how far down is best?

[Tweakle]

Unless it's a box squat, deeper is always better. Unless you're super inflexible or like me, prone to tearing up your hamstrings

a good rule of thumb if you want to progress is if a PT tells you something, smile & thank him and be sure to do the exact opposite. The only exception to this rule is if he's teaching you the art of groping chicks without getting in trouble, you can learn much about touching jiggly tummies & grabbing wobbly asses from the masters of the game.

 

[Wulfgar]

full squats are always the way to go. just make sure there is always control, a tight midsection and stable spine and hip structure. Dont bounce.
My personal preference is to squat below parallel and then come up only about 3/4 of the way before decending again. Keeps the load firmly on my legs and out of the joints.

I find my hips complex gets very tight and does not allow me to squat deep unless I am very diligent about my stretching program. Always warm up 10 min before squatting wih about 5 min of light stretching and cool off with 20 min intense stretching @ the end.
Got my quads to 30" this way..up 5 inches from 2 years ago

 

[sidney61199]

I can see the "not going all the way up and locking out your legs thing" that makes alot of sense. Sorry if it has been anwered and I didn't see it but you mentioned your quad growth above but does a normal deep squat work your hams and glutes out much more than your quads or is it pretty even? I do front squats now and have stayed away from normal squats do to the fact that I really want to target my quads. My legs or deep (front to back) but not wide (side to side) and thats what I'm shooting for. Thanks for the info.

 

[al420]

full squats are always the way to go. just make sure there is always control, a tight midsection and stable spine and hip structure. Dont bounce.
My personal preference is to squat below parallel and then come up only about 3/4 of the way before decending again. Keeps the load firmly on my legs and out of the joints.

I find my hips complex gets very tight and does not allow me to squat deep unless I am very diligent about my stretching program. Always warm up 10 min before squatting wih about 5 min of light stretching and cool off with 20 min intense stretching @ the end.
Got my quads to 30" this way..up 5 inches from 2 years ago

great post - 3/4 the way is the only way to squat - 30"..... you da man!

 

[sidney61199]

Mine's 30" too. Oh wait were talking about thighs.............never mind.



sorry couldn't help myself

 

[b fold the truth]

Does anyone have studies on the condition of retired, ageing, Oly lifter knees?

A friend of mine used to always say how squatting wasn't bad for the knees. She did powerlifting for many years then OLY lifting and I heard her complaining the other day that she could't even do a squat now because of all the pain that she had from the OLY squats (and the couple of years powerlifitng too I'm sure).

I've been training harder and longer and my knees are feeling great at the moment. I squat 4x a week and do events as well.

Raimonds Bergmanis was in the Olympics 3 times representing Latvia in the OLY competition. He is also near 40 years old and a top 10 Strongman who is known for competing raw in the events (no belt straps wraps suit, etc...).

You just have to take care of yourself.

 

[Recruit]

I see guys come in the gym and load the bar with 500-600lbs. then only go down about 1/4 of the way down. Is this doing them any good whatsoever?

 

[al420]

A friend of mine used to always say how squatting wasn't bad for the knees. She did powerlifting for many years then OLY lifting and I heard her complaining the other day that she could't even do a squat now because of all the pain that she had from the OLY squats (and the couple of years powerlifitng too I'm sure).

I've been training harder and longer and my knees are feeling great at the moment. I squat 4x a week and do events as well.

Raimonds Bergmanis was in the Olympics 3 times representing Latvia in the OLY competition. He is also near 40 years old and a top 10 Strongman who is known for competing raw in the events (no belt straps wraps suit, etc...).

You just have to take care of yourself.

What are some precautions you can take other than perfecting and always keeping an eye on your form?

 

[Guinness5.0]

I see guys come in the gym and load the bar with 500-600lbs. then only go down about 1/4 of the way down. Is this doing them any good whatsoever?

It's better than nothing at all - but it may very well end up causing injury.

I'll reiterate an important poit: proper squatting loads the hips primarily and the knees secondarily. When the point of transition occurs high in the ROM, the knees experience sheering forces far above and beyond what they are meant to. Also, depth activates the hamstrings and uses them to stabilize the knees.

If you haven't already, read the link I provided.

 

[sidney61199]

Thats one of my draw backs when I start a new lift I'm not used to. I'm so worried about my form I don't go very heavy at all then I feel silly for not doing alot of weight. I'd rather have good form though. I use perfect form on everything I do (not trying to sound cocky), thats just one of my biggest pet peves is horrible form.