Ass to the Floor or slightly below 90 degrees which do you prefer?

[Abbaddon]

Looking for everyones input along with reasoning.

[ptbyjason]

As much as I love feeling the burn the day after going ass to the floor, you need to only go just below 90. I don't have time now, but I will post why later, unless someone can beat me to it.

[Longhorn]

slightly below 90 cause thats as low as I can go.

[MarkyMark]

You can get a SERIOUS injury going below a full seated position so I would recomend not going to the floor unless a burn out set with light weight being used ...

[Abbaddon]

actually in my opinion going to the floor is responsible for most of the bad rap that squats get for being dangerous. By powerlifting standards you only need to go slightly below 90 and most powerlifters train that way or use a box. I started this post to see what everyone else thinks about it and to see if anyone can come up with a good reason to go to the floor besides having a really hot female ortho.

[fastman]

Agree with everyone else. There is no need to go more then just bellow 90, and risk injury.

[Big Al]

I go just below 90 degress, bottoming out doesn't offer greater returns i.e muscle growth, but infact you open up the knee joint and put strain on the cruciate ligaments. Also the glutes play to great a role in this movement and take emphasis away from the quad.

[dane26]

when i go the floor, i feel it too much in my knees.

[Pete235]

From what I've read (and experienced) if you go too deep the glutes come into play more than the quads. If it's your intention to develope the glutes, by all means go ass to the floor, but DO NOT go too heavy as you will put a lot of stress on the kness.

[bigtraps]

i don't want a big ass, so i go to about 90, with wide stance( shoulder width). Then I swich it up every so often, narrow stance, not quite 90.

[primodonna]

Originally posted by dane26
when i go the floor, i feel it too much in my knees.

you, too?


I agree with BA and Pete about the glutes past 90 degrees

if i want to work them, i'll use the butt blaster (not)

[ptbyjason]

Damn, primo that was just wrong. Dane be careful what you say man. LOL Everyone should right their message and check back over it twice to make sure nothing can be used against you.

[firedup]

i put a bucket behind me and drop till my ass hits it.
thats just past 90 for me because i am short

[dumbells101]

FULL SQUATS....Can you say Bootie! Hey I'm a squater and I used to love the deep ones. I've developed a bottom that would make Opra's hiney look like one of the Olson twins. So I shortened then up to just below 90 degrees, slowed them down a good bit, brought my feet closer together, and my quads are a lot happier now that their cathing up with my backside.

[Titanium2]

Parrallel or slightly below is all you should go. Otherwise, you are putting unnecessary stress on your knees. Most people who injure their knees doing squats are the victims of their own bad form, repetitive motion injuries, or misunderstanding of excercise kinesiology. There is a reason Powerlifters go parallel to the floor and no lower.

If you want to go slightly below when repping, and have no pain, it is ok now and then. Better slightly lower than parrallel, than not down far enough......

Your knees should never go ahead of your toes. Have a spotter stand on the side, at 10 feet or so, and watch you go all the way down. If your knees break the vertical plane with your toes, then you are not using correct form. When your knees come past your toes, it also puts undo stress on them. If you go ALL the way down to the floor, I guarantee 99% of people's knees will break that plane. Correct form on squats is hard for most to learn. For most it is a result of conditioning... muslce memory. Years of impropper form make it difficult to re-learn the correct path....

Squats done improperly are an injury waiting to happen. Even if you are lucky enough to not suffer an acute injury while doing squats from bad form, you will no doubt suffer the consequences of the undue wear and tear later on in life if done on a continual basis.

[dane26]

when i made that post i was half asleep in my classroom. usually i make my posts "primoproof", but that one i was just careless about. i apologize, i'm usually better than that!!

[chillen]

I'm not sure if this fits in here, but I was talking to some guys at the gym, and they suggested that you go all the way down to the floor when doing squats, on a smith machine, using light weight, and this will really help out the lower back. Of course it's going to work the leggs, (a little anyways). I am just wondering if anybody has tried this, or even heard of doing this to help the back. Personallly, I have never tryed this motion. I can't see how it would help the back, but then again I'm not really that expierenced. Thanks for any input.

[Pete235]

IMO if you want to strengthen your lower back stick with deads (strict form), good mornings (strict forum) and back extentions (strict form). I emphasize strict form because this is one area you DO NOT want to injure.

P

[Tobey]

When I squat I go about 90 degrees give or take a degree.The reason being is first of all it is really hard on my knees. Mostly it is because if I go to low I tend to lean foward. When one leans forward while squatting it puts a terrible strain on the lower back.
Tobey

[Titanium2]

Originally posted by chillen
I'm not sure if this fits in here, but I was talking to some guys at the gym, and they suggested that you go all the way down to the floor when doing squats, on a smith machine, using light weight, and this will really help out the lower back. Of course it's going to work the leggs, (a little anyways). I am just wondering if anybody has tried this, or even heard of doing this to help the back. Personallly, I have never tryed this motion. I can't see how it would help the back, but then again I'm not really that expierenced. Thanks for any input.

DO NOT DO SQUATS TO HELP YOUR BACK! Stick with hyperextensions. These should be done weekly like abs. If you don't have a hyperextension peice of exipment, do them on the floor, laying on your stomache, and put your hands behind your back. Lift your chest off the floor a few inches and hold for a count of 10. Do this a couple sets of 10 to 20. Then more serious excercises like Deads.

Do not walk around with a weight belt on all the time. You will weeken your stabilizer muscles and will pay in the long run!

The only thing you could get besides an injury doing that on the smith machine, is maybe a stretch depending on where your feet are.

When doing squats on the smith machine, make sure to put your feet forward, not under you as in a free weight squat. If you don't do this, you can't have proper form. Your knees should never break the vertical plane with your toes. If your knees go ahead of your toes, you are putting excess strain on them.

[D-BolMan]

my answer would be above 90 degrees lol.

[Triple Plates]

ass to the floor... but not that high weight

[chillen]

Titanium


Thanx for the info. I thought that it sounded a little off, but i just wanted to make sure. Thanx again.