Squats--1/2 way down or butt to ground? See pic

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  • Charliegottheruns
    Charliegottheruns Posts: 287 Member
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    A.....to grass !
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    did OP ever come back?
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    Ya know, tons of people could go ATG with a smith machine. I wonder if the person who wrote that article would recommend it. Not that I would follow recommendations from someone who doesn't understand the most basic aspects of proportions, movement, and balance, but still curious just how much priority they think ATG should have.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Ya know, tons of people could go ATG with a smith machine. I wonder if the person who wrote that article would recommend it. Not that I would follow recommendations from someone who doesn't understand the most basic aspects of proportions, movement, and balance, but still curious just how much priority they think ATG should have.

    I would be curious as to how many ATG would do that with say 300# (or insert whatever number is "heavy" for them) on their back...? Or maybe they could....IDK
  • _nice_
    _nice_ Posts: 55 Member
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    Everything i know is a lie

    http://youtu.be/7BBrBze0ysI
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    _nice_ wrote: »
    Everything i know is a lie

    http://youtu.be/7BBrBze0ysI

    I think that's the "looking like a chump" that Dope was referring to.

    Sees like those quarter squats would be really hard on the knees.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    Find some peer-reviewed studies that discuss EMG studies of the barbell squat. Going to parallel is very good, little gained by going ATG and it's possibly overly stressful on the knees. Also, you will find in those studies that peak muscle activation is actually in this order, Glutes, Calves, Quads. Basically in a correct squat the hamstrings manage the eccentric with the quads providing some resistance. To start the concentric the quads fire but glutes do take over and the calves are very engaged towards the end.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Ya know, tons of people could go ATG with a smith machine. I wonder if the person who wrote that article would recommend it. Not that I would follow recommendations from someone who doesn't understand the most basic aspects of proportions, movement, and balance, but still curious just how much priority they think ATG should have.

    I would be curious as to how many ATG would do that with say 300# (or insert whatever number is "heavy" for them) on their back...? Or maybe they could....IDK

    I've found that most people who claim they squat ATG... don't.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Ya know, tons of people could go ATG with a smith machine. I wonder if the person who wrote that article would recommend it. Not that I would follow recommendations from someone who doesn't understand the most basic aspects of proportions, movement, and balance, but still curious just how much priority they think ATG should have.

    I would be curious as to how many ATG would do that with say 300# (or insert whatever number is "heavy" for them) on their back...? Or maybe they could....IDK

    I've found that most people who claim they squat ATG... don't.

    I am pretty sure that when I am "lighter weight squatting" that I am getting low, but not ATG....
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    _nice_ wrote: »
    Everything i know is a lie

    http://youtu.be/7BBrBze0ysI

    I think that's the "looking like a chump" that Dope was referring to.

    Sees like those quarter squats would be really hard on the knees.

    Please don't take instruction from this video, granted I didn't have the volume on but watching was enough. This guy didn't have his client / assistant even setup to the bar and unrack correctly, fault 1. That angle of squat is not likely even going to engage the hamstring much more than a leg press would, fault 2. Whoever that guy is might have a degree in something but he doesn't know how to apply it himself, he doesn't look like he's ever even touched a barbell. Don't trust a skinny chef, don't trust a skinny strength coach.
  • Lovefastball99
    Lovefastball99 Posts: 53 Member
    edited March 2015
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    _nice_ wrote: »
    @Ilovefastball 99, how tall are you? I am really struggling with form and not pushing my knees out over my feet. I do 100's of body weight squats against a wall to correct it before i get under the bar. My trainer is like a foot shorter than me (literally) and makes it look so freakin easy.

    5'7"-5'8"

    Like another poster said- sort of depends on your body. When I go all the way down- you know like the way people in third world countries poop in holes- my knees are at my toes. Back is straight. Knees do not cave in. I pause, take that second in the pocket, then engage the glutes and push up. I absolutely love the feeling.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    tomatoey wrote: »
    jsimms435 wrote: »
    I was always told legs should be parellel to floor not lower

    Which part should be parallel; the top or bottom?

    Your thighs

    Ambiguous answer. Your thighs are not rectangles.

    Anyway, "parallel" refers to the femurs being parallel to the ground, so the front (top) of your thighs would be a better indicator.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
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    tomatoey wrote: »
    jsimms435 wrote: »
    I was always told legs should be parellel to floor not lower

    Which part should be parallel; the top or bottom?

    Your thighs

    Ambiguous answer. Your thighs are not rectangles.

    Anyway, "parallel" refers to the femurs being parallel to the ground, so the front (top) of your thighs would be a better indicator.

    Ok
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    Find some peer-reviewed studies that discuss EMG studies of the barbell squat. Going to parallel is very good, little gained by going ATG and it's possibly overly stressful on the knees. Also, you will find in those studies that peak muscle activation is actually in this order, Glutes, Calves, Quads. Basically in a correct squat the hamstrings manage the eccentric with the quads providing some resistance. To start the concentric the quads fire but glutes do take over and the calves are very engaged towards the end.

    Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

    We have to think about what we're doing with given muscles though, right, like "drive through the heel" etc
  • ShibaEars
    ShibaEars Posts: 3,928 Member
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    tomatoey wrote: »
    I asked my physiotherapist about this same thing, because I want to build more booty but have issues with knees, and she said pretty much what @DavPul‌ said - even though the hams aren't as tapped below parallel, the other stuff I'm doing (hip thrusts, bridges, cable kickbacks, step ups, etc) more than makes up for it.

    Good to know. I've got a bad knee that physically will not move into that position (at least not without a hell of a lot of pain. I'm happy if I can hit parallel on squats.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
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    Well if the only kind that actually counts at all is getting your butt all the way to the ground, then I'll stop bothering and find some other exercise to do for the area. My kneecaps would pop OFF. I'm arthritic and have had surgery in both knees already, barely any cartilage left. They barely tolerate parallel as it is and so that's as far as I go.

    I wish there weren't always some article claiming that you have to do EXTREME or go home. Not everyone is 18 years old any more. >:(
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
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    I go as low as I need to go the get white lights; just breaking parallel. Warm ups tend to be much lower just to get some mobility in.

    Yup. This.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    For back squats, I go just past parallel...I will do other things to work my posterior chain. Front squats I go as low as I can go because that's what's going to happen with a heavy clean.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    _nice_ wrote: »
    Everything i know is a lie

    http://youtu.be/7BBrBze0ysI

    Yikes. That might be the worst squat tutorial video I've ever seen.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    jimmmer wrote: »
    My advice? Pick a squat type (low bar or high bar) that you can do with good form given your particular anthropomorphy.

    Then consistently improve it and add load to it whilst striving to maintain good form.

    Changing your squat style based on a single training article when you're not having problems with your existing set-up (or one's that can be fixed with minor tweaks) is nuts.

    ^ This ^