Dr. Squat speaks:
Frederick C. Hatfield, Ph.D.
Frederick C. Hatfield, Ph.D. is Co-Founder and President of The International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA). He received his Ph.D. in the social sciences of sport (motor learning, sports psychology and sports sociology) from TempleUniversity, his Master of Science degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana and his Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Connecticut State University. He has taught graduagte and undergraduate courses related to sports psychology, strength physiology, research methodology and design, human development and physical education (among other courses) at the University of Wisconsin, Newark State College, Bowie State College, University of Illinois and Temple. He is, or has been a consultant, to the U.S. Olympic Committee, the West German Bodybuilding Federation, Australian Powerlifting Federation, and CBS Sports. He was coach of the U.S. National Powerlifting team and a member of the executive committeesof the U.S. Olympic Weightlifting Federation and U.S. Powerlifting Federation. The founding editor of SPORTS FITNESS magazine, he has written more than 60 books on sports fitness, weight training and athletic nutrition. He is a former standout college gymnast, a former Mr. Atlantic Coast and Mr. Mid America in bodybuilding, a former Connecticut State weightlifting and bodybuilding champion, broken over 30 world records in powerlifting and won the world Championships in powerlifting three times in three different weight divisions. In 1987, at the age of 45, Hatfield established a world record in the squat at 1014 pounds (255 pounds body weight), the most anyone had ever lifted in the history of competition. His frequent world record-breaking performances in the squat have gained him the nickname of "Dr. Squat."

interview done by: Igor N. Jolevich

 Igor: As a referee I have given a lot of red lights to lifters for not reaching legitimate depth
            while squatting in competition. Do you have a tip that lifters can use in the off-season so
                 that they have no doubt about reaching legal depth when it counts the most?
.
.
       Dr. Squat: Get honest training partners who'll tell you if your depth is high or OK. Avoid the self-gratifying temptation of lifting heavier weights than you should in training.
 Igor: Mr. Hatefiled, I recall you saying: “All overload training may benefit. However, the
             question is really one of good, better and best! Partials and isometrics are NOT better
             OR best”. When you use the term overload in your ’80 days cycle’ what exacly are you
                                            refering to?
 
       Dr. Squat: "Overloads" are a way of stimulating your nervous system just prior to competition.
By simply statically bearing a 120 percent max weight
(no movement whatsoever -- just holding the weight),
your nervous system gets used to the weight, and in competition,
when you lift a heavier than normal weight, it won't scare you or shock you.
 
               Igor:  Do you think it’s important to use variation in stress methods (as in changing the
            exercises from time to time) or do you recommend just sticking with the big three and just
            changing intensity through-out the program? (The question is aimed only for the purpose
                                              of PL)
  Dr. Squat: You cannot shoot a cannon out of a canoe.
That means that you must tend to lesser-used muscles throughout the body.
So, off-season training REQUIRES the use of various exercises not necessarily related to the big three.
 
               Igor: You highly recommend doing back raises. When you say that back raises cause
             virtually NO trauma to the tenuous intervertebral discs of the lumbar spine, what does
                                     this mean? No compression?
 
                                  Dr. Squat: No compression, no torque, no shear.
            Igor:  In your 80 day program you recommend using assistance exercises up to day 59. I see
               that you suggest using exercises like back raises, power cleans, glute/ham raises,
             keystone DL. Which assistance exercises do you recommend that will effect the bench
                                              press?
 
                Dr. Squat: Rotator cuff, anterior delts, and in general, all 14 muscles spanning the shoulder girdle.
       Igor: In your book “power” you have a interesting conclusion: You discribe a lifter doing 5 sets of 5 reps. Your presumtion was that only the 25% of the work was enough to force the adaptive response. This 25%
       was in the bottom part of the lift where  the lifter strains. The upper part of the motion involves better
                                   leverage so the weight is lighter....
.
        So the lifter is left with only the last two reps that are difficult enough to force any kind of adaptive
         process. The first  three reps are easy because the lifter is not in fatigued state. Thus 75% of the
                  movement is wasted. Is it possible to get 100% efficiancy out of every rep?
.
         Dr. Squat: It's not fatigue that forces strength gains.
It's possible to get nearly 100 percent of the movement to contribute to optimal
                          overload through the use of compensatorily accelerative movements.
 
                              Igor: Please explain compensatory acceleration…
.
       Dr. Squat: Pushing the weight as hard as possible every inch of the way.
This effectively turns any weight into a far heavier weight, and
             every inch of evefry rep a max effort.
 
            Igor: You also state that with explosive movements against resistance the Golgi tendon organ
             will be delayed in sending its stretch message to the brain. When this happens the brain
            sends a message to the contracting muscle to shut down. This response limits strength. So
              by delaying this message you are allowing your strength to increase. Louie Simmons
             recommends weights that are from 50%-60% of max. If I understood correctly for limit
              strength and explosive strength,  you suggest that most of your time should be spent
              closer to the 85% (for powerlifters). You also say that staying close to 55% actually
             trains starting and reactive strength… So which percentage will benefit the powerlifters
           mostly?
 
              Dr Squat: 55 percent (or thereabouts -- there aren't any holy numbers) can be moved fater than can 85
             percent.  Simple.  The effects on your peripheral and central nervous systems (assuming you're
            using compensatory acceleration, and avoiding the sudden direction changes at the end points of a
            lift that cause tissue damage) is such that the defensive shut-down signal emanating from the Golgi
                                tendon organ is blunted or pushed back a bit.
 
             Igor: You’ve once mentioned some coaches schooled in the old Soviet approach to training
               separately refer to "reactive strength" or one's ability to switch from eccentric to
                             concentric during the “stretch shortening cycle.”
 
        It's often considered a third component of speed-strength. It is alternately called the “amortization”
        phase or the “transition” phase. It is the application of great muscle force being applied to “put the
         breaks on” the eccentric phase -- static contraction -- in preparation for the initiation of maximum
           fiber recruitment (starting strength). How can this component of speed-strength be trained?
 
                   Dr. Squat: Carefully, and at the end of a training cycle for a brief period...with plyometrics.
              Igor: I remember reading your comment that most lifters UNDERtrain. Did you refer to
                                    volume, intensity or frequency?
 
                         Dr. Squat: Usually all three.  They fail to periodize each body part carefully.
.
                        Igor: Why do you think power cleans are vital for powerlifters?
 
                       Dr. Squat: Best way to "teach" yourself to maximize starting strength (angle Q).
.
        Igor: Mr. Hatfield, I’d also like to ask you a question aside from powerlifting. I recall that when you’ve
           trained Evander Holyfield you used impulse-inertial training. Actually you mentioned using a
                                machine. Please describe how it works…
 
 
       Dr. Squat: A light 5 pound weight on a horizontal track is moved back and forth via a pulley system.
The trick is to move it back and forth rapidly, experimenting with ways  -- body position, hip thrust, etc. --
of optimizing the "spike" of force (angle Q) as fed back to  you on a computerized oscilloscope.
Visual feedback like this teaches you to optimize angle Q.
Igor: Thank you very much for the interview, Mr. Hatefiled!

note:
 
 This is how Dr. Squat explains that the back raises should be done:
.
"Put a big towel on a flat bench, kneel down on the floor facing the bench.
Place your belly button in the middle of the bench.
Put a BIG weight behind your neck (have someone behind you holding your knees down),
and do back raises. GREAT for lower back.
What is your definition of a back raise? If it’s with the traditional "hyperextension"
movement where you are raising the weight with glutes and hams, it’s relatively worthless for the back!!!"
.
This is how Dr. Squat explains that the keystone dead-lifts should be done:
.
"In the power rack for Keystones.
Keep knees nearly locked. Poke your butt (tilt your pelvis), and lower bar to knees.
I used to do this exercise with nearly 900 pounds (deadlifting 850 at the time)"...

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