An example how to do squats PROPERLY!!!

[devilsmile]

This is more or less the argument that Rippetoe presents in Starting Strength, if I remember.  It's a great book but he didn't persuade me on ATG squats.  The most obvious objection that occurred to me is that even if we grant that the parallel position is so lousy, you're still passing through it twice during the ATG ROM.

He also discusses the engagement of various muscles in the deep squat, but never explained to my satisfaction why that would reduce stress on the knee joint, which continues to act as a fulcrum with a particular load regardless of the muscles which are in play on its lever arm.  Why would engaging glutes (which engage anyway, but I digress) reduce the load on the knee?

glutes and hips.


when you  go parrallel, you stop half way and immidately put the strain on your knees directly, but coming from the ground up, you stimulate your hip muscles and ass to do mor work than your knees actually does.

but hey whatever... I know only one guy who got a sholder joint problem... from using a board on his chest while benching  

Like i said, ATG technique CAn be done with A bad technique.

[devilsmile]

is everyone jsut watching that bitch squat and not focusing on the other peoplè? 

for fuck sake... IF YOU would be CORRECTus de Maximus, then those mens knees would have exploded from those ATG's wit hthose weights.

your science just don't apply to reality,

[Tapeworm]

glutes and hips.


when you  go parrallel, you stop half way and immidately put the strain on your knees directly, but coming from the ground up, you stimulate your hip muscles and ass to do mor work than your knees actually does.

but hey whatever... I know only one guy who got a sholder joint problem... from using a board on his chest while benching  

Like i said, ATG technique CAn be done with A bad technique.

The knee is a fulcrum for the lever of your thigh.  How are you connecting what's going on at the top end of the lever with reducing the load on the fulcrum given that the lever's length doesn't change, the weight upon it doesn't change, and the angle of the lever isn't more advantageous.  Hey, maybe you're right.  I'd just like to understand the mechanism.

Rippetoe's appeal to balancing forces within the joint as a function of hamstring engagement made more sense, but I still didn't find him all that compelling.

[MB]

Watching Olympic lifters sqaut is always motivational.  Bodybuilders and powerlifters don't have the same form and Olympic lifters make it look easy.

[Tapeworm]

is everyone jsut watching that bitch squat and not focusing on the other peoplè? 

for fuck sake... IF YOU would be CORRECTus de Maximus, then those mens knees would have exploded from those ATG's wit hthose weights.

your science just don't apply to reality,

I'm just playing Devil's Advocate for the sake of the readers.    There are still 2 sides to this far from resolved debate.

I don't recall saying anything about dynamite in anyone's knees, lol.  Damage can be cumulative as well as traumatic.

[devilsmile]

there are two sides of this coin... one is, that your theories does have logic...

the second side of the coin is, i see more people doing ATG and be fine... and they aren't some kind of mutants, some "X-men"- elite group, they just do it properly.

If you tell a kindergardener to go to squat position, what does he/she do? Exactly, go "DOWN", not stay up.

[devilsmile]

funny how you also said "2 sides in this"

I guess it's an even battle then... I don't know do you agree with me when i say, you hade logic, and that I had common sense.

hmmh.... I don't know do i even agree with  it... cross fire, we both wone...

(no homo)

[mesmorph78]

Below parallel for me
not every body is built to touch the ground with their ass
same as everybody isn't built for bench etc
don't try and prove anything to anybody one should listen their own body because once you blow out your knees all the people talking bullshit will still be their your however will be screwed for the rest of your life

[Tapeworm]

funny how you also said "2 sides in this"

I guess it's an even battle then... I don't know do you agree with me when i say, you hade logic, and that I had common sense.

hmmh.... I don't know do i even agree with  it... cross fire, we both wone...

(no homo)

Yeah, I just feel (and hope) that I'm erring on the side of caution.  I'm a little paranoid when it comes to injury because it will affect my income, but joint issues are one of those things that probably takes years to develop unless you drop a piano on it, and anyone can develop it in a million different ways.

[oldtimer1]

It was great seeing those elite olympic lifters show the speedo wearing crowd how to squat.  Every gym I go to you see some clown with four plates on each side doing little knee dips like the queen is in front of them.  If they went down they wouldn't have the strength to get out and they would be pinned. 

The myth of full squats came from a really amateurish study that  took place in the sixties.  Bill Starr could tell you how bad the study was.  Since that time it has been repeated without any proof that deep knee bends are bad for your knees.

The real truth is that for healthy knees it improves knee strength and improves the health of the knee joint.  In third world countries don't millions sit in a full squat instead of sitting in a chair.  I don't see a ton of knee problems in these countries. 


Call a spade a spade.  Shorten the range of motion in any exercise lets you increase the poundage used dramatically.  That's why these ego lifters are doing these shallow squats, leg presses, incline benches and just about any press.  It gives the little boy inside them some confidence by saying look at me and the weight I use. 

When working out try to figure out how to make an exercise harder not easier.

[#1 Klaus fan]

Those guys are complete fucking morons.  I mean what the fuck does squatting all of that weight really prove?  They will have nothing but knee problems later in life.

No-one just can not be this ignorant...

[luvvsuNOT]

I'm starting to think that nobody in getbig really enjoys training  , "why take it seriously, you're never gonna be a olympic champion"

I don't think like that... ass to the grass is safe if you do it properly. doing parrallel squats puts even more strain to knees... what doesn't fucking put strain on your knees anyway. Parrallel squats does it more than ass to the grass, though.

Oh goody, not only do we get lessons in life and spiritual enlightenment from this mommy's boy we also get to listen to him lecture us on squatting -- LOL! Easily the most conceited full of himself emo twink on this board.

[devilsmile]

Oh goody, not only do we get lessons in life and spiritual enlightenment from this mommy's boy we also get to listen to him lecture us on squatting -- LOL! Easily the most conceited full of himself emo twink on this board.

I'm just gonna bumb this to show you I don't care for antiques. I allways said I was a twink, I I have more face/body pictures floating around the web than you have posts.
Full of my self? No... live for nothing, die for something? Yes.

by the way that's 7- 10month old pic as I told everyone when I joined this site 10 months ago that at that time I was at my worst, I'm going to post "improvement" soon here without the gayness.

[Tombo]

I don't understand why people with an interest in bodybuilding always look to critique others squat form.. not everyone can fully commit to a deep squat with their build, muscle+tendon elasticity and ROM and even injuries, I can only squat JUST below parallel, but It works well for me, I feel it in my glutes, hams and quads and have an intense workout, then onto legpress etc.

[MONSTER_TRICEPS]

"It's not about the weight.... blabla feeling the muscle etc"

how come then that these guys are generally weak as it gets and are sporting 25 inch legs with their 18 inch arms?

[gib]

The doing them properly is the Olympic lifter doing 290kg - that's really a proper squat (or what we call a "deep squat").

[flinstones1]

Great post, especially this video of Cara Heads.

devilsmile is also 100% correct, full squatting is safer and natural.

this chick  has a world class ass 

[flinstones1]

I cant squat 405 yet my legs are just about as good as these guys. there is no reason to do squats if your a bodybuilder or want to build good legs. Its a glute dominant movement anyways. There are these guys at my gym with no chest, no arms, no shoulder development, who think they are badass cause they squat 500 pounds yet look like fat guys in clothes with thier huge blocky waists.

[MONSTER_TRICEPS]

I cant squat 405 yet my legs are just about as good as these guys. there is no reason to do squats if your a bodybuilder or want to build good legs. Its a glute dominant movement anyways. There are these guys at my gym with no chest, no arms, no shoulder development, who think they are badass cause they squat 500 pounds yet look like fat guys in clothes with thier huge blocky waists.

Because different people have different goals. Maybe you don't care about strength, but I would be embarassed if i was "huge" and couldn't squat 4 plates. It's not just about the look for me, also about atletic ability.

[_bruce_]

I squat every day for Bluto'esque glute development.

[flinstones1]

Because different people have different goals. Maybe you don't care about strength, but I would be embarassed if i was "huge" and couldn't squat 4 plates. It's not just about the look for me, also about atletic ability.

I would much rather have a big bench any day. And besides you need to have the biomechanics to squat big weights and that requires not having long femurs. If you have long legs then squatting will only work your glutes and youll end up with a huge ass and small quads and probbaly shitty hamstrings as well. Leg curls, leg extrensions,hack squats, are much better choices than the olympic style back squat.

cant be hardcore though without squats

[hmontaq]

My shoulders hurt for no reason regularly...

[oldtimer1]

There is a reason why bodybuilders are called mirror athletes. How much would these Olympic lifters squat if they used the shallow squats 95% of bodybuilders use?  For a real athlete function will dictate form.  For a bodybuilder it's always about looks. If you can't run around the block I don't care how your thighs look. 

[flinstones1]

There is a reason why bodybuilders are called mirror athletes. How much would these Olympic lifters squat if they used the shallow squats 95% of bodybuilders use?  For a real athlete function will dictate form.  For a bodybuilder it's always about looks. If you can't run around the block I don't care how your thighs look. 

if you have big quads I dont care how my  squat  form looked.

[boonasty]

what is wrong with your hands?  do you have arthritis?