Subject perception of exertion in different types of squat exercise

Abstract

The aim of this study was compare the perceived exertion (PE) related to the strength, balance, coordination and overall effort after two distinct forms of the squat exercise: traditional parallel squat with bar (TRAD) and parallel squat with lateral shift weight with load 50% of that used in TRAD (FUNC). Seven volunteers (three women, four men, 31.7+5.7 years) experienced in resistance training and functional participated of study. They performed TRAD and FUNC, with a rest interval of five minutes between both, and instructed to fill out the PE immediately after each exercise. The PE after FUNC was higher than TRAD for the variables Balance (4.0+1.9 vs. 2.7+0.8), Strength (4.9+2.1 vs. 4.1+2.1) and Effort Overall (5.0+2.0 vs. 4.1+2.0), with a significant difference (P<0.05). For the Coordination, the PE was not statistically different between the two situations; however the absolute value of the PE average in FUNC was 53.9% higher than in TRAD (4.0+1.9 vs. 2.6+0.5). It is concluded that the squat FUNC –even using a load of 50% of TRAD –was perceived as more intense, being an interesting option when you want to boost strength, balance, coordination and training intensification, however using smaller external loads while minimizing overload on non-contractile structures.