squats - how low should I go?

[gimmejuice]

I'm back to strength training after a year of focusing on endurance training (distance running).

As I'm getting back to doing things I haven't done in a while, I find that I'm questioning my form.

When I squat, I do (and always have) come down until my knees are bent at a 90 degree angle, or perhaps slightly further.

However, I've been seeing guys going considerably lower than that lately - until there thigh is parallel to the floor and even further. This closes the angle of your knee down to about 60-70 degrees or so.

Now, I've been having knee pain the last few weeks since I've been lifting again (don't know if it's from squats, or hamstring curls). My knees didn't hurt at all for the last year of running.

I've been told that the lower you go with your squats, the more stress you put on your knees..

Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

Thanks
GJ

 

[SacToSD]

I do (did) lots of cycling, and had some knee stability issues. Everything I've heard about this issue is that going further than parallel puts stress on your knees. In my experience, though, I try not to worry so much about what other people have to say about knee issues... I judge it for myself. Whatever is comfortable and works is always the best plan. There are so many different variables in knee mechanics and everyone is different. Just do what feels right.

 

[oldfella]

For powerlifting you must break parallel but for muscle building just to parallel is fine.

 

[WildBB]

I personally like to vary it up.

 

[bearsfan]

I'm back to strength training after a year of focusing on endurance training (distance running).

As I'm getting back to doing things I haven't done in a while, I find that I'm questioning my form.

When I squat, I do (and always have) come down until my knees are bent at a 90 degree angle, or perhaps slightly further.

However, I've been seeing guys going considerably lower than that lately - until there thigh is parallel to the floor and even further. This closes the angle of your knee down to about 60-70 degrees or so.

Now, I've been having knee pain the last few weeks since I've been lifting again (don't know if it's from squats, or hamstring curls). My knees didn't hurt at all for the last year of running.

I've been told that the lower you go with your squats, the more stress you put on your knees..

Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

Thanks
GJ

I agree that there is a decent amount of stress on the knees the lower you go. however, the lower you go, the more activity there will be in your glutes and hamstrings. most of these guys that only go to 60-70 degrees usually are trying to impress with the amount of weight they can do

 

[pimpman]

I'm back to strength training after a year of focusing on endurance training (distance running).

As I'm getting back to doing things I haven't done in a while, I find that I'm questioning my form.

When I squat, I do (and always have) come down until my knees are bent at a 90 degree angle, or perhaps slightly further.

However, I've been seeing guys going considerably lower than that lately - until there thigh is parallel to the floor and even further. This closes the angle of your knee down to about 60-70 degrees or so.

Now, I've been having knee pain the last few weeks since I've been lifting again (don't know if it's from squats, or hamstring curls). My knees didn't hurt at all for the last year of running.

I've been told that the lower you go with your squats, the more stress you put on your knees..

Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

Thanks
GJ

google phill hernon and see how its done correctly

 

[gimmejuice]

I agree that there is a decent amount of stress on the knees the lower you go. however, the lower you go, the more activity there will be in your glutes and hamstrings. most of these guys that only go to 60-70 degrees usually are trying to impress with the amount of weight they can do

60-70 degrees is farther than 90 degrees. I'm referring to the angle at the inside of the knee.

Thanks for the responses.

GJ

 

[gimmejuice]

I should clarify that I'm not interested in being competative, or looking like a hardass, etc. I'm aware that going lower is much harder than not with a given ammount of weight.

I'll use heavy weight shallow, or light weight and go low - whatever you guys think will yield good results, and won't screw up my knee..

thanks,
GJ

 

[sizeon]

im i give yall a fact form sizeon , if your ham even barely touches your calf, youll put stress on the middle of the shin which can cause micro fracs,and the tension will put stress on the knee

 

[deadliftabc]

stress on the knees- ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT!

Ass to grass is the best exercise for the knees IF done correctly.
If you have pain in your knees, elbows, or shoulders, it is because you are doing something wrong, like overtraining or using weight that is too heavy or form, etc etc.

Tendonitis, back pain, all these things do not just happen to the unlucky,they happen to the unwise. Every injury or pain that I have ever had is because of something I did wrong.

It is very convenient to blame the exercise instead of admitting we are not the encyclopedia of weightlifting knowledge that we want everyone to believe.

 

[gimmejuice]

stress on the knees- ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT!

Ass to grass is the best exercise for the knees IF done correctly.
If you have pain in your knees, elbows, or shoulders, it is because you are doing something wrong, like overtraining or using weight that is too heavy or form, etc etc.

Tendonitis, back pain, all these things do not just happen to the unlucky,they happen to the unwise. Every injury or pain that I have ever had is because of something I did wrong.

It is very convenient to blame the exercise instead of admitting we are not the encyclopedia of weightlifting knowledge that we want everyone to believe.

I'm no encyclopedia. What's the correct way, so as to make this pain in my knee go away? Are there any good visual references online?

thanks
GJ

 

[6packguy]

I think either way is alright. I Usually go to parallel on my first 3 sets then i lighten it up and go ass to grass on my last two.

 

[Gunsmith]

I've done deep knee bends and squats since I started martial arts at age 6 , I started lifting at 14yrs old and realy power lifting at 17yrs old , I have always gone ass to floor with every weight I use , its physicaly impossible for me to go lower and not seperate my leg. If I try to stop at 90 deg or close I get knee pain by the third week , I just sick to going deep on all my sets.

My knees are fine , rarely get any pain and that mostly from being on my feet for 8-12 hrs standing in front of a lathe. I have had two hyper extensions in highschool football (one each knee) and smashed the shit out of my right knee in a car wreck , still no trouble.

I can't say that one way is better for everybody but I feel that the more range of motion that the muscle is under a load that the more its being forced to grow , that could be dead wrong but if make since in my little brain.

 

[get it in ya]

ya people say i cant break parallel because my knees hurt or its bad for your knees, thats such bullshit. its an excuse not to burry them. some will say i'm wrong but parallel is garbage, parallel is half reps . anyone that really knows how to squat burries them. when you go heavy wrap your knees and you will be fine

 

[tatteredxangelx]

1/4 an inch past parellel.

 

[king1033]

my personal preference to get those muscle fibers firing is on my warmup sets (135) i go as low as possible it basically just feel like im bending down, but this is only to get the blood flowing. i never really go to a weight i cant do less than 15 times so usually i stop at 315 for 15 reps. i find my legs grow better with light to heavy weight, perfect form and lots of REPS!!!!!. my leg workout is done after i complete 150 squats, 60 lunges and 40 stiff leg deads with some other stuff thrown in there. if i stumble down the steps of the gym going out to my car i know i did a job WELL DONE!!

 

[thebrick]

Well, that depends on how many years you want to squat pain-free

First off, I am not judging anybody's technique at all because I used to love squatting ass to the grass as much as any person here. But!!!… the chronic knee pain started after some years of this and this is the way my sports ortho doc put it me. It went off like a light in my head.

I have done a simple illustration to make his point. In which position is your patella undergoing the most stress and being pulled tight against the knee mechanism? …and therefore will wear over time at a faster rate? Now work that quad with 3, 4, or 5 hundred pounds on your back. The cartilage on the back of your patella is paper-thin (literally) and very, very slick. But it is not indestructible. Just some thoughts...

 

[deadliftabc]

I'm no encyclopedia. What's the correct way, so as to make this pain in my knee go away? Are there any good visual references online?

thanks
GJ

Not sure but you have to try and figure out what was the cause of the pain, that is the hard part. You said you were a biker, are you giving your knees complete days off for recuperation in between workouts? Are you pounding your knees in between your weight training with cardio?

I developed some back and elbow pain recently. Once I figure out I was not taking enough time off between workouts my back and elbow pain left immediately.

Do not train through your knee pain or you might fuck yourself up real bad. Maybe you are overtraining like I was? Check into that first maybe. How about your form? Are you sitting back when you squat? If not, that simple thing could fuck up your knees. Wish I knew the specific answer but it shouldn't be very hard to figure out if you stay positive and keep thinking about it.

 

[deadliftabc]

First off, I am not judging anybody's technique at all because I used to love squatting ass to the grass as much as any person here. But!!!… the chronic knee pain started after some years of this and this is the way my sports ortho doc put it me. It went off like a light in my head.

I have done a simple illustration to make his point. In which position is your patella undergoing the most stress and being pulled tight against the knee mechanism? …and therefore will wear over time at a faster rate? Now work that quad with 3, 4, or 5 hundred pounds on your back. The cartilage on the back of your patella is paper-thin (literally) and very, very slick. But it is not indestructible. Just some thoughts...

Good point.

I admit ass to grass can be extremely dangerous. An inch or two too low or a pound or two too heavy and you could be fucked. I would assume also if you rested the weight on your joints in the bottom that could destroy your knees also.

Dangerous exercise for sure, but holy fuck if you can do them without hurting yourself, the results are awesome.

 

[Iceman1800]

widen your stance and sit back more into the squat. This allows you to go deeper and lessen the angle on the knees reducing the stress on the joint. break parallel!