Lifting Weights: squat

spangler1972

Should your upper legs be parallel to the ground when doing a squat? Cos mine aren't!

They are when I do a squat without any weights but not when I squat with weights.

I started with 11kg and am now squatting 15.5kg, but is there any point in increasing weight if I'm not doing it right?

You want to get down far enough so that your hips are parallel with your knees. As stated elsewhere in this thread, going down this far engages entire groups of muscles that do not happen with partial squats.

Good form is important to getting the most out of your squats, and just as importantly -- preventing injury. The book "Starting Strength" covers this in very thorough detail, and is well worth it. It covers everything you should do, and a lot of common form mistakes, and why they're bad.

Definitely get your form right, but you don't stay at one weight for too long. You can improve as you go if you have a good reference on form. Adding a little more weight over time will force you to study what you're doing more carefully.

At any rate, good luck!

james6998

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMiUGntxiD4&feature=c4-overview&list=UUaHx0T1LWrVKWF1XfWWLSuw

That exercise forces you into correct form. I am now doing them everyday (just light) just to keep my form and mobility in check. Then I get my heavy squats in on leg days!

That would only cover form for the front squat not the back squat considering you can not keep that straight up as a result of doing back squats.

james6998

Should your upper legs be parallel to the ground when doing a squat? Cos mine aren't!

They are when I do a squat without any weights but not when I squat with weights.

I started with 11kg and am now squatting 15.5kg, but is there any point in increasing weight if I'm not doing it right?

I highly suggest you give box squats a try. Without the fear of falling backwards allows for a proper technique.

King_Of_Juicy

I go as low as I can on any given day - some days that is well below parallel, some days its just to parallel. I stop when I feel the beginning of bone on bone in my knee, as tested in warm-up sets. After all, I train to keep the muscles strong and joints happy, not hasten a knee replacement.

A woman after my own heart!!

Mr_Knight

For me, at least, there is a "lowness" at which it feels like a completely different set of muscles gets engaged. Like the muscle effort shifts a bit from legs to buttocks(?). This is especially true as the weight has gone up (currently doing 5x5 @ 200).

For the person who asked, I too am a wide-stancer. I just seem to be built that way.

james6998

For me, at least, there is a "lowness" at which it feels like a completely different set of muscles gets engaged. Like the muscle effort shifts a bit from legs to buttocks(?). This is especially true as the weight has gone up (currently doing 5x5 @ 200).

For the person who asked, I too am a wide-stancer. I just seem to be built that way.

You are referring to where your hamstrings take over and your glutes from the quads? Actually the reason why they said squatting deep is so important for Hamstring and glutes. Once you get down a certain distance your quads our out of the picture, its only hips, core, hams and glutes that are going to get you back up. lol
I am also a wide stance type, which i find makes it easier to go deeper.

Mr_Knight

Yep, that's sounds exactly right. As I've gotten more experienced at them, I can tell just where that moment of transition is. It's a very narrow zone, just a couple of centimetres high, and is the difference between me walking normal or walking funny after the leaving the gym.

janinehussey

Hi,

when you squat you should be breaking parallel. Try watching this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDdSZmWNYQI

__freckles__

Read Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. His description of the proper form for squat is like over 60 pages. There are so many things that you have to pay attention to for the squat. To ensure you can squat low enough keep your knees out and in line with your feet, feet at least shoulder length apart and turned out at a 30 degree angle, and yes, top if thighs should go parallel. Anything above parallel is hard on your knees. Good luck.

juliewatkin

Do you know why you can't go lower than parallel? It could be a couple of things:

1-mobility problems with hips or ankles
2-heavy weight is causing too much of a forward lean which makes it more difficult to get deep
3-heavy weight is making you cautious and you are cutting them high

Don't be afraid to drop the weight and start again. Years ago when I worked with an old school power lifting coach, everyone that came through is barn doors had to start with the bar. It was humbling but not for long.

Finally, I wouldn't use a mirror to examine my form. In fact, stay away from mirrors. If you use a rack, set the pins (if possible) to face out, away from the mirror. Use a video camera to tape your lifts and look at them later. When you squat, you should not be watching yourself, you should be squatting and focusing on the movement and the feel, not the look. I wish they'd get rid of mirrors in gyms.

james6998

Back in the day when i was a powerlifter, it was about weight moved. I would box squat only to about the range of just before parallel or parallel even. I still box squat but now {started over} I box squat quite a bit below parallel and the weights are slowly going back up. Its all about doing it right and my bad habits in the past left me starting over. I started out with 5 steps in my gym high for a box squat which was just above parallel. Now i am down to 4 steps and about to lower to 3 steps which is almost *kitten* to the grass. Very happy with the progress with deeps squats.

mdivamuffin

Cheers for the replies. I have no problem going parallel without any weights so i guess I'll lower the weights right down and start over.

millionairesstv

good advice about looking at u tube for form .I use it to to mix up my exercises

KarenJanine

Does anybody else have to use a wide stance while squatting?

I do. I have very long femurs relative to my height so keeping my weight back is quite difficult for me. I've been using box squats to help this as it provides a bit of security that I can't fall backwards. I've got a box set to just below parallel, squat down to just touch it before rising back up.

james6998

Does anybody else have to use a wide stance while squatting?

I do. I have very long femurs relative to my height so keeping my weight back is quite difficult for me. I've been using box squats to help this as it provides a bit of security that I can't fall backwards. I've got a box set to just below parallel, squat down to just touch it before rising back up.

Honestly, dont knock this until you try it. Back squats are all about glutes and hamstrings. If you are scared of falling backwards you are going to rely on your quads to keep that from happening or worse, your knees. If you find when you come up if you are coming up on your toes, you are doing it wrong. Squats come from the heels.

JKDLady

Read Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. His description of the proper form for squat is like over 60 pages. There are so many things that you have to pay attention to for the squat. To ensure you can squat low enough keep your knees out and in line with your feet, feet at least shoulder length apart and turned out at a 30 degree angle, and yes, top if thighs should go parallel. Anything above parallel is hard on your knees. Good luck.

I agree with this. I was following The New Rules of Fitness for Women, and I couldn't get low enough on the squats. My knees and lower back started hurting, so I decided that my form had to be wrong. I started reading Starting Strength and have been focusing on my squats. I can now go slightly below parallel. While the reading is very detailed, I found that it helped me more than I could imagine.

After reading the squat section, I used a non-weight bar, a long stick basically, to work on my form with no weight. The one little bit of advice that made it work for me was the direction of my gaze. It was 4-5 feet in front of me on the ground. As soon as I did that, bingo. I then moved on to the Olympic bar with no problems.

Huffdogg

For testing your max strength, go to parallel. For training, no reason not to go as deep as you can. The greater the range of motion, the better the training effect.