How much harder are squats below parallel than squats above or just at parallel?

How much harder are squats below parallel than squats above or just at parallel?

I see so many fuckers at my uni gym slapping 2-4 plates on the bar then not even hitting parallel, and I wonder how much they could actually squat if they hit depth.

Like if some skinny fucker is half-squatting 315, how much weight would that translate to if he went atg?

Any former delusional half squatters here that fixed their form? How much weight did you have to take off the bar to hit depth?

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Going below parallel became ALOT easier for me on low bar for some reason. What also helped me was pausing at the the bottom to train my weak ass glutes.

I actually added weight switching from slight above/at parallel to about as deep as your pic shows because I discovered the wonders of the stretch reflex.

If I do highbar and try to go deep I have to use about 85% of my regular weights tho

23.6% more difficult

Newbie question. How do you low bar without hurting your back? Like how are you supposed to position the bar?

Its pretty uncomfortable at first but after awhile you get the hang of it. Def worth taking a look at alan thralls lowbar vids on youtube.

You switch to highbar.

You position it on the top of your shoulderblades.

This probably doesn't make a lot of sense. Read The Book, and as the other user said, YouTube up Starting Strength squat videos.

Wait that's where I'm putting it now and I learned it from starting strength YouTube videos. Okay so maybe I've been doing low bar this whole time... How come I still can't go atg? Just more practice or what? Also to mention I'm weak as shit.

Its because you are lacking flexibility. Highbar demands a shitload of ankle mobility

How do I into avoiding shoulder pain when I do low-bar with Rip grip? I have to excessively widen my grip to relieve the pain, to the point where I feel it's unsafe due to being unable to keep my rear delt shelf tight and rigid.

I've been form checked and, the grip width aside, it all checks out, so I'm left to assume it's a shoulder mobility issue. Any advice?

Might need a deload to work on form. You also want the bar to be TIGHT on your back. Also you may need to lean forward a bit more and lastly stretch.

Do shoulder mobility exercises?...

Or switch to HB

Are you doing a thumbless grip?

You dont really need to go "atg" with lowbar

Yes. I put my thumbs over the bar and maintain straight wrists.

Alright so as far as deloading goes I'm literally only using the bar. :(
Any types on working on form without using the bar so when I go to do it I can go past parallel? Idk maybe I just get scared of not being able to get up or something but I've only been doing it for 2 weeks. I feel like I can do the whole motion fine with nothing, but once I get to it I can't break parallel. At least to where maybe a "box" would be.

I squat 275 at parallel and 260 true ATG

Try doing bodyweight only and do it with maybe a broom stick. Static 3rd world squats as well(think poo in loo) may help. You prob have weak abductors and other stabilization problems so just keep at it.

WORK ON ANKLE FLEXIBILITY AND HIP MOBILITY FOR ATG SQUATS 4 TIMES A WEEK

I do actually. Went to a sports doctor and was told I have weak glutes. Should I just lay off the squat rack till I feel confident I can get this down? I also do weighted squats with a Swiss ball.

I have to widen my grip quite a bit as well. As long as the bar is somewhat secure it should be alright. Just keep it as tight as possible and if its not all wobbly youre prob ok

I was doing 2.5 plates half squatting, I had to drop down to one plate when I realized I was an idiot and did full squats.

Best thing to do then is go as low as you can and hold it. Also actively keeping your knees wide apart is what activates your glutes. You can try hip thrusters to assist in this as well as other glute targeting exercises

Maybe I'm just worried over nothing then. Just trying to make sure I get my shit figured out so that I don't hurt myself when I get to actually heavy weight.

Let's say 3 plates
1/6 depth: can't even reach parallel without bar
1:2: Have a chance to reach parallel but very shitty balance and shit mobility
Just above parallel: Have a chance to squat bar
Parallel: may squat 1 plate at parallel. No chance hitting ATG

If you experience shoulder pain then you're doing extremely wrong
Or you simply didn't read SS
I never felt any strength putting on my shoulder expect stretching to get into position. Other than a bit of stretching, you shouldn't get your shoulder involved at all

Thanks. I'm so confused. I thought I'd been doing high bar this whole time now I'm thinking I've been doing low bar without knowing it. I'm going to do this as well as just breakdown a guy who I can tell who knows what he's doing and see if he can give me any tips.

>If you experience shoulder pain then you're doing extremely wrong

not everyone can be as flexible as you my man!

Breakdown and ask a guy.*

>confirmed not read SS
Go and search lu xiaojun squat training video. Pay attention to how he put entire weight on top of the body but didn't get hands/shoulders/triceps involved and lift the weight
In the perfect world the weight should balance on the back by itself. Your hands are only there to keep it in place

And guess what putting your hand onto the bar, which is behind your head, in order to secure it requires?

Flexibility!

I don't put any weight on my shoulders you fucking idiot, it hurts just to hold the position.

I think hes saying you dont need to deathgrip the bar just put your hands on it to stabilize it. Wrists being straight shouldnt be a goal in this

Kek

Not that much flexiblity. I mean, maybe if your arms are so fat, you can't fit them behind you're head, you shouldn't be squatting.

Nooooooooo, you don't even have to be fat to have shit flexibility...

I used to squat right at or slightly above parallel depending on my torso angle that particular day.

I had a squat rack where the safeties were too high, but I didn't realize it.

I was squatting about 255 pounds back then.

It took about a year and a half to deload to 185 with good depth, and work back up to 290.

Are you talking about your lower back?
If you're that new, then you just need to literally keep doing it to strengthen your back muscles. The best advice is probably to really really concentrate on getting your core tight.

I squat 355lbs to just below true parallel. I feel like if I only had to half squat it, I could add at least 90 pounds to the bar.

Thanks for sharing :) x

I love Alan Thralls vids for most my core exersizes. I've been lift for 4 months (this stretch, 9 years since my last gym membership and actually excersizing). I thought I was good at squatts till I saw his vid, and tried to actually go hip joint below top of knee. It knocked me back 50lbs, but took only a few weeks to get back to where I was with cheater squatts. I love going deep, I know my Swolebrothers respect that, and I love seeing others at the Gym going ass to grass with huge weight. I shake my head when I see someone load up the weight, belt up, then half rep... What a waste.

Yeah. I've noticed my core falls apart after a certain point so I've started to do at least two core workouts afterwards because that's where I think I'm weak at. Athleanx guy in his zac efforn vid said do core everyday so I started that.

Yeah he has a way of explaining things in a way that i was able to connect with easier than even rips tutorials.

I've always gone by the standard of having your hip crease below the knee crease.

Not quite ATG, but that's how deep I go.

If you're an athlete and you sprint you want to do slightly above parallel front squats. I do pause deep back squats to compensate for glutes and oly lifts but my main squat is prioritized at slightly above parallel for explosive speed and ice skating reasons.

I'm an ATG oly squatter to make up for the fact that I'm far too weak to be a powerlifter competitive wise

Normally, squatting 400 lbs high bar adds an additional 2-3 seconds and almost an additional foot to 2 feet of distance needed to carry that weight

I hang out with several competitive power lifters, 2 of whom are headed to nationals and world's who can squat at least 3 times their body weights, but theyve said they couldn't imagine carrying the weight I'm doing that low and that much farther

All in all though, they would like to squat like me, and I would like to squat as much as them

Just one of those things

Pretty interesting, I guess it will always be like that, we want what we don't have. Good luck on that mate, keep working hard.

that picture is geometrically impossible
for the knee angle to be congruent to the back angle it needs to be a transversal i.e. exactly parallel.

>for the knee angle to be congruent to the back angle it needs to be a transversal i.e. exactly parallel.

the spine isnt geometrically a straight line

>2 FEET more ROM
Lol

Its obvioysly much less since they probably dont train those muscles well, I think its actually easier to progress on atg though since you can bounce the squat and its easier to keep good form.

What you're saying is just flat out wrong. Gripping the barbell in a low bar position requires very good external rotation of the shoulder. If you lack mobility here, it's going to be painful. That's a fact.

I think you're missing the fact that the hips are externally rotated i.e. the knees are pointing outwards. It's a 2D image.

>going below paralel

nice meme there, i bet you like "Yeah she squats!" on facebook too you complete fucking faggot.

there is literaly NO reason to go ATG.

You need to a bit.. to get your lats involved. You should squeeze it down like you want to bend the bar in half. After doing this.. felt like baby weight.. I think its a good psychology for the lift too.

Ranked easiest to hardest:

1. Quarter squat
2. Half squat
3. Parallel squat
4. ATG squat
5. Below parallel squat. The ATG squat is actually easier than just going a little below parallel, because you can divebomb down and get a massive boost from the stretch reflex.

>there is literaly NO reason to go ATG.
Depends on your definition of ATG of course, but as a rule longer ROM beats shorter ROM every time. That's just a fact.

That's a really stupid rule.

www youtube.com/watch?v=xX_23i4t1v8

I fixed my form when I was still fairly weak.
Now I'm squatting 365 for 5 atg at bodyweight 175 which isn't too bad. I typically do work sets of 315 for 8 these days, but can push out some heavy doubles and triples when I make room for it in my training schedule.

Manlet detected.

Unless you're the size of Brian Shaw, there's not a damn foot of difference in height between just going below parallel and bottoming out.

Manlet detected

I also had lower back pain while doing squats. What helped for me was doing ab/core exercises three times per week and also really focusing on flexing the abs while you squat.

You have to go down and up, that's quite a bit more ROM

What?

>5. Below parallel squat. The ATG squat is actually easier than just going a little below parallel, because you can divebomb down and get a massive boost from the stretch reflex.

Then why don't powerlifters go ATG?

IMO, if anything, it's actually EASIER to go ATG than it is to stop at exactly (or slightly above) parallel. You get a bit of a "bounce" at the bottom.

I think when I first started, I just really didn't know how far down I was going. It FELT like parallel to me but it wasn't until I took a video of myself that I saw it wasn't. I think, maybe, subconsciously, I was just afraid of being that far down with that much weight on my back. But now I think it actually hurts my knees more if I DON'T go down as far as I can.

Not if youre a G like me and pause at the bottom SUCKA

It's still easier since some of the weight would be on the knee ligaments.

>paused squat is easier
lmao
it really is summer

>The ATG squat is actually easier than just going a little below parallel, because you can divebomb down and get a massive boost from the stretch reflex.
once you start actually handling non-DYEL weights, you'll realize this will quite quickly and painfully destroy your joints

yes, paused atg is easier than pausing at parallel or just below.

Find me a video where someone squats 1000 lbs ATG. Pretty sure it's never been done, and the reason is that ATG squats are harder than powerlifting squats.

umm maybe it's because your knees would explode if you attempted that

So partial range of motion is good for your knees? I thought ATG was good for your knees. Which is it?

fuck off shitposter

reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/3g9sm8/deeper_squats_below_parallel_do_not_lead_to/

because they're fat fucks with poor mobility, and powerlifting is egolifting: the sport. why would they do something that reduces how much weight they can lift?

olympic lifters go ATG regularly when training for obvious reasons, and they're in much better physical shape than powerlifters

ATG is biomechanically safer than squatting to parallel or half repping, hope you don't mind having knee replacements by your mid 40s faggot

>ATG is biomechanically safer than squatting to parallel

[citation needed]

who the fuck pauses at parallel? you will destroy your ligaments

>this lift nobody does because it's damaging is more difficult than another lift that has been proven time and time again to be safe

For me I was able to do 285 for 5 reps while almost hitting parallel. Then I wanted to learn Oly Lifting so I fixed my squat to ATG. My squat dropped about 100 pounds, I was only able to do 185 for 5 reps. But it feels so much better, and it translates to other activities. My vertical is higher, my sprint is faster.

I'm back up to 285 for 5 now, so it didn't take too long to recover.

...

Hm... not a single proof of parallel squatting being bad for the knees, sure is summer in here.

it's not my health that's at risk here, if you're interested find the studies yourself

You're both retarded.
I'm tired of seeing the equivalent of slap fights between downies here.

The heaviest raw squat without wraps is 935 lbs. If you wrap, your knees will be too stiff to go ATG, so you prove nothing.

And concerning the guy suggesting you'll blow your knees out. Just fucking kill yourself.

nice damage control

squatting parallel is safer than atg :) x

>an unnatural movement that repeatedly exerts enormous forces on your ligaments does not cause more damage than a movement that is biomechanically sound

i'm done with this fucking thread

I tried unracking 4pl8 in the Smith Machine but it felt so heavy my body noped.gif and refused to squat, had to rack it right back.
I gained some respect for retards after this experiment.
t. currently at 160kg atg

how is parallel squatting unnatural? are you dumb?!

It's just anecdotal evidence, but everyone I've talked to who's fucked up their knees squatting doesn't squat ATG. Then again, most people don't squat ATG in the first place.

Christ

Olympic lifters practice going as low as possible (ATG) so they can catch the bar at a lower position when Snatching and Cleaning. Every inch lower they go into their squat reduces an inch they have to forcefully pull the bar up. Even when you go as low as possible you should NEVER bounce out of the bottom. The movement should always be controlled.

ITT: half squaters trying to justify not squating deep enough

This, when i started squatting i went ATG until i got to 2pl8 and it started hurting my knees/hips

When you squat to parallel your knees are activated alot more. Over time this wears them. When you squat below parallel or atg, you are recruiting more hamstring and glutes so thats its not on your knees anymore.

I cant stop watching this video. What the hell was the guy expecting to happen?

there are guys who divebomb-atg massive weights, I seen'em on /owg/ (that square faced, DYEL looking roider)