Let's stay away from these opinions and discussions and define what a Squat is depending
on squatting depth.
It's a great way to work
on your squat depth and groove your hip hinge and squat pattern.
Not exact matches
Continue to work
on your single leg assisted
squats adding a bit more
depth as you feel stronger, until you are able to perform a deep
squat fully
on one leg before moving
on to a full pistol
squat.
Maybe you're
on the other side of this coin - maybe you're a coach, a physio, or any other movement specialist with those
depth cues always the tip of your tongue
on squat days (or wall ball days, cleans, snatches...).
Doing a «sort of max» also tends to keep athletes more honest with their technique, especially
on things like
squats, where athletes are notorious for missing that last two inches of
depth, just to hit the lift.
... it's very hard for me to keep my mouth shut and leave people to their partial
depth squats and legs -
on - the - bench presses.
As long as you're mobile enough, having a vertical torso can have a huge impact
on the
depth you achieve in the bottom end range of your
squat, if that's what you're going for.
For something like the back
squat, set the
squat rack safety pins to just below your
squat depth, and place the bar down
on the pins if you get caught.
That being said, because of the bar placement (anterior
on the shoulders) and because one is able to maintain a more upright torso during its execution, most people will be able to achieve a much deeper
depth with a front
squat.
Assessing the effect of
squat depth, Cotter et al. (2013) compared the effect of
squat depth on 1RM achieved and found that 1RM increased substantially in the order above parallel > parallel > below parallel.
the ever - present question
on squats,
squat depth, knee traveling during
squats.
Use basic
squatting technique; force knees out (don't let them collapse), come down to parallel or close to it (a
depth where you feel comfortable), do not round your lower back, try to simultaneously contract your abs, glutes and quads when you are «in the hole», control your movement in the downward phase (go slower that coming up out of the
squat), inhale
on the way down and exhale as you come out of the
squat.
Use basic
squatting technique; force knees out (don't let them collapse), come down to parallel or close to it (a
depth where you feel comfortable), do not round your lower back, try to simultaneously contract your abs, glutes and quads when you are «in the hole», inhale
on the way down and exhale as you come out of the
squat.
If you have trouble with
depth, check out my post
on How Deep To
Squat to Protect Your Knees to get the ankle mobility.
Front
squats — this a more quadriceps - dominant lift with decreased emphasis
on the spinal erectors, though increased emphasis
on the hips given increased
depth and position of the bar
For those rocking onto the toes at
depth, it's helpful to screen ankle mobility (http://drbradcole.com/the-ankle-mobility-audit/) and hip mobility then working
on squat stability to maintain rooted feet.
The Money Maker
on the BOSU Elite preps your body with a proper
squat form required to keep your body properly aligned and improve the quality,
depth, and control of ground based
squats.
There would of course be significant accessory work, depending
on the athlete's goals - a powerlifter may then perform significantly more barbell based posterior chain work, a track cyclist would move to Olympic
squats or
depth jumps, while a bodybuilder or recreational athlete may move to individual isolations.