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

_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.

ndj1979 wrote: »

LiftAllThePizzas 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.

LiftAllThePizzas wrote: »

_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.

tomatoey wrote: »

juliewatkin 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.

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

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. >:(

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.

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 ^

MeganMoroz89 wrote: »

I do have a question though - I only ever do squats so that my legs form a right angle before going back up. And I've always heard "don't let your knees go past your toes since it's bad for them," - but in OPs photo the knees are clearly sticking out beyond the toes.

So is that not a problem? Or does it just depend on the full movement that you're doing?

Knees going past toes is a common myth, disregard.



Most people would recommend squatting at least to parallel if not lower. When viewed from the side, your hip crease will drop below the top of the knee.

Karen_libert wrote: »

I do a life of both. I keep a parallel squat for my heavy day and go light doing atg with a thruster. My ultimate aim is to do Olympic lifts so I'm working on the flexibility in my hips but my shoulders are not playing ball.
As long as you bring your booty back and round and you're fully engaged they're both working for you

That's a good goal. If your goal is Oly lifting though, you should focus on the Front Squat more than anything.

What I haven't seen in this discussion is any awareness of the factors that would cause you not to squat so low. I'm thinking specifically of lumbar flexion. Dave Tate, a 1k lb squatter, basically gives the following advice: squat as low as your flexibility will allow you to do safely but avoid lumbar flexion. In other words, if you don't have the flexibility do squat low properly, then squat a bit higher and start stretching your hips.

I don't do the oly squats as much as I should mostly because of an old bicycle racing injury to my elbow prevents me from locking my arms out overhead (hence no rest at the top makes it much less safe). I find a way to work the same muscles in a way that is safe for me.

I can tell you from experience that experience Lumbar flexion with 500+ pounds on your back is neither productive nor fun.

A full squat is below parallel by definition, however not everybody has the hip mobility to achieve this. As a general rule I would suggest going as far as your hips will allow, anything else and you will risk injury. You could try to improve hip mobility over time, but I wouldn't let it discourage anyone from adding weight. I've worked on bettering my hip mobility over time, when I reach plateaus and reduce weight I start by using my bettered range to work back up to the plateau weight. I can go lower all the way up the weight range because of focus on improving hip mobility. Even when struggling with hip mobility I have never experienced any issues with working glutes or any other worked muscle groups.

Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »

Karen_libert wrote: »

I do a life of both. I keep a parallel squat for my heavy day and go light doing atg with a thruster. My ultimate aim is to do Olympic lifts so I'm working on the flexibility in my hips but my shoulders are not playing ball.
As long as you bring your booty back and round and you're fully engaged they're both working for you

That's a good goal. If your goal is Oly lifting though, you should focus on the Front Squat more than anything.

they are all front squats at the moment as I have a frozen shoulder and can't get the bar on my back

The other thing that is worth mentioning in relation to atg squats is hip flexibility. I have been practising sitting like a toddler and widening my knees to open up my pelvis. Not the most lady like position!