How Deep Should You Squat?
Squat depth has a been a hugely controversial topic in the fitness industry over the past few years. We’re definitely not here to beat a dead horse. Rather, we’re here to explain to you what your optimal squat depth is as everyone is different.
There are some people who should be squatting as low as possible (ass to grass) and others who shouldn’t even be squatting as low as halfway down (or not squatting at all).
At Clear Cut Fitness we’re ALL about an optimal customized approach to your fitness and health so you’ll rarely get the cookie cutter answer.
Here are two videos that cover the topics in case you’d rather watch vs read.
How Deep Should You Squat?
Squat Depths
Let’s start with describing a few different points in the range of motion in a squat.
Ass to grass - This is where you go as low as possible. Generally the best in terms of working your muscles to the fullest.
Parallel Squat - This is where you squat down until your thighs become parallel with the floor (horizontal). Also great in terms of muscle activation and if you compete in strength sports like powerlifting, parallel squats are the minimum depth for a “good lift”.
Half Squat - This is where your knees and hips are roughly bent at 90 degree angles. These can absolutely still provide you with a training effect for your quads and legs but likely less than the aforementioned ranges of motion.
Quarter Squat - This is a very minimal squat range of motion. Usually not recommended for the general population who’s getting into fitness and is either beginner or intermediate. However, funny enough 2 examples of extreme athletes may benefit from quarter squats.
Special Considerations
Some professional strength athletes such as bodybuilders and olympic lifters have built up their muscles so much that regular workouts require some extreme methods to produce a muscle growing stimulus. One method is called a mechanical drop set. This is where they perform a regular set at a full ROM and immediately do a set with a smaller easier ROM. This helps pump even more blood into the muscle without rest, extending the set , providing a SERIOUS muscle burn and pump. This would otherwise crush a regular exerciser and deem their legs useless for more than a week afterwards. That’s not optimal as we want to be able to workout more than once a week for best results.
The other example is athletes participating in high impact plyometrics. They might use quarter squats in a jumping fashion with weight on their body. They only want to spend as minimal time on the ground as possible before exploding upwards therefore anything deeper than a quarter squat would be less efficient for their goals. Again, just a random extreme example that isn’t good for people whose main goals are to lose weight and build muscle.
The point is that there’s almost always exceptions to rules and this article outlines general guidelines that are backed by evidence based research from credible sources such as The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
How Do You Know How Deep You Should Squat?
Let’s start with some research. Studies have shown that the deeper you squat the more muscle activation you have. More muscle activation usually translates to more strength and muscle gains.
However…
Not everyone should squat as low as they can. In fact, you only want to squat as low as you can if you can maintain proper form. Specifically, the ability to maintain a neutral spine (or close to it). What’s a neutral spine you ask?
A neutral spine is when your back maintains the natural spine curvature as you squat. A completely “straight spine” is fine too, as long as everything is aligned.
The issue arises if you have a weak core or poor abdominal and pelvic control. If you squat down and your pelvis rotates posteriorly (also called “butt wink”) it puts your spine in a very bad position. It flexes the spine forward which puts excessive pressure on your intervertebral discs. Imagine having 100lbs or even 200lbs on your back while your discs are already being compressed due to poor form. This can lead to low back pain or worse low back diseases such as disc herniations and end-plate fractures.
If you squat and your pelvis winks at you in the mirror you know you’ve got some work to do. At that point you’ve got a couple options.
You find the point right before your butt winks and you may squat as low as that point. It may be half way down, it may be down to parallel. This way, you’re in a safer position to reap the benefits that squats have on your body and muscles without the risk hurting your low back!
We prefer this method. Poor pelvic control, general hip mobility and core strength are usually the reasons for a pre-mature butt wink. Fortunately, all of these things can be improved or even completely fixed via exercise and focus.
If we focus on pelvic control you’ll be surprised to find that your squat depth will improve just by practicing the movement!
However, strengthening the abdominals and mobilizing the hips are also huge factors. We prefer that you spend 1-2 weeks on strengthening your core and mobilizing your hips before you try squatting with any relatively heavy loads. Once you can hit a squat depth of at least halfway down without butt wink you’re good to go!
Here are some mobility exercises that we use to teach people how to improve their hip mobility: