Squats: HOW DEEP? parallel or to the floor?

[MadCow1]

Definition of Parallel: Top of thighs parallel to floor

This means that when facing a mirror your thighs should disappear behind your knees.

No one realizes this at my gym - we get the heel lift and butt barely getting down squats. Ass to floor is unheard of from these guys. Amazing how they all squat with 350+ on those little pins. I'm waiting for it to drive one of them through the floor.

 

[Big Daddy Ben]

I personaly take them to the floor. I think the bigger movement works better for me.

 

[Manipul8r]

Personally i go parallel or a little below, but only b/c a few years ago i shattered my left knee and it cant take much more than that. Otherwise I think id be to the floor. So just do what works for you. But no-matter how your doing it, just maintain good form.

 

[bignate73]

all i will add on this topic is:

if you are going to go atf, make sure your knee tracking is spot on, and that your knees arent getting past your toes.

make sure that when you are nearing the bottom position of your squat that your lower back is not rounding under, ie, your hips arent tucking and making your back round.

2 major breaks in form that can be catastrophic, and end your squatting days.

 

[mac sloan]

Bignate said,
if you are going to go atf, make sure your knee tracking is spot on, and that your knees arent getting past your toes

*** Thats is not nessicarily true. You can squat with your toes past the knees.

 

[bignate73]

sure you can do behind the neck presses also.

best mechanical advantage is what im talking about, not being able to do an exercise incorrectly. if someone wants to squat past their knees, they are free to do so, just let me know how those shearing forces and excessive torque feels after a while.

 

[mac sloan]

Bignate said,
just let me know how those shearing forces and excessive torque feels after a while.

*** People have been squatting heavy with their knees over the toes for thousands of years with no problems.
If this were the case of biomechanics being a issue here, look at the Olympic lifters who lift excessive loads with their knees over their toes, not to mention they are producing huge amounts of force through the knee and it seems that they have managed to cope just fine.

I think that it is a misconception that was started when Physiotherapists started proclaiming the dangers of squats and how wonderful leg extensions were.
It's a different story now isn't it?

 

[35andfeel19]

OK!! Now I'm confused.

EVERYTHING I have read has said that ATF is bad. That Squats should be performed to Parallel or just below. I also read that by going lower you hit the Glutes harder at the bottom rather than the Quads and then the quads take back the majority of the load at JUST BELOW parallel.

I have also been using Leg Extensions and Leg Curls as warmups BEFORE squats. I perform the Extensions in 4 sets of 10, increasing the weight each set. I perform Leg Curls at 1 set of 10 and then 3 sets of 4 to 6 reps always to failure.

Now someone is saying that Leg Extensions are Bad.

WTF

 

[mac sloan]

Do what is comfortable for you.
If you can squat comfortablly past 90 degrees without any pain then try that. Only do what youre body allows.
Individuale form rules supreme!

 

[bignate73]

hehe, we gotta stop arguing mac. its making the natives restless.