Squat depth?

[soseg]

they say go parallel in general
some of the tougher guys go further... i recon its bs if you dont go at least parallel

some people do think going too low... like all the way down can be bad for you... some dont

as long as you're going parallel to the ground you're fine

heaps of guys at my gym stack up heavy weights and go 1/4ththe way down or 1/3rd... talk about cheating!

[805bgtymer]

figured id chime in since im pretty tall...6ft4..i weigh 205 an squat 225 for 12 reps no prob....ive always been pretty flexible so i go all the way down til i touch my calves with my hamstrings....i think flexibilty has a lot to do with how deep you can go....i never ceases to amaze me how many people at most gyms cant squat...i usually get a ton of stares an then the occasional jack ass who after im done tries to do the same thing with the same weight.....most cant do 1 true rep with 225....and its sad when u watch guys throw 3plates on an bend there knees slightly an call it squatting.....if someone bench pressed with the same technique everyone would laugh but when it comes to squatting its like its acceptable....I think people dont understand its a hard exercise to preform....it sure aint curling or benching...

[soseg]

figured id chime in since im pretty tall...6ft4..i weigh 205 an squat 225 for 12 reps no prob....ive always been pretty flexible so i go all the way down til i touch my calves with my hamstrings....i think flexibilty has a lot to do with how deep you can go....i never ceases to amaze me how many people at most gyms cant squat...i usually get a ton of stares an then the occasional jack ass who after im done tries to do the same thing with the same weight.....most cant do 1 true rep with 225....and its sad when u watch guys throw 3plates on an bend there knees slightly an call it squatting.....if someone bench pressed with the same technique everyone would laugh but when it comes to squatting its like its acceptable....I think people dont understand its a hard exercise to preform....it sure aint curling or benching...

Well said, and I agree.
It's what I see at my gym. And what my mates see at their gyms.

I think its funny!

[RobInKuwait]

as long as its not "sumo deadlift" wide lol, you'll be fine. only thing i had to get used to was the angle of my legs, as i would get weird stretch pains to the left and right of my groin, at the hip area. These were caused basically from my body not used to going a$$ to grass at a wider stance than usual, but the flexiblilty came in after a couple workouts, to were i can go just as low with a wider stance, as I could with a narrow stance. Get used to the stance, then add in 3 second pauses at bottom,..... woooo,... 3 reps of those will make you feel like you just did a 20 rep superset

I tried this at the gym yesterday, and wow, no pain, and I felt like I hit muscles I've never worked before. Thanks for the advice nemesis.

[bryan4592]

If you are free of injury, there should be no problem in going down to parallel. And, if not an advanced lifter, no real need to go down below parallel. There may or may not be any benefit in going a$$ to grass, but if you are reasonably new to serious squatting parallel is sufficient.

[soseg]

Speaking of squats! ITS GYM TIME! Just gulped down my shake and its time to go!

Hopefully I can do the same weight as last time with a bit more easy! tiny gains add up and make me

[silverSurfer]

earthdog, if you have some money I recommend you buy [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-2nd-Mark-Rippetoe/dp/0976805421/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid =1229659614&sr=1-2"]Starting Strength (2nd Edition)[/ame], it has a solid chapter on the squat. I haven't finished reading it, but I've learned the proper stance for squatting and am starting with light weights to get my form in place. So far so good, no injuries and I get an awesome workout, and yes it is hard but very rewarding. I'm up to 135 for 20 reps :squat:

[brk_nemesis]

I tried this at the gym yesterday, and wow, no pain, and I felt like I hit muscles I've never worked before. Thanks for the advice nemesis.

no prob bro, glad I could help,.... hopefully youll learn to luv squats now just like i do

[ILiftBig]

What is the proper/safe squat depth? I was taught to go all the way down, but most of the guys I see squatting in the gym barely go 1/3 of the way down. Is there a danger to one's knees or back by going too low? That is, assuming you are already injury-free.

From the research I have read partial squats are much more stressful to the knees than going rock bottom. What you want to be careful of is going to the bottom and bouncing out after relaxing the quads. This can cause a separation in the knee adding a lot of stress to the patella. If you are going to go deep, keep the muscles tight all the way through the movement and then explode off the bottom.

[Brad2131]

i do both 1/4's and fulls. Fulls being top of thigh parallel with floor.

[PowerlifterMB]

Doing any less than parallel is dangerous for the knees and lower back. Parallel is as deep as you should go for powerlifting. Deeper should be used in bodybuilding.

[John Smeton]

yeah deeper hits hamstrings and glutes more. I go ass to ground . I have done parallel which I can use more weight, I like the controlled ass to ground the best. feels real manly when you go all out with heavy weights, good form, and legs sore a few days after.

[PowerlifterMB]

It also depends on what works best for your goals. I have more powerlifting type goals, but wide stanced heavy squats makes my legs grow as well as get stronger.

[John Smeton]

yeah stance matters I can do more wide stanced cause Ive practiced a while. plus I have wide strong hips not the greatest for bodybuilding and have learned to increase backwidth and shoulders and legs to make the illusion appear better than the hips. anyways yeah close stance hits the outer quads , wide stance inner.

[Sergiu]

What is the proper/safe squat depth? I was taught to go all the way down, but most of the guys I see squatting in the gym barely go 1/3 of the way down. Is there a danger to one's knees or back by going too low? That is, assuming you are already injury-free.

Most of the guys in the gym train only arms and chest so why do you care about legs?

[PowerlifterMB]

^ Who cares what the idiots in the gym do. They aren't bodybuilders they're weightlifters. You in person might not care about legs but you'll look stupid walking around with a huge upper body and tiny lower body. If nothing else it will effect your athletic ability.

I guess if you're only training to look pretty then legs don't matter much cuz the girls don't see them.... much. But calves will especially look weird if you have a huge upper body and little calves.

[RobInKuwait]

Most of the guys in the gym train only arms and chest so why do you care about legs?

I normally work out in the afternoon and there were some guys like this but not all. I went at like 7:30pm last night and it was a bicep curl/bench press bonanza. I've never seen so many people do so few exercises. Who would think with like 50 people in a medium sized free weight room, the 2 squat racks would be open the entire hour I was in there.

[PowerlifterMB]

And then you started squating like 500lbs I hope? That'd just cap it off nicely.

[RobInKuwait]

And then you started squating like 500lbs I hope? That'd just cap it off nicely.

Nah, I'm weak. I'm trying to get used to a wider stance. Only did 225x10 for like 3 sets of 10.

[soseg]

I normally work out in the afternoon and there were some guys like this but not all. I went at like 7:30pm last night and it was a bicep curl/bench press bonanza. I've never seen so many people do so few exercises. Who would think with like 50 people in a medium sized free weight room, the 2 squat racks would be open the entire hour I was in there.

LMAO so true!

the dumbell / preacher curl section is always packed out with the 2 flat, 2 incline and 1 decline bench presses also busy with guys throwing on at least 80 pounds more than they can bench with 2 mates standing either side helping them get it up (not even full ROM)

haha love it

2 squat racks are always empty, its the empty corner i love it! all my workouts from military press, bent over rows, t-bars, squats, deads, pullups and dips are done in that one corner... other side of the gym 15 people... mine 1 or 2