How Low Should You Skwaat?

There is much debate over how low you should squat, should it be
‘Ass to the grass’ (ATG) ?
Below parallel ?
Just to parallel ?
Above parallel ?

WATCH THIS SQUAT TUTORIAL

First thing you should consider when squatting is safety. You want to be able keep the correct positioning of the spine throughout the movement. There is no point in performing a ATG squat if your lower back is a rounded position (flexion) , this is asking for trouble when you have a load on your back.

If you are an olympic lifter then perhaps squatting ATG is important as it will carry over to being in the bottom position of the lifts, for a powerlifter going below parrallel is all thats required in competition so there is no need for them to be going lower than this. It may even limit the amount of weight they can use which will put them as a disadvantage in competition compared to others who are using a shorter ROM.

Also worth mentioning is the old claim that “ Squats hurt my knees,so i can’t go low” this is a false claim unless you have some sort of specific injury, If you learn the proper technique you will more than likely be fine.

As coach Dan John says ” Remember, squats don’t hurt your knees, but how you perform them can “

Deep squats can actually help to protect the knee by strengthening it through a full range of movement.
( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23821469)

There are numerous factors that will affect an individuals squat depth, bone structure,mobility,technique, foot position and bar position.

For example a 6ft 3” guy with long femurs (thigh bone) squat is going to look very different to a guy that’s 5ft 7”and has short femurs. However this doesn’t mean that the tall guy can still not achieve a reasonable squat depth. The tall guy may find squatting with a barbell on his back really difficult to get below parallel but when he changes to performing a front squat he can achieve a greater ROM. Unless you are training for a completion that requires you perform a certain exercise don’t be stuck to the idea that you MUST perform certain lifts.

For the general gym goer, trying to get below parrallel while maintaining a good position of the spine should be the aim to maximise muscle gains. If you cannot achieve this, try to find out what is stopping you and work on getting to this depth or perhaps try another variation of squat.