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Squats - all the way down!

paradigmer

New member
I finally quit being a big wimp and started on full squats this week--going all the way down--ass to ankles.

Wow....big difference. I used a much lighter weight than I'm accustomed to with just going down to parallel and it still kicked my ass!

I've had jello legs all week.

Much harder!
 
More isn't better; better is better. I emply both full and parallel (as well as those a touch over parallel) squats. I am a big fan of full squats, but think the important thing is that you put a heavy bar on your back and go deep. I really like using both to mix it up. Especially if I have some minor injury (besides knees) then doing the full squats lets me use lighter weight for a bit. All good tools.
 
It depends on your goals. If your looking to improve olympic lifts such as the clean & jerk and snatch, doing full squats will be beneficial (you're joints in good health of course). Otherwise, parallel squats are ideal.
 
I cant do full squats, I think it's just my physiology. When I go deep my back rounds and and my heels lift. I cant stop it.....any suggestions to keep this from happening
 
thaOrleanyte said:
I cant do full squats, I think it's just my physiology. When I go deep my back rounds and and my heels lift. I cant stop it.....any suggestions to keep this from happening
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What is your head positioning during the descent? I.e., is it pointing upwards, downwards, or parallel? Are your neck and traps taut, or loose? The spine goes where the head takes it, and it is the very first thing which will throw your entire form off; it is also the last thing most people consider..
 
also mentioning physiology
the longer your femur the harder it will be to do full squats because it displaces your weight further back the lower you go
one of my kiniesatrics teachers was mentioning proportions of ankle to knee length and knee to hipjoint length.. if the knee to hip section of your leg is longer then the deeper squats will be much harder
 
think of it this way 1/2 way down 1/2 the results all the way down=fully developed monster quads. Ever since i started going parrallel i have seen amazing gains in leg development. Its rough but you gotta do it
 
hey guys, to learn low bar squats search "mark rippetoe squat"
do a 5x5 routine and see how fast your whole body grows doing low bar squats below parallel. I love it and it's the single best thing i've ever done to step up my training.
 
Rah22491 said:
think of it this way 1/2 way down 1/2 the results all the way down=fully developed monster quads. Ever since i started going parrallel i have seen amazing gains in leg development. Its rough but you gotta do it
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parallel is halfway down. So your getting half the results? Or your doin full ass to ankles? Im confused. I go until my hip crease goes below my knee joint.
 
thaOrleanyte said:
I cant do full squats, I think it's just my physiology. When I go deep my back rounds and and my heels lift. I cant stop it.....any suggestions to keep this from happening
Click to expand...

Some people are not built to do full ATG squats, but SMR/Foam Rolling can make a huge difference in your flexibility.
 
thaOrleanyte said:
I cant do full squats, I think it's just my physiology. When I go deep my back rounds and and my heels lift. I cant stop it.....any suggestions to keep this from happening
Click to expand...

I have this problem, I tried for years with different foot placements and core stability work thinking it was just a 'weak core' that was preventing me getting lower in my squat.

Turns out my femurs are actually longer than most peoples'...

Solution...?

Bought a pair of olympic lifting shoes, ATG squats are no problem now ;)

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UKStrength said:
Turns out my femurs are actually longer than most peoples'...


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thats what ive been sayin.. glad to hear a second
ill have to check out the shoes ... my lifting shoes are POS
 
smshannon001 said:
thats what ive been sayin.. glad to hear a second
ill have to check out the shoes ... my lifting shoes are POS
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I have a pair of rogue weightlifting shoes, the new black ones, but I feel the heel is too high for me and it makes my knees drift too far forward.
I feel most comfortable in good old chuck taylors.
 
I try to stick with typical cross trainers, relatively flat soles. I cant always get down to A2G, however parallel is usually sufficient for most
 
I heard that you need to do them in front of the mirror. The main point is to be able to see your own sphincter in the reflection, that would constitute the "full" squat.
 
Rah22491 said:
think of it this way 1/2 way down 1/2 the results all the way down=fully developed monster quads. Ever since i started going parrallel i have seen amazing gains in leg development. Its rough but you gotta do it
Click to expand...

The further you go passed parallel, the less force your skeletal muscles are producing due to a reduction in myosin crossbridges. This has no added benefit for hypertrophy, but does cause a stronger binding state of actin to the myosin heads at those particular ranges of motion (with training of course). Which, like I stated before, aids tremendously for olympic lifters.
 
I do have long upper legs....skinny short lower...haha

I think is a flexibility issue also. I'm not rigid at all really, but being that im mostly torso and long femurs, getting ~5-10 below parallel is the lowest for me. I have to sit back more, and its alot easier with lighter weight.... below parralel for me (real heavy) throws off my force generation cause im trying to keep my back from rounding...or going into a good morning

sooo and I focused on keepin strict form today with some light squats. I find that if I focus more on where my hips are going, it helps me get below parallel and drive out of the bottom. Better hip drive kept me in tempo, less bending over slightly during lift.
 
smshannon001 said:
thats what ive been sayin.. glad to hear a second
ill have to check out the shoes ... my lifting shoes are POS
Click to expand...

Yeah they're pretty awesome mate. They're not cheap unfortunately but are a decent investment if you think you'll be squatting for many years to come and might save you an injury or two.

cable626 said:
I have a pair of rogue weightlifting shoes, the new black ones, but I feel the heel is too high for me and it makes my knees drift too far forward.
I feel most comfortable in good old chuck taylors.
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I still love my chucks and would never deadlift in anything else but these make squatting a breeze ;) Maybe try what I did for a while (before I could afford the shoes) and just elevate your heels slightly by resting them on some 1.25kg plates?

AE14 said:
I try to stick with typical cross trainers, relatively flat soles. I cant always get down to A2G, however parallel is usually sufficient for most
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Cross trainers were the WORST thing that ever happened to any sort of resistance training. Some people swear by them, but I've had more injuries in them than I dare think about. Chucks, proper shoes or even bare feet for me!

thaOrleanyte said:
I do have long upper legs....skinny short lower...haha

I think is a flexibility issue also. I'm not rigid at all really, but being that im mostly torso and long femurs, getting ~5-10 below parallel is the lowest for me. I have to sit back more, and its alot easier with lighter weight.... below parralel for me (real heavy) throws off my force generation cause im trying to keep my back from rounding...or going into a good morning

sooo and I focused on keepin strict form today with some light squats. I find that if I focus more on where my hips are going, it helps me get below parallel and drive out of the bottom. Better hip drive kept me in tempo, less bending over slightly during lift.
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That certainly helped me for a while and did make my squat a little deeper. As soon as I added weight though the strain shifted off the leg muscle groups and predominantly onto my hip flexors (not good).

It wasn't a flexibility issue either, I can do a box and front split and my dynamic flexibility is also very good (axe kicks etc.). All I'd say is listen to your body and ignore any idiots who try to convince you it's your technique/flexibility/core stability.
 
thanks....im gonna squat how i squat regardless.....but learning correct technique and what not is always usefull
 
did these tonight
tomorrow is gonna be...fun
 
I am not made to squat, i worked hard on it for years and was an average squatter at best. I have flexibility issues and have leverage issues i assume due to my leg length. Squatting in powerlifting gear actually made it a little easier because i could go wide. Now i have an injury in one of my legs and may need surgery after i get married in Sept. I don't think i have ever been able to go ass to ankles in my life.
 
Check out Squat RX. There's 26 videos in this playlist to help your squat out!

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Good site that mate ^^^ I watched all the videos a while ago and it improved my squat technique dramatically.
 
I'm 6'2" and all legs! I'm now on my second week of doing them since starting this thread. Last week was rough! I'm doing the strong lifts 5X5 routine where you squat 3 times per week. On Wednesday of last week I wasn't able to even look at a squat rack so I just substituted some leg presses. Friday I did the full 5X5 again with the full squats and felt better.

Yesterday I increased the weight by 20 pounds and was able to hammer through them, but I'm definitely feeling it today.

Someone on here mentioned that there is no hypertrophy benefit to full squats? Why do programs like strong lifts and Ripptoe recommend them?
 
paradigmer said:
I'm 6'2" and all legs! I'm now on my second week of doing them since starting this thread. Last week was rough! I'm doing the strong lifts 5X5 routine where you squat 3 times per week. On Wednesday of last week I wasn't able to even look at a squat rack so I just substituted some leg presses. Friday I did the full 5X5 again with the full squats and felt better.

Yesterday I increased the weight by 20 pounds and was able to hammer through them, but I'm definitely feeling it today.

Someone on here mentioned that there is no hypertrophy benefit to full squats? Why do programs like strong lifts and Ripptoe recommend them?
Click to expand...


im gonna have to disagree with that. I believe form and tempo matter the most, then ROM. The further down the better.
 
I cant do full squats, I think it's just my physiology. When I go deep my back rounds and and my heels lift. I cant stop it.....any suggestions to keep this from happening
Click to expand...

I had this same problem, I started training hamstrings before I squat and now I go all the way down. Huge difference, I've had people compliment me on my form recently where as before I looked like I was doing quarter squats.
 
Kristofer68SS said:
im gonna have to disagree with that. I believe form and tempo matter the most, then ROM. The further down the better.
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Although, full squats are my favorite, I also believe that a closer stance, and just below parallel deff activates hypertrophy on my quads more.
 
dedlifter1 said:
Although, full squats are my favorite, I also believe that a closer stance, and just below parallel deff activates hypertrophy on my quads more.
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I think there is a sweet spot for everyone. Finding it safely is the key.

When your in it, you know it.

During the ROM my whole leg feels it, quads, hams, glutes, calves ..........

Slower tempo is what does it for me, that and statics at parallel.........Fun stuff.

Props to anyone doing squats period.

Kudos gentlemen.
 
Kristofer68SS said:
I think there is a sweet spot for everyone. Finding it safely is the key.

When your in it, you know it.

During the ROM my whole leg feels it, quads, hams, glutes, calves ..........

Slower tempo is what does it for me, that and statics at parallel.........Fun stuff.

Props to anyone doing squats period.

Kudos gentlemen.
Click to expand...

Thats exactly right.
 
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