Why full squats make your thighs burn more
Exercise speed and workload effects on muscle hypoxia in vastus lateralis muscle during squatting exercises
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The 8-second locked squat (L8) was the only locked condition that significantly reduced StO2 compared to rest — meaning shorter locked squats can still create hypoxia, but only if timed just right.
Most assume locking knees eliminates muscle stress — but here, even a brief 8-second locked squat under restriction still starves the muscle of oxygen, challenging the idea that locking = rest.
Practical Takeaways
If using blood flow restriction during squats, keep your knees bent throughout the movement (no locking) and slow down your reps to maximize muscle hypoxia.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The 8-second locked squat (L8) was the only locked condition that significantly reduced StO2 compared to rest — meaning shorter locked squats can still create hypoxia, but only if timed just right.
Most assume locking knees eliminates muscle stress — but here, even a brief 8-second locked squat under restriction still starves the muscle of oxygen, challenging the idea that locking = rest.
Practical Takeaways
If using blood flow restriction during squats, keep your knees bent throughout the movement (no locking) and slow down your reps to maximize muscle hypoxia.
Publication
Journal
Scientific Journal of Sport and Performance
Year
2024
Authors
Tetsuo Imano, Masaaki Nakajima
Related Content
Claims (9)
Compound lower-body exercises performed through a full range of motion (e.g., squats) induce greater hypertrophy in the distal regions of mono-articular quadriceps muscles (e.g., vastus lateralis) compared to isolation exercises, likely due to training at longer muscle lengths.
When you squat all the way down without locking your knees, your thigh muscle gets more oxygen-deprived than if you stop short and lock your knees — which might help build muscle.
If you keep your knees bent while squatting (no locking), your thigh muscle gets more oxygen-starved than if you lock your knees at the top — even if you do it for the same amount of time.
When you do squats without fully straightening your knees and restrict blood flow, your thigh muscle gets much less oxygen during the exercise than when you're just sitting still.
Keeping your knees bent longer during squats (without locking them) makes your thigh muscle work harder and use up more oxygen than fully straightening your legs — especially when blood flow is restricted.