role in the squat. Also, most people don't go all the way down which is when the glutes are used the most.

[finnegan]

Originally Posted by DieselWeasel

You're wrong. The glutes are involved, but only play a secondary role in the squat. Also, most people don't go all the way down which is when the glutes are used the most.

Hmm. Thanks to the fine gentlemen in the S &P forum, I've recently began doing squats myself, and it seems that I'm going down far enough. Thanks guys.

[itsalive]

I would be scared to think that the primary motion during a squat is knee extension. It is hip extension. It has always been hip extension, and it always be hip extension. Whether that be jumps, squats, sprints, or climbing stairs: glutes. But let's look at what the quads actually do:

During the negative: they decelerate knee flexion and the rectus femoris decelerates hip extension. (this is because the RF is not only a knee extensor but also a hip flexor) This would make the RF an antagonist on the way up.

During the positive: hip flexion (Rectus femoris) and knee extension. I would love to see a human extend the knee during a squat before the hip.

The CNS recruits in synergies, not in isolation and it recruits based on size. Glutes>Quads, especially when the largest of the quads (RF) is a hip flexor during functional movements (squatting for example). It would also be more difficult for the quads to be prime movers when the articularis genu mostly moves the patella upward so it doesn't impinge and the VMO's primary role is to provide lateral stability at the knee.

No one's out to change your techniques - but don't call me wrong with no evidence to prove your point.

[DieselWeasel]

I'm not going to argue with you regarding the scientific details. I know where I feel the squat; it's always been mostly in the quadriceps and always will be there. I feel it in my ass, but not nearly as much as my thighs.