Sadly, altering foot stance when squatting gained’t permit you to recruit totally different quadriceps muscular tissues. The vastus lateralis (the quad muscle on the outer side of your thigh) works in live performance with the vastus medialis (the “teardrop” muscle residing on the medial portion of the thigh, simply above the knee) to take care of muscular stability on the knee joint throughout dynamic motion. EMG research haven’t proven any vital distinction in particular person quadriceps muscle exercise from squatting with various stances. Backside line: no matter whether or not you squat extensive or slender, quadriceps recruitment stays fixed.
That stated, altering your squat stance would impact the recruitment of different lower-body muscular tissues. Vast-stance squats have been proven to considerably improve the involvement of the gluteus maximus and the adductors (the interior thigh muscular tissues), with the best muscle exercise famous at 140 p.c of shoulder width. Growing foot width past 140 p.c has no extra profit on muscle recruitment and can restrict your vary of movement, so don’t go any wider than this. Conversely, narrow-stance squats will improve exercise of the gastrocnemius (one of many calf muscular tissues) whereas decreasing glute and adductor involvement. The optimum stance for slender squats is roughly shoulder-width – any narrower and also you’ll compromise stability, decreasing your means to generate maximal power in your lifts.
You will need to perceive that adjustments in muscular exercise are the results of stance width, not foot place. Research repeatedly have proven that altering foot place alone (achieved by rotating the tibia bone of the decrease leg) from 30 levels of inward rotation to 80 levels of outward rotation doesn’t change muscle recruitment in any of the lower-body muscular tissues. And provided that excessive inside and exterior rotation of the tibia can impede the traditional monitoring of the patella, you need to keep away from this apply. As a substitute, maintain your toes pointed in a means that permits your knee to maneuver straight over your toes as you descend within the squat.
In case you are trying to goal the quads, contemplate performing entrance squats. The location of the bar in entrance of the physique tends to extend quad exercise whereas decreasing involvement of the glutes. It additionally has proven to be much less worrying on the knees. Nonetheless, as with the again squat, there isn’t a entrance squat variation that may permit you to goal particular person quadriceps muscular tissues.