Hip Belt Squats

The Anabolic Equalizer!

By Dennis Weis
2002 Dennis B. Weis

Hip Belt Squats

The Anabolic Equalizer Hip belt squats: This unique exercise first caught my attention through two published articles by John McCallum in the March and April 1970 issues of Strength & Health magazine. The articles, which were titled "Hip Belt Squat" and "The Hip Belt Squat Routine" (from the "Keys to Progress" series) praised this exercise as ". . . the absolute best for adding muscle bulk to the lower thighs." At that time, I and many other bodybuilders didn't realize the impact that this exercise could have as a natural anabolic muscle stimulator. My focus and just about everyone else's in the Iron Game was on Arthur Jones and his exercise system using special Nautilus machines. In particular, my attention was riveted on Casey Viator and the fantastic gains in fresh new muscle growth he was experiencing while using the Nautilus in his preparing for some very major physique title wins. To return to the hip belt squat . . . decades have passed without much being heard of in regards to hip belt squats, but there have been six pieces published (from 1983 onward) and at least one television segment (ESPN's American Muscle, 1988) on this exercise. For those of you who are not familiar with the hip belt squat, I suggest that you consider purchasing the VHS squat video from the Westside Barbell Club. This video features a powerful live-action demonstration of the hip belt squat. Watch and discover how this potent anabolic blasting exercise can ignite the ultimate in thigh supergrowth--naturally. I am now going to include some very necessary tracking pattern procedures for the hip belt squat. Place two flat exercise benches (or very sturdy nontipping wooden platforms of the same height) to form a V-shaped configuration. When seen from above the benches should be spaced far enough apart at the opened end of the "V" to accommodate the width of your selected squatting stance. Place a sturdy chair or box midway between these benches. This will serve as your loading platform for the weight you will be using. Place a heavy dumbbell (the weight you intend to use) on it. The combined height of the loading platform and the dumbbell should approximate knee height when you are standing on the benches.

Though your center of gravity in the hip belt squat will be extremely low when compared to other squatting movements (such as the Olympic high-bar squat), don't expect to use herculean poundages. Rickey Dale Crain, who is acknowledged as one of the greatest squatters of all time, discovered that doing just 3 sets of 10 to 12 maxi-pump reps with 273-300 pounds in the hip belt squat was brutally rough on his bionic quads, hips, and hamstrings. He was capable of a "power-style" squat with well over 700 pounds at a body weight of around 175 pounds at the time! Next, step up and take a moderately wide stance of 18 to 24 inches astride the flat exercise benches and directly over the loading platform. The exact width between your foot placement is your decision. You must feel comfortable and safe. Position the hip belt (you can order a hip belt at www.ironmind.com or by calling Elite Fitness Systems, 1-888-854-8806. Economically you could just use a leather dip belt, which is found in most hardcore gyms) around the top of your hips and glutes. Attach a barbell plate or dumbbell to the hip belt chain, positioning the weight so it fits snugly but comfortably near your crotch. Now come to an upright position, lifting the dumbbell off the loading platform. Have a spotter remove the loading platform. Laterally rotate your feet out 45 degrees from parallel. This subtle action of rotating the feet out when combined with an 18 to 24 inch heel-to-heel stance will place stress on the outer edge of the foot where the power is, rather than on the weaker inner side of the foot. Your body should be in an upright position where the shoulders and hip joints are in alignment. Never bow or hump your back so as to collapse your chest. If you do, your balance and weight will shift to your heels and put more tension on the spinae erector muscles, which is a problem associated with many thigh and back exercises but not with the hip belt squat. So why mention it? Because I want you to get into the habit of always assuming a flat back position with a slight inward arch in your lumbar region. It is a good idea always to hold your chest high by inhaling a deep breath and filling your lungs just prior to any exercise, whenever possible. Keeping your chin high and parallel to the floor will help your center of balance. One of the ways to acquire the correct feeling of a flat back with a slight arch is to sit upright on a stool or bench. Inhale deeply and try to elevate your chest as high as possible in an effort to touch your chin. When

done correctly, it will automatically contract the muscles in the back so your spine and back feel locked into one solid piece. This technique was perfected by Tommy T. Kono, an eight-time Olympia weightlifting champion. Not only would he use this technique, which he coined the "pouting pigeon," in the manner described, but he recommended it be used prior to beginning the pullin exercises such as snatches, cleans, and deadlifts. Tommy was not only an experienced Olympic lifter of world caliber, but he also won the FHIC version of the Mr. World and Mr. Universe physique titles. A bodybuilder would do well to heed his words of training wisdom. Now prepare to begin your squat descent by inhaling as Tommy suggests. With your bodyweight evenly distributed, slowly descend with control down to about three inches above parallel, until you become comfortable with the hip belt squat. Later, as your strength and flexibility increase, you can break parallel by allowing the hip joint to descend below the level of the knee joint by approximately two to four inches. But never at the expense of knee joint integrity. During this negative phase you might consider doing each rep at a slow, controlled speed. During the squat descent, your knees and shins should remain in line, while your hip joint moves slightly forward. (Bring the hip joint as close as possible to the knee joint so that at the lowest point your hips are over the instep or middle of the foot.) The knees should never abduct (turn out) or adduct (turn in). One of the ways you can stabilize the knees is to wrap them. Wear the knee wraps snugly but not too tightly as they can pinch the patella tendon against the bottom end of the femur, causing a grinding action. Fred C. Hatfield, "Dr. Squat," does advise against wearing knee wraps for every workout. He says that doing so can cause a disruption or disfigurement (ultimately a quad tear) in the muscle tissue against which the fabric presses. He adds that this will usually occur right at the line where the wrap ends. Most quad tears, he says, are associated with a lack of flexibility as well. So, in this respect, it would be wise to include plenty of Parrillo leg (quad) fascial stretching within your leg workouts. Upon completion of the negative phase of the hip belt squat, without hesitation, begin the ascent. Remember that even a .5 to 1 second delay can

cause you to lose the valuable elastic muscle energy so necessary for the initial drive out of the power pocket. On this, the positive muscle contraction phase, a faster contraction speed should be used. With a flat back and your chest held high, ascend by raising your head then your chest and finally shoulders first. If you push with your legs first, it will cause the hips to raise faster than your shoulders. This will cause your upper body to lean forward, thereby shifting your balance towards the heels. Approximately one third of the way up you may hit a sticking point. This can be caused by either using too much weight or a leverage disadvantage (you have rounded your back). There are two actions you can take if this happens. One is to drive the hips forward. And, if this is not enough, use your hands to push off from your thighs to help bypass the sticking point. Spotting can also be done by having a helper on each side of the body. Each spotter places one hand under the hamstring and a hand under the chest to assist if necessary. Sometimes balance other than a "round back" can be a problem, especially when the hips raise faster than the shoulders. This can be yet another cause of a sticking point. If you don't have a spotter, it would be a good idea to position your exercise benches within reach of a stationary object such as a post, power rack, or parallel bars, etc. In this way you can reach out and grasp the object to help you through a sticking point. An added bonus here is that you can, by using an upright fixed object, maintain a very upright squatting position. This will create maximum muscle tension on the thighs and minimize stress on the lower back. Begin expelling air from your lungs as you finish the upward positive contraction phase of the rep. Do not lock your knees out, rather keep continuous tension on the thighs by maintaining a 5-degree bend in the knee joint. Pro Tip: When you feel your balance is perfected, a wooden broom handle may be placed on the shoulders to simulate a squat bar. I mention this only because many hip belt squatters seem to prefer this method, once they have mastered the movement. Hip belt squats performed on a flat surface such as that described tend to emphasize the quads, hips, and hamstrings equally. Pro Tip: Performing on an incline maxes out hips and hamstrings, while decline hip belt squats really terrorize the lower quad development maximally.

THE WORKOUT for Hip Belt Squats Here is an example of a typical belt squat routine for developing strength, power, musculature and cardiovascular density: Set 1: Warm up set using _____ pounds for 20 reps. Set 2: Warm up set using _____ pounds for 15 reps. Set 3: Warm up set using _____ pounds for 10 reps. Set 4: HEAVY set using _____ pounds for 8 reps. Go to positive (+) failure! Set 5: HIGH REP set using _____ to _____ pounds for 40-100 reps. Descending Levels of Rest-Pauses Between Each Set: Level V - 2-1/2 to 3 minutes Level IV - 2 to 2-1/2 minutes Level III - 1 to 1-1/2 minutes Level II - 45 to 60 seconds Level I - 30 seconds Stay at each level approximately one to two weeks. Notes: 1. Calculate the amount of weight to be used when moving from one set to the next (either up or down) to meet the listed "rep factor." 2. Do the Hip Belt Squat workout once or twice a week on nonconsecutive days depending on energy, endurance, and sanity. 3. Pause only briefly (1-2 seconds) between reps on sets 1-4. On set 5, you may have to take definite pauses of 5-10 seconds between the later repetitions in the set.

I hope you will give Hip Belt Squats a go in your leg training workouts and reap the benefits of this "anabolic" equalizer. !