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Squat depth

ninerbuff
ninerbuff Posts: 48,978 Member
edited November 13 in Debate Club
ATG or just below parallel?

My philosophy is if you train for a physical demanding sport or are looking for overall leg development, then ATG. I train clients who are athletes this way.

If you're training to just be in shape and gain a little size, then parallel is just fine.

I've done ATG for just about ever. Have never had any knee issues doing it and I prefer it because I feel it alot more in my hamstrings than a parallel squat.

So what do you do?

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Replies

  • kota4bye
    kota4bye Posts: 809 Member
    ATG
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  • Ben_there_done_that
    Ben_there_done_that Posts: 732 Member
    Almost to parallel. Haha. I'm working on it, but I have terrible hamstring flexibility. Maybe one day I can get to ATG.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    Not quite ATG yet but I am slightly below parallel.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    captbklee wrote: »
    Almost to parallel. Haha. I'm working on it, but I have terrible hamstring flexibility. Maybe one day I can get to ATG.

    This is me. I have bad dorsal flexibility too so I think I get to just parallel or above. I'd like to get lower one day. But for now I'm adding in an accessory exercise to help develop my posterior chain.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    It's going to depend on a person's build. Some people can't go ATG. Unless some specific reason go as low as possible with good form.

    Some people can't go ATG, couple of Bret Contreras articles with a bunch of links
    https://bretcontreras.com/why-people-must-squat-differently/
    https://bretcontreras.com/finding-your-ideal-squat-depth/
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    If I don't have to stand up immediately, I can go A2G. Squat form as per a trainer or workout routine, I barely make it to parallel. I've been told not to bother doing squats unless I can go A2G because anything else is useless.
  • ShibaEars
    ShibaEars Posts: 3,928 Member
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    captbklee wrote: »
    Almost to parallel. Haha. I'm working on it, but I have terrible hamstring flexibility. Maybe one day I can get to ATG.

    This is me. I have bad dorsal flexibility too so I think I get to just parallel or above. I'd like to get lower one day. But for now I'm adding in an accessory exercise to help develop my posterior chain.

    This is me too. I'm not quite at parallel but am working on it. I also have a bad knee that doesn't like to be bent much past parallel so I will probably never do ATG as I wouldn't be able to get back up! I'm not too worried about it though. I will just do as much as I can.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    I understand that one can build strength throughout the range of motion that by doing isometric exercise, or so the research has shown. But it has always just seemed intuitive to me that if I want to be limber and flexible and fast and balanced, I ought to move my limbs through a large range of motion when I work them. That includes with the squat.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I back squat to parallel...I front squat ATG...I front squat more often than I back squat...I also overhead squat ATG.
  • Jonesingmucho
    Jonesingmucho Posts: 4,902 Member
    zyxst wrote: »
    If I don't have to stand up immediately, I can go A2G. Squat form as per a trainer or workout routine, I barely make it to parallel. I've been told not to bother doing squats unless I can go A2G because anything else is useless.

    Awwww! Barely to parallel is better than nothing! In fact, someone people find value in incorporating half-squats into their sets.

    breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/science-says-half-rep-haters-might-be-wrong

    I've been told lots of things too, but I really feel something is better than nothing every time..
    ...unless you are pulled over by a cop for speeding - THEN nothing - nada - no ticket is much better than something....just saying...
  • youngmomtaz
    youngmomtaz Posts: 1,075 Member
    stealthq wrote: »
    As low as I can get without rounding my back - which is somewhere between ATG and just below parallel. I figure if I'm doing a lift, it ought to be full range of motion unless I have a good reason to limit it.

    My thoughts and form mimic this.
  • Ruatine
    Ruatine Posts: 3,424 Member
    At first I read the title as squat death, and I was like, yep sometimes I do feel like I'm dying when I sqat. :D

    I had to Google ATG squat (I haven't been at it long enough to know the phrase). Like others, I go as low as I can while still maintaining proper form. However, I have no scientific reasoning behind that - just what I've read on StrongLifts. Thanks for all the links @sunnybeaches105, I'm actually interested in knowing more about squat depth and the reasoning behind going low or not.
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  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    My hip thunks/snaps when I come up from far below parallel. It doesn't hurt but is very disconcerting.

    Also, still haven't figured out how to do this without falling back, unless heels lifted or feet turned out till it's more like a ballet plie, which then results in the "clunk" of the hip snapping in and out.

    Knees don't seem to care either way, as long as I am aware and hold them in line with feet.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    Just breaking parallel, but atg is my goal. I really need to work on my ankle, calf and hip flexibility.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,978 Member
    robininfl wrote: »
    My hip thunks/snaps when I come up from far below parallel. It doesn't hurt but is very disconcerting.

    Also, still haven't figured out how to do this without falling back, unless heels lifted or feet turned out till it's more like a ballet plie, which then results in the "clunk" of the hip snapping in and out.

    Knees don't seem to care either way, as long as I am aware and hold them in line with feet.
    Many people who squat turn their toes out. I don't squat with my feet in parallel because my knees would rotate inward and that's a no no.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • Return2Fit
    Return2Fit Posts: 226 Member
    ATG or nothing...lol
  • Noelani1503
    Noelani1503 Posts: 378 Member
    edited August 2016
    sunnybeaches105 wrote: »
    It seems to me that we need information on natural variance among lifters, muscle activation, and sports specific transfer . . .

    Oh. Wait.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26252837/

    https://bretcontreras.com/finding-your-ideal-squat-depth/

    https://www.t-nation.com/training/squat-depth-the-final-answer

    https://www.t-nation.com/training/real-science-of-squat-depth

    https://www.strengthandconditioningresearch.com/promotions/quarter-squats-transfer-sprinting/

    Thanks for this. I hadn't read the T Nation ones.

    I have long legs and flexible joints and prefer to have a very wide, turned-out squat to get to a depth that's comfortable. I like to stick with below parallel but not quite ATG.
  • TheDevastator
    TheDevastator Posts: 1,626 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I back squat to parallel...I front squat ATG...I front squat more often than I back squat...I also overhead squat ATG.

    This is also what I do. ATG is sort of required for most Olympic lifters.
  • merryward13
    merryward13 Posts: 1,662 Member
    Depth before dishonor. ATG
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    I generally aim for ATG but I am very flexible (toes slightly pointed out). My wife on the other hand is working on parallel. She has really tight hips and legs.
  • shor0814
    shor0814 Posts: 559 Member
    Far enough below parallel that I never question my depth.
  • ObsidianMist
    ObsidianMist Posts: 519 Member
    I just go as low as I can while still getting up from it lol. which is usually parallel, or close to it
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    Just below parallel but not ATG.
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
    Below parallel is just fine. A fair number of squatters can't go ATG without losing lumbar tension, and low bar squats are hard to ATG under the best of circumstances.
  • piperdown44
    piperdown44 Posts: 958 Member
    edited August 2016
    I'm a low bar squatter and the only way to go atg is with a narrower stance. That's fine as some of my templates have me, for volume squatting, at narrow, normal and extra wide. So atg on narrow, very deep at normal and just past parallel on extra wide.
    All three stances hit my leg muscles slightly different with extra wide feeling like it hits the posterior chain more.
    Normal stance seems to be balanced with muscle recruitment and narrow feels like it hits my quads a bit more than the posterior chain.
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