I'm not trying to get into an argument either. I was just curious about your reasoning.
Nice post BTW.
I see what you're saying and I somewhat agree that wide stance squats looks different.
But I still think it's pretty easy to see that Byrd is nowhere near going as deep as Kazmaier.
As far as your experiment goes:
It's a very good point and goes to show that certain lifting stances are better for reaching legal depth.
Eg, if you keep your back erect instead of tilting it forward a whole lot, you will get to legal depth much quicker and easier.
The same goes for extreme wide stances vs a narrow stance.
With a narrow stance and a perfectly erect back, you will reach legal depth the quickest.
At least that's what my basic biomecanic knowledge tells me.
But you may not be strongest in gear that way.
This is just some food for thought, not trying to press an argument here either.
If you squat with that more erect position and a narrower stance (meaning shoulder width), you may reach parallel quicker, but you stand a chance of eventually destroying your knees over time because of the sheering forces on the stifle joint ligaments. In my mind, how I'm visualizing that narrow foot placement, with a very upright stance isn't a squat either. Its more of a deep knee bend. I also dont' know about reaching parallel quicker because you have a longer stroke that you must perform to get the weight down. The wider the stance, the shorter the weight has to move after setup is completed.
I learned to do what I consider a "correct" squat by trial and error after fucking up both knees and living with knee pain for years. Imagine my surprise when I got Rippetoe's book and read the first chapter (pages 8-64) where the basic stance I'd developed to keep my knees from hurting was described in detail. I'm an upper 700, low 800 lb squatter now days with gym squats in the mid-upper 600's in just knee wraps and a belt (I rarely squat over 635 without putting on light briefs because I think they protect my hips, so technically, alot of the time I'm not squatting heavy RAW. I'll be in light briefs and knee wraps). Honestly, I'm 45 lbs heavier now than I was when I decided to return to powerlifting, my knees feel better now than they have in a long, long time. The only problem I have is hamstring tightness, which I think comes from too much time sitting in a car and at a desk vs riding my bike like I did when I was in college. I don't think thats a product of squat form or technique.
If you use the guidelines of that book of squatting down until the femur is parallel to the floor, the tibia almost perpendicular to the floor with the knees even to or just over the front of the toes, and the back is such that the bar is from the base of the toes to the middle of the foot and assuming that position with allows you to clasp both hands together in front between the knees you will have assumed what some call a "wide stance" squat, especially if they use the diagram that was posted above. Again, it makes me wonder about how accurate the diagram is, even though I think its used for every major powerlifting federation now days. Its very common. I dont'know but what it maybe shouldn't be redrawn and replaced too.
The book gives a very good discussion on why this is a "correct" squat form--meaning one that maximizes biomechanics, minimizes injury, and allows the most weight to be used. It also is the reason I'm thinking the way I am.
