Everyone in the Strength Training Coaches’ Circuit knows Mike Boyle. Mike has produced several textbooks on functional training as well as power training, and has served as a fantastic leader in the athletic strength training arena for all of us coaches that continually try to bring “function” into our sessions. Mike defines functional training as “training with purpose” and recently he has released a new opinion on the conventional barbell squat that is rocking a lot of trainers to the core right now. If you haven’t read about it or seen the video he posted on Perform Better, watch it here.

Mike’s point is that the conventional squat is more of a lower-back, restricted exercise instead of a maximal-strength, lower-body exercise. Now, is squatting bad for the body? No. Does it match the demands of several athletic movements that athletes perform on a daily basis? Absolutely. So it has function, but what I’m saying, and what I believe Mike is saying is that a heavy barbell squat might not exactly be as functional for the lower body as some of us may have once thought. So we’ve agreed that we can’t rely on the squat as a lower-body, maximum-strength exercise; however, it is still an important movement pattern that assists in sports performance for millions of athletes across the world.

Here at Hyper Wear, we’ve been attempting to cross the two ideals perfectly and continue to use the squat pattern, but just in an even more functional way than the traditional exercise. Check out my videos to see more about performing squat patterns with SandBells that encompass strength, power, endurance, and flexibility, all with one simple piece of equipment.

And always, Never Stand Still!

Best regards,

Bill Meyer, SCE, USAW
Director of Coaching, CATZ Austin
“Where Athletes Train!”
SPARQ Certified Instructor
Director of Texas, Tudor Bompa Institute