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How low do you squat?

nodgodbod

New member
How low do you people go when squating? - is there any advantage of going "ass to the grass"? or are you just damaging your knees?
I've always squated down so that my upper leg is parallel to the floor - just wondering what you guys thought?
 
Balls to the floor!!!

I tend to go as deep as I can without feeling abnormal pain.....ends up being about parallel or even deeper if I feel good that day.

Gumbo
 
Ass to ground all the way. As long as you don't have any pre-existing knee conditions, it's better for you in the long run. I used to squat 300+ to 90* til my knees started killing me and my back was about to go. That was before I knew any better. :rolleyes: One day I decided to strip the bar and go ass to ground, then slowly work my way back up. I literally started with an empty bar. Now, I only squat about 180, but it's still ass to ground and the gains since then have been huge. It's not always how heavy you train. Sometimes how smart you train is more important. ;) When I'm in the gym, I leave the ego in the car.
 
i can only go about a half an inch above parallel, any lower and the tendons in my right knee feel like they are going to rip in half and the vertebrae in my lower back feel like they are going to mold into one, ATG may be best, but i've gotten great results going just above parallel
 
Parallel, I agree although i should not be squating...well anyway ( LOL) I do tend to go as low as I can......and that happens to be parallel .........
 
ass to the grass is the best method imo. it stretches your tendons making them more flexible and therefor you will be less injury prone. also, ive noticed that the lower i go the faster my legs grow. that may just be me, but i do notice a huge increase in thickness and definition when i go all the way to as floor as opposed to going parallel.
 
I think parallel is fine. I enjoy ATG, but I think the emphasis on ATG is a little overblown. ATG forces max effort, of course, especially by the quads at the start of the contraction, by hams and glutes for the rest of it.

But very few of us ONLY do squats, in which case you'll have another shot to hit your quads more directly, with more precise intensity. Leg extensions, presses, smith squats - whatever else you do, you can get your quads a little more.

Also, remember that going ATG can easily cause knee-related complaints in lifters who aren't already experienced and flexible. It's great if you can do it pain-free, but it's just a rough bet to make. If you hae no pain now, that's great, but I know a number of guys who had no knee issues UNTIL they started doing ATG on squats. And this was on varying foot placements.

I go to parallel now, and I find I can control my proximity to failure much better than with ATG. Squats rule for absolute leg size, but I think you have to consider your whole routine as the size-generator, not a single portion of one lift. Squats for overall thickness, extensions and presses for quads.
 
i go all the way down, i make sure i warm up properly though

im pretty flexable, but have been slacking off on the stretching lately :o
 
Below parallel, but before my lower back rounds. EVERYONE who squats should go as deep as they can before their back begins to round. Beyond this point will lead to injury in the long run. Those that want to squat lower without rounding their back need to work on flexibility.
 
I mainly box squat. Using a bench that you would normally do lying dumbell presses on.
 
ass to grass, heels elevated. doing that with 225 is a lot more inpressive than a fatshit doing 405 quarter-inch squats.

plus squating low makes your ass grow.
 
fwiw, olympic style weightlifters have been lifting and squatting with elevated knees for decades. no problemo with knees.

i have squatted in three main styles -

wide stance, flat soled (converse all stars), bar low on back to just below parallel for powerlifting

narrower stance, elevated heels (adidas wling shoes), ass to ground - for weightlifting training

and

narrower stance, elevated heels (ditto), to just below parallel - for hypertrophy

they all have +'s and -'s. obviously, if you are training event specific, then a certain kind of squat will be preferable

if you are going strictly hypertrophy, i think there is good reason to adjust your height on occasion

above parallel (1/4 squats) are good to overload the quads and get your nervous system used to higher loads on your back. (same as walkouts do)

these aren't "cheating" if you are using them for a purpose.

i haven't done a competition in a while, but i still squat generally OLer style because i most prefer it and i think it gives the overall best benefit.

atg isn't so much the problems with the knees, it is bouncing out of the bottom (pushes the patella forward at the lowest point). bouncing is GOOD technique for a wler (as is bowing on the way up), but like almost ANY athletic endeavor, you sacrifice safety for sports performance

if one is lifting for pure ego (to do as much weight as possible), then a PLer stance (wide/low bar) will enable most people to do the most weight. but it is not very quad intensive

all depends on goals

for most people interested in hypertrophy, i would recommend high bar, not all the way to ass to grass (so called bber or athlete's squat)

and on the sports thing, I know one OLD ol'er who only squats about a 1/2 squat at best (actually a little above parallel). it's not cheating, because that's the depth he takes his clean and jerk as well. so it makes sense

as usual, goals defines means
 
nodgodbod said:
Does elevating the heel not put extra pressure on the knee?
Click to expand...

for me it took pressure off the knees and lower back just by putting some 5lbs plates under my heels. i go lower and feel more comfortable.
 
i always thought you were ment to push through your heels for proper form, and to hit your legs properly
whenever i push from the front of my foot moreso, i feel it doesnt hit my legs as well
 
the important thing is that you sit BACK in the squat. that is how the squat begins, with a rearward release of the hips, not a forward break of the knees

if you do that, you have to be on the heels
 
Lean One said:
Ass to ground all the way. As long as you don't have any pre-existing knee conditions, it's better for you in the long run.
Click to expand...
I DO have a sh*t knee and ATG is much, much more comfortable for me.
 
i never learned properly and went about 3/4 of the way down, then started over and went parallel, or very close to it, and in the last 6 weeks have started breaking parallel, i cant go any higher than 315 without wraps, im sure it's just because my teams program is squatting 3 times a week, and over winter break i never took a break from squatting, so they just feel old and sore when i go high with no wraps, i definitely feel like im working harder going all the way down now, i used to be a WIDE stance, my feet were almost touching the squat rack's base, granted im 6'3" with long legs, but still, anyway now i hardly stand wider than shoulder length and go until I feel my hips drop, and without a doubt I'm working much harder, I couldn't do very much if I wasn't using wraps, which i suggest to anybody finding trouble
 
Olympic style then ass to the grass. If its more powerlifting type squat mechanics, then parallel. If you squat med-wide then when you site back, unless you have freakishly flexiable hips then your back will round after you hit parallel. Good Luck
 
bishop17 said:
when you guys say paralell you mean so that it looks like your sitting in an invisble chair right?
Click to expand...

Yea that is what they mean, your legs should be parallel with the floor, so like sitting in a chair, if not lower (depending on if your knees hurt or not)
 
You gotta bury it bro. Every pro I've ever trained with or asked this question too has said the same thing, "YOU GOTTA BURY IT!!!" It's much harder and when transitioning from what I like to call the "modern" squat, to a real squat your weights will innevitably go down, but that's not because you're weaker, it's because you are now hitting all of the muscles you should be when you squat instead of just your a$$.
 
if you want more emphasis on the quads it's best to have a naarrow stance (roughly shoulder width) feet straight forward, and heals raised

A wider stance and the "sitting back" effect with heals flat will utilize the glutes and hamis to a greater extent, but will obviously still work the quads pretty well

just as long as your not one of those f*ck tards that loads up the bar and stands wide as **** with their feet pointed out at a 45 degree angle, and does little half squats
 
I have pretty much always gone ATG. Squatting actually seems harder to me when you only go parallel. I seem to have a lot of strength/spring loaded right out of the hole.
 
An inch below parallel, anything lower and im history...when i was 21 i did ATG but now that im over 30, i wouldnt dare try it...

Well, actually i did but now i know why i wouldnt try it again...
 
Depends on the day for me. Sometimes it feels better to go ATG. Sometimes I just go parallel or a tad past parallel. Also depends if I am doing wide stance, narrow stance, or front squats. I always go by feel on exercises. Sometimes I like to keep tension on a muscle so I don't lock out, sometimes I do lock out. You have to go with what yields results. I think that going ATG is optimal though. And easier on the knees, which is opposite of what many believe.
 
I know this thread is old but today was the first time I had ever gone as low as my physiology allows -- well past parallel, to the point where my ass almost touches the floor..

I had to lower the weight cause I was weary about going so low, and I was using 5x5, so I just did 245 and it felt so good!

Case in point -- I found my new favorite exercise EVER -- holy **** do those feel amazing! :D If your knees can handle it I highly suggest giving them a shot..
 
Red Dog said:
I know this thread is old but today was the first time I had ever gone as low as my physiology allows -- well past parallel, to the point where my ass almost touches the floor..

I had to lower the weight cause I was weary about going so low, and I was using 5x5, so I just did 245 and it felt so good!

Case in point -- I found my new favorite exercise EVER -- holy **** do those feel amazing! :D If your knees can handle it I highly suggest giving them a shot..
Click to expand...


going this way actually helped relieve some of the shin splint pain I get when I run ... ATG, feet flat ... love it
 
I have read that ATG is actually better than paralell.They weresaying that paralell is your knees most unstable position,and that stopping there and going back up places lots of stress on the knees.As opposed to going down untill you can't go anymore.Being stopped by your body.They were mentioning how docs and rehab people test the stability of the knee by doing things to it when it's bent at 90% becuse this is the most unstable position for the knee.Another good point they made was how people who complain of sq's hurting their knees always use the leg extension.Just think about the stress that puts on your knees!This was from an article at T-nation.In case you can't tell,I always sq ATG!
 
How long do I squat? I can get off the pot in under 10 minutes no problem, but I have this cousin who's 350 lbs (all fat) who brings 1k page hardcover novels with him. I think he read up to book 8 or 9 of the wheel of time series that way...:clap2:
 
after squatting till my ass almost hits the floor for about 2 months i earned myself huge stretch marks across both buttocks :(
goood luck lol
 
Besides how low you go, how high do you stand up? Do you lock your knees out, thereby removing all tension from the muscles? Does anybody stand up just short of lockout when squatting?

Just curious boys
 
I switch them up. i did ATG for years. You really have to lower the weight on atg, my average weight was only 225-4-6 x's on a truly ass to ground . parrell, these are good for leg development, sometimes its hard to gauge whether I'm actually parallel,and Im close so its all good. I may record myself or have a friend tell me,and half squats have their place, like for bringing up the upper quads. I switch them up.
 
As long as you don't have any physical limitations (knee injuries, etc) you should be using your full range of motion.
 
also remember I'm taking about the squat.

not the hack squat, or other squat machines. I always go down very low on this, the leg press.Arnold recommends half squats for someone to really blow up their upper quads in his modern day encyclopedia. and these have always packed on huge mass on my entire upper leg.
 
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