Barbell Squat Exercise... Building Leg Muscles Like Paul Anderson

W

The squat exercise is your fastest route to big arms, powerful shoulders, and a muscular chest.

The Barbell Squat - King of Exercises

When you think of building your body, chances are you will visualize bigger arms and shoulders, and a muscular chest - but not big legs. For many, building leg muscles are an afterthought and something only to be considered after the more glamorous body parts have been taken care of.

For those who DO build their leg muscles, there is a similarly good chance you will get your strength training workout on the leg extension machine, or perhaps the leg press. Equally, there is an excellent chance you do not squat.

Right HERE is the typical trainee's number 1 error.

Why Squat?

So why is the barbell squat exercise so important and why must you endeavor to make the squat the core of your strength training? To be blunt, heavy leg work is the fastest route to big arms, powerful shoulders, and a muscular chest.

Confused?

This paradox was unravelled over half a century ago:

"Experience has proven beyond any doubt that the most certain means of expanding the chest is through the medium of strenuous leg exercise, and it has likewise been the experience of those who have tried out this theory that improvements of the shoulders and arms will in time follow when the standard of the legs and torso have been raised." ~ Berry

Squat to Power

This champion of the barbell squat exercise was Mark Berry whose contributions to strength training included serving as the coach of the American weightlifting team in both the 1932 and 1936 Olympics - a man whose most widespread and enduring gift to strength training involved the promotion of heavy squats.

Consider how Mark Berry added over 50 lbs muscular body weight to his own frame, and how his students made comparable gains, and it is no surprise Berry was said to have ushered in a "new era" as a direct result of his emphasis upon intensive training of the body's largest muscle group, i.e., the legs.

Very soon others would follow in his wake, including possibly the strongest man in history, and certainly the strongest man in his day, Paul Anderson.

Building Leg Muscles Like a Titan

Paul Anderson began strength training as a 5' 9" 190 lbs teenage football player looking to improve his athletic performance. Training almost exclusively on the barbell squat, Paul soon weighed 275 lbs and was squatting close to 600 lbs.

The mid-1950s saw Paul squatting a staggering 900 lbs in the squat exercise!

Barbell Squat Testimonials

Here is what Paul Anderson's rival, Doug Hepburn, had to say about the squat:

"Of all the exercises used to develop body power, one stands alone. I am referring to the Deep Knee Bend or Squat. No other single exercise can give the trainee greater overall strength in return for the time and effort involved."

And from bestselling author, Robert Kennedy:

"Yes, the king of exercises, the squat, will help your overall gains more than any movement."

In Summary

Want to build your body? The barbell squat exercise is your fastest route to big arms, powerful shoulders, and a muscular chest. Follow the example of the strongmen of yesteryear, and embrace this King of Exercises.

Go From Squat Exercise to 20 Rep Squats

Return From Squat Exercise to Homepage