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SQUATS


Luigi

which depth do you squat to  

115 members have voted

  1. 1. which depth do you squat to

    • ass to ground
      28
    • below parallel
      41
    • to parallel
      38
    • above parallel
      2
    • 1/2 squats - gym rat style
      2
    • all of the above
      4


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arse to the floor i find you can sort of bounce back up a bit off the back of the thighs and glutes,i recon parallel or just below is the best,why? because you acutually have to stop the weight using muscle control then push it all the way up again. case closed :pfft: each to there own i guess

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I love full ass down squats. They hit the glutes big time and you really get that full range hit in the quads, however...I damaged my pattela tendon late last year (I think on the leg press machine) and have been doing parallels since. Although, the injury has improved greatly and I've slowly been getting lower. During those last 6 months I have hardly made any gains in the quads though, so I truly believe deep is the way to go for hypertrophy. Parallels and partials are great for strength/tendons etc.

=iZ.

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Rose: Thanks mate! But please, tell me something I don't know 8)

1day: *sigh* Why you hatin? Are you Satan?

Calvin: Lol'd so hard at his video of benching and people saying "Nice bent over rows there bro, but who's the guy layin on the bench?" LOL !!! I was cracking up !

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lol @vid.

4 me it depends on the weight. I realy need to get some structure back into my squating. Ive been hitting up a 20reps for about 6weeks?(would have to check jurnal). Last 2 workouts reps & weight been all over the place.

On the 20s it would be low as possible. but I think in the 5rep range I dont go as lower, was hitting the safty bar in the rack. so duno. If I hit 90kg+(wats not much for alot of people) i think my negative and depth is slower and not quite the same as a ligher 20repper.

WTB squat rack lol.

Peace.

Btw. since ive been doing 20repers my measurment has gone up about 2cm I think(inner thi starting to get bigger. Not sure if its from the squats, or the record smashing barbell lunges ive been doing. or mayb the introduction of the Sumo Dead lifts.

Peace

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Go as deep as possible without losing your core stability or you are just asking from a back injury. This means don't up your weights until you are doing at very least below parallel squat with good technique, then up your weights.

Personally it is ass to the floor as much as possible and at worst when the weight is rite up well below parallel :grin:

I think that WL has got this pretty bang on. ATG style is liable to cause lower lumber problems as it it very hard to set the hard arch in your lower back down on the floor although short legged individuals might be able to. Its generally regarded what's bad for the knees is squatting with a limited range of motion. Partial squats put ALL the emphasis on the quadriceps and knees, totally neglecting the hamstrings and glutes. Squats below parallel recruit the hammies, glutes & hip flexors & tensors taking the tension off the knee joint. This is a much stronger & safer option but can only be performed with weights that can be used in a full ROM & thus does not look so impressive to the "gym audience" :lol:

Partials are useful for increasing strength of the Vastus medialis in women trainers. This is especially important for woman as their hips are proportionally wider and as a result an untrained female can instictively stand with a slight pitch in legs which can develop into problems later in life if no exercise is done to correct it.

I tend to start females on partials first as this assists them with building strength around the knee first. The only way you contradict the knee joint is if you allow her to lock out at the top of the contraction.

As far as my own trainng goes I would use a partial rep on my last set after a rest pause on leg press. I.E have done a 500kg set for 10 reps and then paused at the top for 10 seconds and pushed out 20% partials as a pulse (similar to what I do for calfs) - it absoultely nails you legs.

With regard to squats I need to load it up over 100kg to get below parallel - but can't get arse to floor as my levers do work too low. Would be great if I could as it would add another element to leg training. I may be just too long or require more practise. (You can never have enough practice on squats). :nod: :)

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  • 4 weeks later...

Full Squats = Full Range of movement

Partial Squat = Partial Range of Movement.

For full muscle development ideally a muscle should be worked through a full range of movement however due to lack of flexibility many people cannot perform a full squat (even unweighted).

The other name for the squat is the "deep knee bend". However most gym nuts wouldnt even know the meaning in their training.

While partial squats will build strength in that range it is most important to have the strength in the hardest position (the hole or below parrallel).

The only thing I see most trainers working while doing their quarter squats is their ego.

The lower you go the more the hamstrings and glutes come into play.

Tom Platz who in my opinion had the greates leg development of all time was a big fan of full rock bottom squats.

Heres Tom squatting 227.5kgs for 23 reps

And to see him and his phenomenal leg development onstage see here:

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I changed to deep squats four weeks ago. I moved from thighs parallel to getting as low as I could. I squat twice a week. Here is my experience with the change:

First two weeks were difficult (balance wise). I tended to lean forward at the bottom of the squat and come up off balance with the weight on my toes instead of an even distribution across the bottom of my foot.

Squats were more difficult and I dropped some weight off the bar.

The full range is now more natural to me than stopping at parallel.

Now squatting the same weight as I was before, but at full range.

Gained some hamstring strength (notice this in stiff legged dead lift.

No knee or hip issues to report.

Feeling mentally more confident at the same weight (oddly, just looking at the bar for my last two sets would often freak me out).

I’m a convert. After years of parallel squatting, I’m now an unstoppable deep squatter!

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I changed to deep squats four weeks ago. I moved from thighs parallel to getting as low as I could. I squat twice a week. Here is my experience with the change:

First two weeks were difficult (balance wise). I tended to lean forward at the bottom of the squat and come up off balance with the weight on my toes instead of an even distribution across the bottom of my foot.

Squats were more difficult and I dropped some weight off the bar.

The full range is now more natural to me than stopping at parallel.

Now squatting the same weight as I was before, but at full range.

Gained some hamstring strength (notice this in stiff legged dead lift.

No knee or hip issues to report.

Feeling mentally more confident at the same weight (oddly, just looking at the bar for my last two sets would often freak me out).

I’m a convert. After years of parallel squatting, I’m now an unstoppable deep squatter!

ive done the same first few weeks definitely lighter weights now actually getting personal bests and going as deep as i can

and im feeling like my quads and glutes are responding well.

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