Full Squats For Full Results

The general rule in gyms everywhere is that when you do squats, you should go down until the thighs are at least parallel with the floor.

I'm not a big believer in general rules, especially when it comes to weight lifting. Most "experts" feel that you should never perform less than parallel squats. This, however, only shows their lack of understanding of muscle biomechanics. People fear what they don't understand. But I know that even half squats have their benefits. For instance, research shows that you are significantly stronger in the top half position of the squat. That means to place extra overload on the quads to instigate more muscle growth and strength gains, half squats may be a good idea to do from time to time. Another study found that the vastus medialis (tear drop muscle) of the quads was maximally stimulated during half squats. So those trying to bring up the tear drop muscle would be well served to include some half squats from time to time.

What's interesting about doing squats to parallel is the fact that this is NOT even the full range of motion during this movement.

Squatting down well past parallel, or what some intimately call "ass-to-floor squats" or deep squats is actually the full range of motion during a squat. So why don't most people do full range of motion (ROM) squats. Well there are several reasons. The first is that most people lack the flexibility to go that low. The second reason is that they are very hard to do and can limit the amount of weight you can use. And the third reason is that most people have been misinformed that they will damage the knees. But there is no evidence that full ROM squats done with proper and controlled form leads to knee damage. That's like saying that doing a full curl to the top position will damage your elbows. In fact, several long-term studies suggest that doing full ROM squats does not have negative effects on knee ligament stability or place the knee joint at risk of injury. Plus, they have been shown to reduce stress on the spine.

Research suggests that doing full ROM or "deep" squats may be more beneficial for developing bigger, stronger, more powerful quads.

In the most recent study, researchers from the University of Alberta (Canada) calculated what is known as the "net joint movement" NJM of the ankles, knees, and hips during squats to parallel (about 105 degrees of knee flexion) and full ROM squats (about 120 degrees of knee flexion). This technique is used in biomechanical studies to determine the minimum muscular torque required by the muscles that move that joint. In other words, the NJM of the knee joint determines the amount of force supplied by the quads. The more force, the more muscle activity. And the more force supplied ,the stronger the muscle can get. The more muscle activity involved, the greater the potential for muscle growth. They reported that the NJM of the knee joint was approximated 20% greater during full squats as compared to parallel squats. Similar results on NJM of the knee joint during full squats versus parallel squats were also reported earlier by Swedish researchers in a 1996 study. This can have a major impact on leg strength and size. In fact, a soon to be published study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research by German researchers reported that doing full squats for 10 weeks significantly increased vertical jump height, while doing half squats did not. And one study presented at the 2008 Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science reported that subjects performing full squats for 12 weeks had a significantly greater increase in thigh muscle growth compared to those doing shallow squats.

Jim's take-home points:

Based on these studies it does make sense to try and increase your ROM in the bottom position of the squat for better strength and muscle growth. But that is easier said than done. The first step would be to work on your flexibility in your quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Static stretching (hold and reach style) works well for this, but be sure to do this AFTER your workouts, as research shows that doing static stretching before workouts can limit muscle strength and power. You can also work on increasing your ROM in the bottom of the squat by using box squats using boxes that progressively get shorter over time. Since most gyms don't have a variety of box sizes you can also use and adjustable decline bench. Start with a flat bench to get used to doing box squats and then progressively increase the decline until you feel comfortable going deep in the squat with a loaded barbell on your back. You can also do this with a decline bench that is not adjustable simple by standing further back for higher squats and progressively moving forward on the decline bench to go lower.

For more on box squats click on the link below:

https://www.jimstoppani.com/home/articles/research-update-box-squat

I also suggest that you consider doing squats with shoes that have a raised heel, such as Olympic weightlifting shoes, or even workboots. Or you can place a 2 x4 board or weight plates under your heels. For more on this, click on the link below:

https://www.jimstoppani.com/home/articles/training-research-update-sept-28-2011

Be sure to start off light with deep squats. I suggest you start your leg workouts with 2 or 3 sets of light weight squats trying to go as deep as possible. This will serve as both a warm-up and a method for increasing your ROM in the squat. Then follow with your typical 3-4 sets of squats with heavy working weight and not worrying about how deep you past parallel. Over time, you will find that your heavy sets of squats get deeper and your leg strength and size gets greater.

References:

Bryanton, M. A., et al. Effect of squat depth and barbell load on relative muscular effort in squatting. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Oct;26(10):2820-8.

Wretenberg, P., et al. Joint moments of force and quadriceps muscle activity during squatting exercise. Scand J Med Sci Sports 3: 244–250, 1993.

Hartmann, H., et al. Influence of squatting depth on jumping performance. J Strength Cond Res. In press.

Chandler, T. J., et al. The effect of the squat exercise on knee stability. Med Sci Sports Exerc 21: 299-303, 1989

Panariello, R. A., et al. The effect of the squat exercise on anterior- posterior knee translation in professional football players. Am J Sports Med 22: 768- 773, 1994

Hartmann, H, et al. Literature-based load analysis of the squat. Int J Sports Med, in press.

Hartmann, H., et al. Analysis of the load on the knee joint and vertebral column with changes in squatting depth and weight load. Sports Med. 2013 Oct;43(10):993-1008.

Raastad, T., et al. Effects of heavy strength training with deep or shallow squats on muscle cross sectional area and muscle function. 13th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science, 2008,

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