god hand

Is ass suppose to touch grass? Legs close together or fart apart?

ABLQ2

its up to you.

god hand

I was thinking that.

largepkg

Face down ass up that's the way we like to........

shiznit2169

regular squat

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...s/BBSquat.html

ATF Squat (full squat)

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...FullSquat.html

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ponyboy

Depends on your hamstring and hip and glute flexibility, how imbalanced your pelvis is, how unstable your knees are, etc.

I normally evaluate all of these things before even showing a client how to squat properly. Then I don't even add resistance until they have shown that they can do it while keeping strict form without resistance and free standing.

Personally I do it feet just beyond shoulder width apart and go as low as my tight hamstrings will allow without pulling on my lower back

Today I can do what others will not so that tomorrow I will do what others cannot.

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kraziplaya

do any of you guys use a heel lift? i started back on free weight squats a couple months ago and i found the heel lift quite effective

nmuriqi

No, i don't, but i realized that i feel more stable in my nike shox than in any other flat sneaker.

I'm coming in the gym, i'm coming at home, i'm coming in front of 25,000 people...it's fantastic!

god hand

ABLQ2

heel lifts are supposedly anti-knee. not sure though, so i dont use one.

god hand

Squats do kind of hurt my knees.

BulkMeUp

I have been advised that using assistance to raise your heel increases stress on your knees.

P-funk

olypic lifting shoes have an elevated wood heel to allow for a greater ROM into the bottom position on your catch.

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Squaggleboggin

I go ATG all the time and I haven't had any problems with my knees. I'm not sure why people think it harms your knees. If they weren't supposed to bend past 90 degrees, they wouldn't. Is there any scientific evidence supporting either view?

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Seanp156

Just because they were made to bend past 90 degrees doesn't mean EVERYONE'S has been made to do that with 200+ pounds of weight stressing them. Do it if you don't have problems with it, don't if you do have problems with it.

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The Monkey Man

My knees never hurt till I turned 30

Now they always hurt

I don't go much below parallel on anything less than 10 reps

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mr_oo3

Heres the stuff I use for tips for squats, taken off Elite Fitness Systems webistes and a few others, can't remember which so can't give credit:

SQUATS
1. Squeeze the bar. While you are sitting at your computer, drop your hands down at your sides and squeeze them into a fist. Squeeze as hard as you possibly can. What happened to your entire body? It got tight! This is one of the hardest things for an athlete to realize when he lifts and squeezing the bar takes care of it. This simple maneuver is one of the easiest ways to combat a difficult problem. This is one of the first things I ever learned when I began lifting and can’t believe that coaches leave this out. Squeezing the bar/dumbbell should happen on every set of every lift. If you are a coach and are not emphasizing this, I highly recommend you begin.
2. Arch your upper back. If you arch your upper back, and I mean as hard as you can, you will put your head, your low back and glutes in the proper position. This starting position is so important and by simply pulling your upper back together and arching you are taking care of a difficult problem very easily. Again, this will apply to most every lift and not just the squat.
3. Get your ass down: Nothing is worse than walking into a Division I weight room and seeing a bunch of great athletes quarter squatting. The bar weight is too heavy for the athletes mid-section, their knees begin to buckle in and the potential for injury is a high as the coaches IQ is low. What a disgrace to the profession and how embarrassing for the administration and the coaches. How could they ever be so reckless and hire this strength coach? Also, it’s a shame for the athletes that they are being exposed to such non-sense. Now you can argue with me about sitting back and spreading the floor…whatever, just get your ass down. The next question will be “Should I have my athletes squat to parallel or below?” If you are not box squatting, then have them go as low as possible because if you tell your athletes parallel then they will eventually start cutting their squats. Tell them to squat as low as possible and then come back up. It’s that simple.

He walked over and made me loosen my belt one notch less than I normally would wear it. When I got under the bar he told me to fill my belly with air and push my belly against my belt as hard as I can. I could not believe how light the bar felt when I walked it out

1. Get into an athletic stance: For most people this is very easy. Most have played a sport and almost every sport position is the same. If you played volleyball, get into a position as if you were ready to receive a serve. If you played baseball or softball, get into the same stance as you would as a shortstop. If you played football, the stance of a middle linebacker will suffice. All of these positions are the same; butt and hips are pushed slightly back, knees are bent, lower back is arched, head is up, weight is evenly distributed on the feet, upper back is pulled together, toes are slightly pointed out and the mid-section is tight. Notice that each of these positions are slightly wider than shoulder width; if you are any narrower in any of these sports than you will compromise lateral speed and will be pushed over. Also, I hope that I played against you as were surely on your ass and back most of the game.
2. From this position, place your weight on your toes, pivot on them and move your heels out. After this, redistribute your weight on your heels, pivot on your heels and turn your toes back to the original angle. If you have any rhythm at all then this will look similar to a dance move. This will take your stance a bit wider than normal and put you into an ideal squat position. With some experimentation, you will find that you may have to go back to the original stance or even go wider; whatever the case begin with this and experiment. Everyone will have a slightly different stance.
3. Place your hands on your thighs and side them down to just above your knees. This position should be the same as if you were taking a breather between wind-sprints or something similar. This is a very basic position. No one takes a breather between sprints or in a basketball game with their weight on their toes. They will grab their shorts, push their glutes back, rest their upper body on their hands and drop their head. Sound familiar? If you have any trouble picturing this position then take a look at football players in a huddle or a basketball player during free-throws. They look almost the same. From this position, simply raise your head, arch your upper and lower back and place your hands as if they were on a barbell. This is the exact position you want to be in when you perform a squat.
4. At this point, your hips and glutes should be pushed back, your lower and upper back is arched, head straight ahead, bodyweight on your heels and your mid-section is held tight. If you are not in this position, repeat the first 3 steps and make sure you are in this position.
5. Begin your squat descent by leading your body down with your hips and glutes. Maintain the arch in your lower and upper back. If you are having a problem sitting back into the squat, you may have to lean your forward. This is not dangerous as long as you keep your upper and lower back arched. About 60-70% of the weight should be distributed on your heels.
6. When you are about half way down, begin pushing your knees out and opening up your groin. This is what has been called “spreading the floor” but I have found that the term “open your groin” or “show your groin” or “open the knees” to be better terms when teaching people how to squat. Also, by pushing your knees out and opening your groin, you will have an easier time reaching parallel and will reach it quicker. Now the weight will be shifted to your heels and the sides of your feet.
7. For many people, once they sit back into the squat and open the hips, at this point they can simply squat down. Once your body is in perfect position, opening the hips will allow them to hit parallel without pushing back. This may be difficult to see when you read this, but try it out on a box with someone watching your knees. If you do it correctly then your knees will not move (they will remain over your ankles) when you squat down. The key is learning how and when to open you groin. This will take practice and some more practice; this is something that you will not get correct after a few tries, so be patient.
8. Hip flexibility and mobility is one key in squatting correctly, so this may be your limiting factor. If you are having problems with hip flexibility and mobility I highly recommend getting the Parisi Warm up Method on DVD or VHS. This video highlights many of the hip mobility and flexibility exercises that will prepare you for squatting correctly. Also, it is a great for conditioning and overall body preparation. This video/DVD can be found at EliteFTS.com.

MyK

I had my left knee reconstructed, its a mess, i got my patella tendon clamped to my shin. I got tendons that go through my knee cap to hold it down when i bend it!!

any way, I've slowly progrees to squatting 205lbs, I go passed parrallel and focus on perfect form. I can only do hacks with light weight be caiuse they put soo much pressure on my knee.

it really sucks having a knee injury because (other than squats) I have to do isolation movements for my left (press, extension, curls), and then match it with my right leg. I can wait to get the size and strenghth up in my leg so I can begion to actually work on gaining mass again. I just do maintenance on the rest of my body, as i wait for leg to catch up!!!

Squaggleboggin

That's why you work your way up. I completely understand why someone wouldn't who's had an injury - I wouldn't either. It's just that when people ask me if it's okay to go past parallel because others have told them it's not good, I don't know what to say other than what I said above about bending past 90. I can't say "Well if it hurts, don't do it; if it doesn't hurt, do it" because that doesn't exactly sound reassuring. I need something solid to say like "Studies show that it's no worse (or even better) for the knees to go past parallel and all the way down." Anyone know of any actual studies on it? I don't disagree with anything said so far, I was just wanting a more solid backup of squatting ATG.

Push yourself. Enjoy yourself. Be yourself.
Knowledge is power. Obsessed with functional strength. Journal