Is there such a thing as squatting too low?

samcat

samcat

samcat

Soldato
Joined
8 Nov 2002
Posts
3,423
Location
Near Bristol, Uk
Was training on Sunday, legs day.. Training buddy pointed out to me that I am going very very low, bum is about 2 inches from the floor before I push back upright. Apparently I have been getting lower and lower over the last few weeks.

Now my questions: Is this ok? Or is it too low..

It doesnt cause me any discomfort, but am concerned that I might be setting myself up for problems going forwards.

Thanks,
Sam C
 
for mass: go as low as you can
for strength (comp PL for example): go as low as needed to pass the lift
 
Squating low is the best way.

I have a question. Do knee wraps help when squating? I sometimes have small ache/pains in my knees.
 
BullBoyShoes said:
Are squats supposed to be so damn painful accross the back of the neck or am I doing it wrong?! My legs can take more weight but it hurts my neck! Maybe i`m just a noob :D
Click to expand...

sounds like you have the bar too high up, It should sit further back on the shoulders

When i started squatting it did hurt though, It becomes less painful over time
 
Archibald0 said:
sounds like you have the bar too high up, It should sit further back on the shoulders

When i started squatting it did hurt though, It becomes less painful over time
Click to expand...

I was doing exactly the same thing when I started out... Was resting the bar on the top/rear of my shoulders rather than further back... It always felt weird/painful until someone else in the gym spent 5 mins with me and helped me learn the correct place for it to sit, made a world of difference as it hurt less = could put more weight on the bar.

Sam
 
msm722 said:
I have a question. Do knee wraps help when squating? I sometimes have small ache/pains in my knees.
Click to expand...

I was under the impression that knee wraps should only be worn by powerlifters. The tightness aids you getting out of the bottom of the movement when lifting super heavy weights, sort of like a spring.

Wraps will also rob your knee ligaments of some conditioning and strengthening because they are absorbing a lot of the stress.

Also:
Although greater weights can be handled using wraps, your quadriceps are actually relieved from some of the stress they'd ordinarily receive when you lift with wraps.
Another problem is that, even properly worn, knee wraps jam the patella against the femoral groove throughout the squatting movement, and over time, this may potentiate chondromalacia patellae (wearing away at the inside of the knee cap).
Click to expand...

If my knees gave me stick, i'd just swallow my pride and go lighter and stricter mate.
 
Once you've gone to parallel (or below) watch that your lower back doesn't start rounding - you'll probably need someone else to look at your form as its hard to tell by yourself.
 
Teknobry said:
Once you've gone to parallel (or below) watch that your lower back doesn't start rounding - you'll probably need someone else to look at your form as its hard to tell by yourself.
Click to expand...

Will get my training buddy to keep an eye on that next legs day.

Thanks,
Sam
 
For once I actually agree with Jeffster. I mean if you can't do the movement without an aid... and you aint competing... then what's the point?

Concentrate on strengthening the weak link? After all you're only as strong as your weakest link ;)

Only aid I ever use on squats is a belt on the last set, when I'm getting close to my limits and PB. Only other exercise I use aids for is BOR's... otherwise I'm of the mind if I can't lift it without help... then I need to strengthen whatever is holding me back.

Thing is with squats, it's a very natural movement, if you're experiencing pain then there's a problem and you need to address it, not use an aid to allow you to use even more weight??
 
Lead_Head said:
OK, if you're not very flexible to start off with, how would you address this?
Click to expand...

Start off by doing bodyweight squats and let your muscles get used to the stretching and bending. As CW says it's a very natural movement so you shouldn't have that many if any issues with doing them.

I always do ATG squats, whether they be front or back squats.

As for pain in the neck, I rest the bar on my traps (ok they're substantial enough to rest them on) but it shouldn't be too high up your neck as you can give yourself an injury.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom