apparently ATF squats are bad for your knees.

[cccp]

Yeah, right. Although, today I had a PT walk up to me, and tell me that ATF squats are bad for your knees. WTF? I thought it was the opposite? Heck, instead he should have said something to that skinny boy, who had a terrible deadlift form. I wanted to tell that boy that he might injure himself, but then decided - fuck it. People are so snoby these days, think that you don't know shit, when you just try to help. Oh well. Have fun fucking up your back, buddy.

 

[Baoh]

You are correct. ATF Squats are better for your knees.

 

[Lumberg]

Common sense as well as some people on here, says that once your calves are touching your hamstrings pushing down with your ass even farther could create forces that tend to force your knee apart.

I go pretty low but not that low.

 

[Baoh]

Common sense as well as some people on here, says that once your calves are touching your hamstrings pushing down with your ass even farther could create forces that tend to force your knee apart.

I go pretty low but not that low.

If you relax your muscles at rock bottom while supporting a heavy weight...maaaaaaaaaybe, but if you're doing them properly ATF, no.

 

[chakarov]

ATF squats DO exert some serious compressive forces on the cartilage of the knees. Look at the position the knee joint is in when it's flexed over 90 degrees in the bottom of the ATF squat! ATF squats are not without 'some' risk and I think it's definitely the most advanced and hardest type of squat to learn and master. It takes good balance. It's also hard on your back (if your lower back is weak that is). Nearly all Olympic Weightlifters do these squats and their competitive careers are very short. I wonder if it's from the frequency of the training (6 and sometimes 7 days a week and even sometiems two-a-days for the Chinese, Russions and other Eastern Europeans)or the type of squat movements?

Don;t get me wrong! I am HUGE believer in ATF squats for glute, quad AND hamstring development!

 

[Baoh]

ATF squats DO exert some serious compressive forces on the cartilage of the knees. Look at the position the knee joint is in when it's flexed over 90 degrees in the bottom of the ATF squat! ATF squats are not without 'some' risk and I think it's definitely the most advanced and hardest type of squat to learn and master. It takes good balance. It's also hard on your back (if your lower back is weak that is). Nearly all Olympic Weightlifters do these squats and their competitive careers are very short. I wonder if it's from the frequency of the training (6 and sometimes 7 days a week and even sometiems two-a-days for the Chinese, Russions and other Eastern Europeans)or the type of squat movements?

Don;t get me wrong! I am HUGE believer in ATF squats for glute, quad AND hamstring development!

Compressive forces are nothing to worry about. Shearing ones are.

I also would like to correct you regarding the comment regarding OLY Lifters, but you can go to Goheavy.com and talk to the OLY Lifters there. Their input would be greater than my own, and some significant names post there.

 

[chakarov]

I meant to say 'shearing' and not compressive. Compressive forces are perfectly natural and cannot be avoided. It's' the shearing forces when the knees are bent at such an extreme anlge that are bad. The load along the angle that is a 'shearing' force will be exponentially higher than that of a compressive. force. It's like when a deadlifter rounds his/her back when deadlifting. Rounding the back will more than double the force along the erectors adn can lead to injury. It all comes back to Physics. Buy am I rusty there! lol