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Getbig Bodybuilding Boards => Training Q&A => Topic started by: J Grey on December 11, 2008, 08:07:05 PM
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for developing massive quads, I don't want a round ass though; is it just as good or even better if I go parallel?
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who would want a flat ass? Chicks don't like that shit unless the difference is made up with a fat ass wallet.
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I've always been wary of damaging my knees by going too low, so I start low and get higher as I increase the weight, so that my final set is at parallel. It seems to work OK, and I never have any knee problems.
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There's some evidence that stopping at parallel is harder on the knees than going all the way down - once you pass parallel your glutes and hamstrings can help share some of the load, whereas at parallel your quads and knees have to stop the downward momentum and reverse it back up. Something to consider.
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There's some evidence that stopping at parallel is harder on the knees than going all the way down - once you pass parallel your glutes and hamstrings can help share some of the load, whereas at parallel your quads and knees have to stop the downward momentum and reverse it back up. Something to consider.
that's true, partial is harder for knees, cos in the full squat the hams protect your knees.
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There's some evidence that stopping at parallel is harder on the knees than going all the way down - once you pass parallel your glutes and hamstrings can help share some of the load, whereas at parallel your quads and knees have to stop the downward momentum and reverse it back up. Something to consider.
Thats what knee wraps are for ;D
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Sink it
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I've found going right to the bottom to be less stressful on my knees...and my whole body just feels better too.
Bearing in mind I've had a knee arthroscopy as well.
I think going to just parallel all the time would just create muscle imbalances and tug at the tendons causing more problems...going all the way down, I get a great stretch and like I said it makes my knee feel better. But I stay with lighter weights though focusing more on form and just feeling the muscles more, if you know what I mean.
I put a plate under each heal though....I've only been squatting the last few months (instead of leg press) so it's helped with my form. Don't even think I need them anymore but I feel more stable with them and they helped get my stance to a narrow one.
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You get a good stretch reflex just before the bottom, that is a good depth.
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Squats were good, box squats were even better in terms of both development and in training a little harder, because there was more safety knowing that if i couldn't make it up i could just sit back down until helped up by spotters.
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Ass to calves, all the way. Best compound movement to develop your lower body...it hits everything. There is almost no need to do anything else.
I used to be scared to death of going all the way down, I thought I would hurt something. I'm a total convert now.
It takes your joints, hips, and knees some time to get used to, so ease into it...back off the weight and get used to the exercise first, and get comfortable with your stance and proper form. Once you are there, you'll see the results and never go back to parallel squatting again. 8)
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There's some evidence that stopping at parallel is harder on the knees than going all the way down - once you pass parallel your glutes and hamstrings can help share some of the load, whereas at parallel your quads and knees have to stop the downward momentum and reverse it back up. Something to consider.
100% spot on.
Parallel sqats = worst for knees.
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100% spot on.
Parallel sqats = worst for knees.
Why it's worst for knees ?
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Ass to calves, all the way. Best compound movement to develop your lower body...it hits everything. There is almost no need to do anything else.
I used to be scared to death of going all the way down, I thought I would hurt something. I'm a total convert now.
It takes your joints, hips, and knees some time to get used to, so ease into it...back off the weight and get used to the exercise first, and get comfortable with your stance and proper form. Once you are there, you'll see the results and never go back to parallel squatting again. 8)
big round ass here I come :D ... :'(
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Why it's worst for knees ?
Because the hamstrings work heavily on the deep part of the squat and pull the knee back.
This way, the quadriceps protects the knee in the upper part and the hamstring in the deeper part.
On the 90 degree angle, the pressure for the knee is the highest, when the power shifts from quads to hams.
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Ok next leg workout i will try it.
Thx.
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I'd say they can both be problems for knees in different ways. I didn't have problems with box squats for many years.
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I'd say they can both be problems for knees in different ways. I didn't have problems with box squats for many years.
How do you box squat? Touch-and-go? Westside? Straight up and down with a pause?
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Straight up and down, barely touching. Pause for a few seconds at the top later in the set. I found bench squats to be more effective and safer than full squats. Using a 2" block under the heels on any type of squat improves balance and removes some of the pressure from the knees.
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just as a note, it's not a box squat if you don't actually sit on the box. if you're barely touching, you're just using the box to help you gauge your depth. it's a completely different exercise.
for me, box squats are a little rougher on the knees because i use more weight. parallel squats are in the same boat. the best way to save your knees is basically make sure your knees don't go over your toes, but if you do things WSB style you aren't going to be building your thighs much at all.
just do front squats. save time.
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I use the term box squat as a general term, because that's the popular term that people know. I always used a bench, one that wasn't too high, and we called them bench squats.
I don't think front squats are the same, myself i didn't do them.
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okay, i'm just saying that using the term "box squat" is going to confuse people ("people" meaning "me" in this case, haha). i tend to do them with a bench as well because we have some hilariously strong ones and i can use 5 plates without the thing even bending.
i said front squats not because they're even remotely similar to a box squat, sorry if it seemed that way. what i was saying was that if the question is "what depth should i go to in order to hit my quads the best", it might be a good idea just to front squat and not have to worry about if you're doing it for maximum quad activation or whatever.
i'm horrible at them, largely because i don't do them and partly because my squat training for the past few years has left my quads pretty behind the times while my posterior chain started to take over. but i think they're fantastic for the thighs, especially if you have a shoe with a heel (or alternately a flat shoe with a 2.5 plate under your heels).
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This is about as perfect as you can get:
(http://www.kraft.is/ymislegt/manadar/myndir/903%20Squat.jpg)
(http://www.monstermuscle.com/images/Posters6.jpg)
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ass to calves all the way. I usually do 405 and less down to the ground. Any more than that and I go to this depth (pic from a few weeks ago)...
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go as far down as u comfortably can, then come back up! its all about doing this as part of your lifestyle. Your no good if your squatting ass to grass, get injured and can never squat again.
its much better to squat with perfect form ( however that might be for your body ) then trying to do something u cant physically do just because someone on an internet message board told u to.
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go as far down as u comfortably can, then come back up! its all about doing this as part of your lifestyle. Your no good if your squatting ass to grass, get injured and can never squat again.
its much better to squat with perfect form ( however that might be for your body ) then trying to do something u cant physically do just because someone on an internet message board told u to.
this is good advice. it feels a lot more comfortable for me going to parallel than with my ass to my calves. maybe this is because im tall?
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There have been many white papers about stopping at parallel and reversing directions when squating. Other research that say going any lower than parallel is a danger. A case can be said for both studies. Though when helping people with squating, I have them go a few inches below the parallel line. I believe that stopping at the parallel point (or just above) is something that should be avoided. Just my view, that's all. This goes for sets of 2's or 20 reps.
Olympic lifters come to mind. Doing 400-500 squat cleans, ass almost touching the platform, is very impressive. These are front squats (with heels raises for better balance), with focus more on the front quads, and the knees, than regular back squat. Front squats are very hard to recover from when in that extra deep position after the clean. But, for the most part, the knees seem to handle that extra stress well.
Let's face it, a lot of men just do not have the confidence to bottom out when doing regular squats. Or they were never taught the correct way to squat, which can give greater stress on the lower back. Back pain from squating can be caused by poor form/weight shift and balance. Combine this with too much weight on the bar (you might think you know how to squat...but maybe not as well as you believe ) can lead to trouble. Good Luck.
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for developing massive quads, I don't want a round ass though; is it just as good or even better if I go parallel?
Squat ass to calves but make sure the bar is high up, not low on the back.
Regular/Regular narrow stance.
Keep the back erect during the whole lift.
That way you will use your quads more, and the ass and hips less.
Make sure to stretch plenty in the hip area before and after training.
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Squat ass to calves but make sure the bar is high up, not low on the back.
Regular/Regular narrow stance.
Keep the back erect during the whole lift.
That way you will use your quads more, and the ass and hips less.
Make sure to stretch plenty in the hip area before and after training.
That is bad ass right there.
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Anything above slightly below paralell is for wimps.
At least break parallell or you ain`t really doing a squat.
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Ass to heels for me every time - I gave up doing parallel squats about ten years ago becuase a) my legs weren't growing, and b) my knees were getting seriously fucked up.
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I HAVE tried going parelell or below and i always hurt my lower back......SO i stay just above paralell
I get a VERY good pump throughout my quads and im still adding weight so i figure im doing SOMETHING right.
That video ( OH MY GOD ) GREAT stuff man
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if, IF, you are one of the extremely rare fools who must squat above parallel, then the key is to not go heavy. your knees will blow up if you try to do heavy reps and drop all the weight on your knees. i heavily advise against it for two reasons: one, the knee issue. two: it's hard to know if you're going deep enough as opposed to just going far down as you can.
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I see so many kids at my gym getting ready to squat 4-5 plates in the Smith Macvhine that I no longer bother watching as I know they are gonna` just do a fucking curtsy with the weight.
I doubt if they could get one rep atg with 185.............seriousl y.
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I see so many kids at my gym getting ready to squat 4-5 plates in the Smith Macvhine that I no longer bother watching as I know they are gonna` just do a fucking curtsy with the weight.
I doubt if they could get one rep atg with 185.............seriousl y.
qft
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a bit ago a kid in the gym was doing curtsy squats with 295, so i told him outright to do some box squats because he's lifting for sports and partials are just going to lead to injury.
we put 185 on the bar 'cause he figures it'd be an easy warmup, using a bench that wasn't especially low, and he almost shit himself. needed help on the first rep. super humbling. but i think he's going to be sticking with it and moving some real weight soon. :D
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ATC
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Not only is it easier on the knees but I find it easier to get back up if I go ATG. Even with box squats I would work below parallel. Most people don't squat so they don't worry about this issue.
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Squatting ATG is not doable for everyone in my opinion. If you can do it and keep your lumbar spine straight then you probably should. you will still get a tremendous amount of good from squats if you get around parallel and progress with your weights. If you are getting bad type of pain from doing squats then you really need to assess your form.
I completely agree that people only moving the bar a few inches is simply nonsense really. There is a huge difference from doing that versus getting to or close to parallel..
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Squatting ATG is not doable for everyone in my opinion. If you can do it and keep your lumbar spine straight then you probably should. you will still get a tremendous amount of good from squats if you get around parallel and progress with your weights. If you are getting bad type of pain from doing squats then you really need to assess your form.
I completely agree that people only moving the bar a few inches is simply nonsense really. There is a huge difference from doing that versus getting to or close to parallel..
Totally agree with the above. Those atg purist maybe should realize that not everybody is made for squatting really deep.
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youve got to be pretty flexable to go super deep,, you want to squat as low as u can without your lower back rounding, if thats just below parallel or rock bottom, so be it!