Squat Form: ATG or Parallel?

[Matt "Gumby" Glach]

I've heard and read so many mixed opinions on squat form that I need to find out once and for all. So I ask the Nibiru community, since our knees are precious... which way of squatting is the way that is bad for your knees, ATG (ass to the ground), or Parallel (squatting down to where your quads are parallel to the ground)???

Thanks!

[Stephan Pepin]

I am no expert but I dont have the best knees due to my childhood. Im gonna have to say that Parallel is the way to not get hurt if you do ass to the ground your going to be bending your knees to much and for someone with bad knees its going to crack everytime. If you only go to Parallel then you can fully use your muscles and not your joints. I use my TRX for leg workouts I do alot of squat variations and one legged squat stuff I have noticed that its not as good for my knees to go all the way down past parallel and only really did it when I was tired. I would like to hear someone with good knees tell their opinion.

[Stephan Pepin]

I had no clue people from Afghanistan squat all the time late into life

[ErikSheets]

The correct form is parallel. I was part of a power lifting team in college as well as minoring in excercise science. There are arguments for both ways, but ATG puts excess pressure on the knee. While you can go all the way to the ground (because your knee can bend that much), the added weight does cause the joint to travel past it's normal range of motion. While it may not feel bad at the time repitious movements past the normal range of motion will eventually cause irreparable damage. Especially at higher weights. Slower controlled movements within your full range of motion work the muscles much better than fast jerking movements with bad form.

[Randy Butler]

I would say parallel. ATG puts alot of pressure and strain on your knees. I dont cant even do free squats anymore from doing ATG back in high school. I just do squat machines now with low weight, high rep.

[Stephan Pepin]

Glad to see people agree with me about the bending the knees to far when you do ATG I just figured its common sense.

[Matt "Gumby" Glach]

Thanks guys, confirmed my inclination. Hopefully the 2 years of doing ATG in undergrad wont come back to haunt me later in life.

[Pete Daly]

While important, your question is secondary to proper technique. The main thing with squats is to pick a spot on the ceiling and stare at it while you do the squat. That helps keep your back straight and your shoulders back, and should keep pressure off your back and knees to put that pressure on your quads. You can go as deep as you want (I was always told the deeper the better, and you can definitely feel a difference). When you start getting way up in weight is when you should ask your original question again, and the answer will be parallel.

[Xsimon]

I think it has more to do with putting the weight on your heels. If you allow your weight to be over your toes you put too much stress on the ligaments in your knees. This is the same reason why Afghans can squat on their heels well into the latter parts of life. They don't use chairs a lot of the time, they just squat.

I'm not even sure if that was racist or not :P... but you squat atg as a baby, some people lose the hip flexibility etc.. as they get older because they don't squat etc.. anymore. So if they go atg they will be like a foot over their toes when their shins should be practically perpendicular to the floor. Also some people shouldn't go that low because they have a long spine.. so going that low(some even can't make parallel.. freaky long spines) would cause them to lose their arch in their back. People swear by atg.. saying it saved their knees.. people swear by parallel for the same reason. Physics(of the load progression) and kinesiology can push either way.

Basically their is no right answer.. everyone will always argue about it.

Personal experience --> I go to parallel or just bellow in my squat workouts. But I sometimes do atg as an accessory right after or if my knees have been bothering me for a while a few weeks of them make my knees feel better.

ooh.. atg also doesn't mean go as low as physically possible.. you're going to want to stop before your hams press up on your calf or you're going to be pulling your knee apart

edit:This is basically a neutral post not pushing for one or the other.. Almost all the injuries people get are from terrible form because of a lack of flexibility or a lack of understanding of their personal body mechanics.