Below Parallel, Parallel, or Half Squat???

[xjsynx]

Full squats. They are actually the safest and strengthen your knees.

[xjsynx]

Originally Posted by Crader

I was taught the ass to ankles approach

I taught my lil lady the same thing. Now she makes fun of the cats that don't and have bad form.

[B-natural]

Originally Posted by xjsynx

Full squats. They are actually the safest and strengthen your knees.

define full squat...

[xjsynx]

Full squat = A2g (Ass 2 ground/ankles);

[B-natural]

gotcha, so you feel that the possibility of overstretching the patellar tendon is fine?

[xjsynx]

At 90 degrees, the knee joint is at it's weakest and most unstable.

Here is some info:

"Squatting to parallel with legs bent at 90 degrees not only makes the exercise less effective, but increases the risk of injury. By not squatting through a full range of motion, you can't maintain proper lumbosacral body mechanics.

When performing the squat, the sacrum undergoes a process known as nutation. It tilts forward relative to the two ilia on either side of it. At approximately 90 degrees of knee bend, the sacrum tilts back in a process known as counternutation. These two functions, nutation and counternutation, basically describe the movement at the sacroiliac (SI) joint.

However, proper SI joint mechanics help to ensure optimal functioning of the rest of the spine. For example, some literature links SI dysfunction with lower back pain in up to 80% of cases.

In order to perform a full squat, flexibility and range of motion must be maintained in the lumbar spine and SI joint, as well as in muscles such as the iliopsoas, hip external rotators, piriformis, and gemelli.

If a client can't squat past 90 degrees of knee bend without their heels raising or their body bending excessively forward at the waist, but they can squat all the way to the floor while holding onto something, we know there are muscle imbalances and stability issues around the pelvic/lumbosacral region as opposed to a knee or ankle dysfunction.

Additionally, improper pelvic, hip, and/or lumbosacral mechanics could manifest down the kinetic chain as recurring knee or ankle problems. Thus, regular performance of the full squat offers a "screen" of the athlete's pelvic and lumbosacral flexibility. This could prevent injury or muscle imbalances long before they become chronic.

As far as studies go, Salem and Powers (2001) looked at patellofemoral joint kinetics in female collegiate athletes at three different depths of knee flexion — 70 degrees (above parallel), 90 degrees (at parallel), and 110 degrees (below parallel).

The researchers found that "...peak knee extensor moment, patellofemoral joint reaction force and patellofemoral joint stress did not vary significantly between the three squatting trials..." There was no support for the idea that squatting below parallel increased stress on the patellofemoral joint." - Alwyn Cosgrove

[xjsynx]

Myth #5: Squats are bad for your knees.

The truth: When proper form is used, squats are healthier for your knees than the "safe" machines often used to replace them.

This relentless myth arose in the 1950's and was based solely on one flawed study. A researcher in Texas, Dr. Carl Klein, was hell-bent on proving that deep knee bends (squats) were destructive to the knees, so he conducted a study with 100 lifters and 100 nonlifters. He put this little apparatus onto the knee and pushed laterally to see if it would move.

Pushing from the side like this showed ligament laxity. The gadget on the knee showed just how much it would bend. The problem with the study was that, before the subject got on the table, Dr. Klein would ask him whether or not he was a lifter. If the subject said yes, the good doctor would press harder on the apparatus! (One important reason why double-blind studies are more reliable!)

The results were flawed because of the researcher's bias and have never been repeated in subsequent studies. But the damaging data was out there: people were told that "squats were bad" and they still spread this myth today—50 years later!

The truth is that squatters usually have healthier knees than non-squatters. Studies on top powerlifters have shown that their knees are actually in better shape radiographically (X-rayed) than the general population. Squatters also have much tighter ACLs than nonlifters, meaning that their knees are more stable and less prone to injury.

The most glaring irony is that squats are often replaced with "safer" exercises such as hack squats and Smith machine movements. According to Dr. Ken Kinakin, the machine hack squat leads to more knee problems than the barbell free squat. And the Smith machine? Charles Poliquin once joked that it was invented by a physical therapist who wanted more business for himself!

What's wrong with the Smith? First, there's zero functional transfer to real life, sports or other lifts. It develops strength in only one dimension, predisposing you to injury in the undeveloped planes of movement. This is sometimes called pattern overload syndrome, and it can lead to medical bills in the long run.

Second, because the bar is fixed, a person doing Smith machine squats is able to lean against the bar, which is a natural response. This minimizes hip extension, thus allowing the hamstrings to take a siesta during the movement. Trouble is, the hamstrings help to stabilize the knee during squats, and the result of taking them out of the picture is to induce a shearing force on the joint. This might ultimately lead to a blown anterior cruciate ligament. Using the Smith machine for all your squatting definitely leads to you being a big fat dork.

Summary: As with any exercise, squats are perfectly safe if you use the correct technique, even safer than the "safe" machines misguided trainers sometimes prescribe to replace them!

[B-natural]

my mouth is shut....

[growstrong]

Originally Posted by egodog48

I always go ass-2-grass. I used to go just parallel but my squats got pretty heavy, and my knees got worse. Being unsure of what caused it I backed off heavy squats and started experimenting. I started off doing a2g squats and my knees started feeling much better. My best guesstimation is because my muscles were getting stronger than my tendons, but squatting all the way down allowed for the tendons to strengthen and stretch too. Anyways, thats what I do now and I have noticed great growth since I started doing it, and my knees feel much better (outside of tearing my right one in jiu jitsu, but that is a completely seperate issue)

Interesting egodog... I have bad knees as well so maybe less weight and ass to grass motion is what i need! How much weight decrease are we talkin here? I am totally for less weight for better form! Kinda whatever feels right?