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2003/06/10, 06:02 PM
hey guys, we all know sqauts are one of the best compond exercises but how far down should you go? I've always done them right down to the bottom, but I've been told this could be bad for the knees..anyone? I prefer them with the full motion as they give me a better pump and are harder to do.
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2003/06/10, 07:54 PM
I usually go down parallel (a lot of the times without a mirror though I find myself cheating and not getting all the way there) which seems to work well for my legs if I use a sufficient amount of weight. I have tried going all the way down in the past and it didn't seem to cause that much more of a pump in my legs or hurt my knees for that matter but I still prefer just going parallel. Seems to hit my legs well if thats whats on my plan for legs for the day. I also use a belt when I squat but in the past when I used to try squats with a full ROM I didn't have a belt so I'm not sure if a lifting belt would interfere with going all the way down... maybe i'll give it a shot next time i'm at the squat rack. On a flip though the one exercise that did hurt bad were sissie squats. My quads felt it the next day but my knees around the joints hurt like hell... I tried changing my form a bit and doing them a few weeks later and had about the same results so I haven't done any sissie squats since...
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2003/06/11, 11:25 AM
Here's an interesting article on full ROM squats - written for beginners but takes an interesting POV - this link only opens the frame on squats so to give credit it is from Krista Smash's women's weight lifting site -
http://www.stumptuous.com/learnsquat.html
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2003/06/11, 02:21 PM
I have had people tell me to go to the floor because of my little glute problem then when I start this, someone will walk up and tell me I am going to blow out my knees by going down to the floor. From below parallel if your flexibility will allow this, you will mainly use glutes and hams. From parallel up, the quads take the brunt of the work. Try 21's sometime and see, this will stress this point. I have good flexibility for my age, and I go with what is comfortable to me. When you go below parallel you hit the glutes and hamstrings harder. When you go above or parallel only you are hitting the quads. Find your comfort zone!
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I will lift my own weight someday!!!!!
THE NATURAL WAY IS THE ONLY TRUE PATH TO SUCCESS, PRIDE, JOY, HAPPINESS, LONG TERM FULFILLMENT AND SELF-ESTEEM!
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2003/06/11, 02:28 PM
I do not suggest going below just past parallel (unless you're training for an Olympic lift). If you are using pounds that are sufficient for muscle and strength growth, then by going too deep, all that you are doing is damaging the connective tissue in the knees, and removing the stress from the muscle groups that you need to work, i.e., legs and glutes.
Check out this previous post as well:
http://www.freetrainers.com/FT/jsp/pro/Message.jsp?f_ix=1&t_ix=1067
Good luck....
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Michael
"Trample the weak; hurdle the dead!"
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2003/06/11, 03:43 PM
Thanks again guys for the advice and useful links!
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