This is a question that can be debated until the world ends.  You may hear a powerlifter say that you must squat “in the hole” or in other terms when the thigh line at the hip is parallel to the floor or below.  Other individuals will say that this depth is not safe for the knee joint and may cause injury.  So which is it; Injury or the correct technique in order to move your body in the direction of functional fitness?

 

The squat exercise is an excellent multi-joint exercise that is both beneficial to athletes to those involved in physical therapy (3).  It should not be a surprise to anyone that when doing a 1/3 squat elicits lower loading on the knee and the body’s center of mass (or your body’s center which changes depending on the position you are in) doesn’t move the same distance as a 1/2 squat (1).  The greater loading of the knee joint when squatting is a result of a greater knee flexion angle (think leg extension where the knee at the start is at about 90° angle which is the same angle that we talked about earlier) (2).  With greater loading the body’s center of mass also moves a greater distance.  Greater loading means more stress on the leg musculature (overload) to induce more adaptation.  So you may be asking yourself why would you ever want to squat lower than 1/2 way?

 

Obviously when you increase the weight lifted you also increase the risk of injury due to a slight abnormal movement (knees rotating out or in, moving forward over your toes, too much forward lean, etc.).  In a completely HEALTHY individual there is really no reason why you shouldn’t squat down close to parallel.  To increase the safety of this exercise use a weight bench as a frame of reference for your depth.  For those who have had knee pain in the past or another knee issue (meniscus, ACL, etc.)  squatting half way would elicit enough load for the leg musculature.  Even in a half squat position the glutes are activated with just using bodyweight.  When using weight 120% of your bodyweight the glutes can be activated 2 and 1/2 times greater (4).

 

To conclude, healthy individuals should feel comfortable being able to squat down to parallel depth.  This allows for the greatest range of motion and mimics activities of daily living such as getting in and out of a chair and squatting down to pick up an object.  Those individuals that have a knee issue as mentioned above should first consult a physician to gain medical clearance before engaging in an exercise program, and then should be comfortable half squatting to gain the benefits from this great multi-joint exercise.

 

1)  Jia-Hao, C., Ko-Yin, H., & Tzu-Chien, L. (2010). ANALYSIS OF THE TRAJECTORY OF CENTER OF MASS ON DIFFERENT SQUAT POSTURES AND LOADINGS. International Symposium on Biomechanics in Sports: Conference Proceedings Archive, 281-2. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
2)  Scott, W. N. (1991). Ligament and extensor mechanism injuries of the knee. Mosby Year Book, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri.
3)  Dionisio VC, Almeida GL, Duarte M, Hirata RP. Kinematic, kinetic and EMG patternsduring downward squatting. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2008;18(1):134–143.
4)  Sahli, S., Rebai, H., Elleuch, M., Tabka, Z., & Poumarat, G. (2008). Tibiofemoral Joint Kinetics During Squatting With Increasing External Load. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, 17(3), 300-315. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Brent

Brent

President, Personal Training Manager at Body By Brent LLC
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