Great Squat article by Jim Wendler

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  • #5116

    acarnovale
    Keymaster
    #100302

    pshannon
    Member

    +1 Good catch

    #100303

    AdamFiddler
    Guest

    This was awesome, thanks man. 

    #100304

    Lesli Bortz
    Participant

    Thanks for passing on… Those first two pics, is it ideal for most people to squat that deep….if so I've got more work to do  :-

    #100305

    Minnich
    Participant

    Definitely a worth while article!  After reading it, I think I need to work on “opening up my groin” when I squat in order to get lower.

    #100306

    acarnovale
    Guest

    Thanks for passing on... Those first two pics, is it ideal for most people to squat that deep....if so I've got more work to do  :-

    I'd say both of those are right at or a little below parallel. If you're having trouble reaching proper depth try adding in some goblet squats (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKmrXTx6jZs) to your warm-up. Give the Agile 8 he mentions in the article a try too as I've found it really helps warm me up.

    #100307

    pshannon
    Member

    Thanks for passing on... Those first two pics, is it ideal for most people to squat that deep....if so I've got more work to do  :-

    It is ideal to squat at least to parallel. Squats take a lot of practice, and are a lift that you need confidence to perform correctly. Practice makes perfect of course! Box squats are a great idea to reach depth, as well as goblet squats. I always start my leg workout but doing some really explosive goblet squats to warm up the hips. 

    #100308

    Lesli Bortz
    Participant

    Thank you – time to lighten the weight AGAIN… I'm going lower than I was after some suggestions and now I see it must be even lower. But whatever. Hurts the pride a little but wrong is wrong….

    #100309

    Gl;itch.e
    Member

    Thanks for passing on... Those first two pics, is it ideal for most people to squat that deep....if so I've got more work to do  :-

    It is ideal to squat at least to parallel. Squats take a lot of practice, and are a lift that you need confidence to perform correctly. Practice makes perfect of course! Box squats are a great idea to reach depth, as well as goblet squats. I always start my leg workout but doing some really explosive goblet squats to warm up the hips.

    Dont know about that actually. The only reason parallel is so often talked about is because its part of the rules of powerlifting that you have to break parallel. For the average trainer going above or below is fine depending on your goals. If your goals are powerlifting however you HAVE to go to parallel and lower. Also Ive run across things before that state that stopping at parallel is more stressful on the knees than going lower. As wendler says in the article (which was great btw thanks for posting it) you have to find what works for you.

    #100310

    acarnovale
    Guest

    Thanks for passing on... Those first two pics, is it ideal for most people to squat that deep....if so I've got more work to do  :-

    It is ideal to squat at least to parallel. Squats take a lot of practice, and are a lift that you need confidence to perform correctly. Practice makes perfect of course! Box squats are a great idea to reach depth, as well as goblet squats. I always start my leg workout but doing some really explosive goblet squats to warm up the hips.

    Dont know about that actually. The only reason parallel is so often talked about is because its part of the rules of powerlifting that you have to break parallel. For the average trainer going above or below is fine depending on your goals. If your goals are powerlifting however you HAVE to go to parallel and lower. Also Ive run across things before that state that stopping at parallel is more stressful on the knees than going lower. As wendler says in the article (which was great btw thanks for posting it) you have to find what works for you.

    Good point about finding what works. I think more people need to take some time to experiment within their program (of course, changing as little as possible and sticking with it long enough to make a good conclusion).Although, the one thing I have always heard about stopping above parallel vs. below/at parallel is that the former actually puts MORE stress on the knee as it makes the squat very quad dominant whereas going to or below parallel puts more emphasis on the hamstrings/glutes. I believe I read it in starting strength, but I could be wrong. I'd imagine that no matter where you squat to the important point are keeping a good arch and forcing your knees out.

    #100311

    Daniel Lott
    Member

    Although, the one thing I have always heard about stopping above parallel vs. below/at parallel is that the former actually puts MORE stress on the knee as it makes the squat very quad dominant whereas going to or below parallel puts more emphasis on the hamstrings/glutes. I believe I read it in starting strength, but I could be wrong.

    Yep, Starting Strength makes some good arguments on why you need to go at least down to parallel regardless of competition rules that may not be relevant to you.  Here's an article from EliteFTS that goes into some of that, where the gist is that partial squats are worse for your knees and also reduce involvement of the posterior chain (which if you goal is to hit the quads harder, why not just do front squats instead): http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/why-the-hell-would-i-want-to-half-squat/Oh and yes, those 2 pictures look like good examples of proper depth to me.  Crease of the hips (not top of the quad) should be down even with the knee.

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Great Squat article by Jim Wendler

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