Deep squat: full analysis. Squats: deep to parallel or partial (half squats)? Correct deep squat technique

Playing sports is impossible if there is no appropriate physical preparation. You can get it by doing the simplest of exercises - deep squats. Despite their simplicity, they simultaneously give the body a sufficient workout.

To achieve your goal, it is important to choose the right execution technique.

It is useful for a novice athlete to learn about the benefits of squats and possible harm.

By doing them, the athlete involves the maximum number of muscles in the work. No other exercise can compare with them in terms of sports load. They train the hips and lower back, pelvic muscles. In addition, they normalize hormonal levels, improve metabolism, giving the body the opportunity to build muscle mass.

Deep squats during morning exercises charge you with energy for the day.

It is no coincidence that the normalization of hormonal levels was mentioned. Proper squats are an impetus for the production of testosterone, a hormone that is responsible for the growth of muscle mass.

Scientists have found that testosterone levels increase with the load that the muscles receive. During such training, it spreads to a large number of muscles.

The harm of deep squats

But, despite the benefits of squats, they are harmful for people with spinal diseases.

If performed incorrectly, you can injure your knee, or even worse, your spine. Spinal hernia is a complex disease that brings a lot of suffering. Therefore, those starting training and those who are not considered new to the sport need to work out the technique.

Proper deep squat technique

The main thing is not to rush: the load is increased gradually. Start with a small number of repetitions, adding them as your training level increases.

Activities that involve doing squats are attractive because you don’t need to go anywhere—you can do deep squats at home. Activities that involve lifting and lowering your own weight are unlikely to build muscle mass. But they will help reduce excess weight, increase endurance and fitness.

• Do the exercises without sudden movements, making sure that the back remains straight. You need to extend and bend your legs slowly. Do not tilt your head - look straight ahead.
• The deeper an athlete squats, the more benefits they bring to the muscles. You can do squats in the morning, while exercising, during the day, or during an intense evening workout. It is recommended to conduct training every other day, performing 5 sets at each lesson, consisting of 20-30 repetitions each.
• If the exercises are done in the morning, there is no need to break your own record. Their task is to charge the body with energy, and not to make it tired. For morning workouts, it is recommended to perform 2 sets of 10 repetitions.
• If after an intense workout your muscles ache or your legs feel weak, this is normal and there is no need to be alarmed: your legs have received the necessary force and now need rest for a day or more.

Performing squats at home does not have to follow a strict pattern. Everyone is given the right to invent their own, based on their goals. If the goal is to increase endurance, select the optimal number of repetitions, which are performed at a high tempo.

1. Place your feet shoulder-width apart. Position your feet so that your toes are slightly turned out to the sides.
2. Point your knees and toes in one direction. Shift your body weight to your heels.
3. Press your feet firmly to the floor and do not lift them throughout the entire exercise.
4. If you are performing a squat without additional weights, you can hold your hands in front of you (this is the easiest way to maintain balance), put them behind your head, or cross them in front of your chest.
5. Keep your lower back in a “boat” position with a slight arch. Do not round it, including in the thoracic region.
6. Try not to lean forward. Watch your posture.
7. Do not bring your knees in or spread them out to the sides when rising from a low position. The knees should “look” in the same direction as the feet. Also try not to bring your knees forward beyond the level of your toes.
8. Take a deep breath at the beginning of the exercise. In the future, when rising, you need to exhale, when lowering, inhale.
9. You need to lower yourself at least until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Even deeper is better, although this depends on the purpose of the exercise.
10. There is no need to straighten your legs all the way at the top point. Just before reaching full straightening, immediately begin moving downwards.

Equipment

Additional equipment is needed for squats with weights (dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells).

For strength training we use:

• Elastic bandages for knee and wrist joints.
• Belt.
• Special overalls for squats (used only in competitive powerlifting).

What harm can be caused by squats?

Squats themselves are not dangerous. They become dangerous when performed incorrectly. Squats place stress on the knee joints, tendons, and spine, especially when performed with weights. To prevent exercise from harming you, do it correctly.

Before you start training with squats, make sure that they are not contraindicated for you.

Contraindications for use:

• diseases of the knee and hip joints (arthritis, arthrosis);
• diseases and injuries of the spine (scoliosis, lumbar osteochondrosis);
• diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• excess body weight.

Common beginner mistakes that lead to injury:

• Workout without warm-up. Without warming up the muscles, you cannot start training.
• Forcing events. Some beginners test their limits by lifting more weight than necessary or want to achieve a desired result quickly. Joint pain, sprains, and injuries occur.
• Slouched back. Incorrect posture during training can lead to spinal injuries.
• Training despite the pain. If there is the slightest pain, you should stop exercising.

Conclusion

Almost always (except in cases where exercise is contraindicated for health reasons), the benefits of squats are a hundred times greater than the potential harm from them. The exercise is recommended for children and adults of any age. By regularly squatting, you will strengthen your muscles, become stronger, more resilient, more energetic, and slimmer.

Barbell squats are the main tool in building powerful, bulky leg muscles. This exercise is multifaceted not only in terms of variability of execution (, and so on), but also in terms of amplitude of movement. Most of the controversy is about deep squats. Their supporters talk about more detailed development of the leg muscles, associating it with a greater amplitude of movement, while opponents argue that this type of squats puts more stress on the knees, and, therefore, is more dangerous. Where is the truth? Let's try to figure it out.

What muscles work

A deep squat with a barbell differs from classic squats only in the amplitude of movement, so it cannot be said that fundamentally different muscle groups are involved. The only difference is the number of muscle fibers worked.

So, when performing deep squats with a barbell, they work:

• Quadriceps;
• Gluteus maximus muscles;
• Adductor muscles;
• Calf muscles;
• Back muscles (especially the lower back), which act as stabilizers;
• The abdominal muscles, like the back muscles, act as stabilizers.

Advantages and disadvantages

Opponents of deep squats talk about their negative impact on the knee joints and, as a consequence, an increased risk of diseases such as osteoarthritis and osteochondrosis.

However, studies conducted in 2013 showed that in the lower phase of squats, when the pelvis drops below the level of the knees, the load on the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee not only does not increase, but, on the contrary, becomes less. At the same time, it was found that the knee joint experiences the greatest loads during shallow squats, when in the negative phase of movement the pelvis does not fall below the level of the knee joints.

Due to the long range of motion, deep squats use more muscle fibers than partial squats. This is especially true for the quadriceps and gluteus maximus muscles, since they are the ones that receive the greatest stretch at the bottom.

Thus, among main advantages deep squats can be distinguished:

• better training of target muscle groups;
• and less harm to the knee joints.

Perhaps, main disadvantage For this exercise, many will point to the inability to work with the same weights as with partial squats. Indeed, if you squat with a barbell weight of 150 kilograms in an incomplete amplitude, then with deep squats you are unlikely to be able to squeeze the same weight from the bottom point. However important to understand, that it is better to squat well with a weight of 120 kilograms than to stroke your ego with a squat with a barbell weighing 150, while harming your knees.

Execution technique

The technique of deep squats, as well as mistakes when performing them, are almost identical to the classic ones.

So, the correct technique is:

1. Take a starting position standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes slightly apart.
2. Keep your back straight, slightly arched at the lower back.
3. Remove the barbell from the racks by placing it on the trapezius muscles. The removal is performed using the strength of the legs, not the back.
4. Step back a little (1-2 steps).
5. Once in your starting position, make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart and the barbell is securely locked.
6. As you inhale, perform a deep squat. The pelvis should fall below the level of the knees as far as possible.
7. Fix at the bottom point for 0.5-1 second.
8. As you exhale, return to the starting position.
9. Go to the racks and place the barbell on them. Returning the barbell to the racks, as well as removing it, is carried out using the strength of the legs.

Common mistakes

• Insufficient attention to the position of the back. Often, under the influence of the weight of the barbell in one of the phases of movement, novice athletes begin to slouch, which can lead to a back injury.
• Shift of the center of gravity. This error is more common in the positive phase of the movement, when the athlete, trying to lift the weight, shifts the load to the toes, thereby increasing the risk of losing balance.
• Working with too much weight. Many gym goers, especially novice athletes, often chase heavy working weights, naively thinking that by doing so they will demonstrate their strength. In fact, working with too much weight impairs the technique of performing the exercise, which can lead to various types of injuries.

Types of deep squats

The most common type of deep squat is the barbell squat, but alternatives include using dumbbells, kettlebells, or.

Deep squats with dumbbells mainly used by girls or beginners who are not yet physically ready to perform exercises with a barbell. As a rule, one dumbbell is used, which the athlete holds vertically in front of him, taking it by one of the weights at the base. When using two dumbbells, the apparatus is placed on the shoulders.

Deep squat with a kettlebell it is also most often used by girls or beginners, placing it in front of them, as in the case of a dumbbell. If 2 weights are used, the athlete places them on their shoulders.

Deep squats on a Smith machine are aimed primarily at understanding and improving the technique of this exercise. In addition, this type of deep squat is useful for those who experience discomfort in the lower back when squatting with a barbell, since the Smith machine minimizes the work of the stabilizer muscles.

Conclusion

Deep squats are the most effective variation of barbell squats. By following a few simple rules for performing this exercise, both men and girls will eventually gain beautiful, aesthetic leg muscles.

Deep squats in video format

Deep squats are effective exercises for working the muscles of the lower body. In the process of performing them, the biceps, thighs, calves, buttocks, and abs work. The back muscles are involved in the movement. Squats are called deep when the athlete lowers his hips and pelvis beyond the level of his knees. To perform the exercise correctly, good technical preparation is necessary, and precise coordination of movements is also required. If you use a barbell, the result will be obtained much faster.

What are deep squats for?

Deep squats help build muscle mass, especially when performed with weights. Due to its high energy intensity, it is possible to burn fat, thereby getting rid of excess weight. Deep squats make not only your legs slim, but your whole body.

This exercise is ideal for making your legs stronger and your buttocks beautiful. Contrary to what some athletes believe, deep squats do not harm the knee joints, but rather increase knee stability.

Benefits and harms

Some people believe that deep squats are not necessary and that it is enough to squat to parallel. However, the results of recent studies prove the opposite.

If you perform the exercises correctly, taking into account all the recommendations, deep squats are undoubtedly beneficial for the human body. They can be used to prevent arthritis, which often affects people with a sedentary lifestyle. As a result of low mobility, the knee joint becomes overgrown with soft tissue. This leads to limited range of motion. If you apply physical activity to the knee joint, such problems will not arise. But at the initial stage, this should be done without a barbell or other weights to avoid injury.

In addition to preventing arthritis, deep squats help you get rid of excess weight, gain beautiful shape, and make your legs slender and toned.

However, deep squats can be harmful for people with thin legs. The fact is that there are practically no muscles on them, and it is they that bear the main load when performing the exercise. It is also not recommended after recent injuries or knee surgeries.

Inexperienced athletes should not do deep barbell squats, especially with heavy weights. This may cause injury. If pain is felt during exercise, exercise should be stopped.

Deep squat technique

The final result depends on how correctly the exercise is performed. Therefore, it is necessary to master the deep squat technique, which is easy to learn simultaneously with performing a squat to parallel. It is important to focus on developing coordination of dexterity and flexibility.

To avoid injury and achieve the required results, you must adhere to the following technique:

1. Place your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Direct your gaze forward, straighten your body. It is necessary that the pelvis, shoulders, ankles and head are located in one straight line.
3. Tighten the muscles of the buttocks, thighs and abdomen. Pull your pelvis back as far as possible.
4. Stretch the thigh muscles as best as possible and transfer the load to them. Bend your legs at the knees, slowly lower your body down. It is important to squat as low as possible, but do not arch your back too much.
5. Having lowered yourself, stay in this position for several seconds.
6. Rise up by leaning forward and squeezing your gluteal muscles.

On a note! Beginners tend to make the same mistakes. The most common are a stooped back, load on the toes during the lower squat and during lifting. Thus, experts recommend that novice athletes concentrate on these little things.

Exercise options

To get the most out of your exercises, you should pay more attention to increasing the range of motion rather than focusing on the number of repetitions. At first it will be difficult to hold the body up after a full squat even for a couple of seconds, but after regular training you will be able to withstand 10 minutes without significant effort.

Exercise 1: Wall Squats

For beginners, this method of deep squats will seem the easiest. When the technique of the exercise is perfected to the smallest detail, and it becomes easy to do, it is worth complicating it using a barbell. This will make your training more effective.

Starting position: standing against the wall, feet shoulder-width apart, arms straight in front of the chest, toes forward.

1. Perform a squat so that your thighs are parallel to the floor. In this case, the upper back, pelvis and head should touch the wall.
2. Stay in this position for several seconds.
3. Take the previous position, straightening your knees.

If doing such squats is difficult at first, you can reduce the range of motion. At first, it is enough to hold the body in a squat for a couple of seconds, gradually increasing the time. When you manage to fix the position for 1 minute, lowering yourself several times in a row, you can move on to a more difficult level.

Exercise 2: squats on a step platform

By decreasing or increasing the step platform, you can change the difficulty level of this exercise. The height of the support must be at least such that during a squat the thighs are parallel to the floor. Instead of a step platform, you can use a chair, box, sofa, etc.

Starting position: feet shoulder-width apart, toes forward.

1. Pull your pelvis back as far as possible.
2. Transfer the load to the thigh muscles, bend your knees. Slowly sit down on the support.
3. Bend your body forward and stand up, tensing your buttock muscles. Take the starting position with your knees straightened.

Before moving on to a more difficult level, you should perform several sets of 10 squats.

Exercise 3: Deep squat without weights

When performing this exercise, the knees will bend forward at a certain stage. However, this must be avoided. It is important to keep your shins almost vertical.

Starting position: feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned forward, body straight.

1. Move your pelvis as far back as possible.
2. Slowly squat down, lowering your body as low as possible. It is advisable to keep your back as straight as possible.
3. Lock yourself in this position.
4. Leaning forward, stand up, transferring the tension to the muscles of the buttocks.

A few sets of 10 squats are enough to begin more complex exercises.

Exercise 4: Deep overhead squats

Starting position: feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned forward, arms above your head, back straight.

1. Move your pelvis back.
2. Bend your knees and slowly squat down. The body should be lowered as far as possible. The back is almost straight.
3. Lock the squat.
4. Stand up, leaning your body forward. The buttock muscles are tense.

Having gained experience, you need to complicate the task by picking up a barbell. It is enough to perform several approaches of 10 squats.

Exercise 5: Deep Squat with Suspension Straps

First you need to attach the straps to the support. It must be secure to avoid injury.

1. Grasp the handles, tightening the straps. Hands are held at chest level, elbows bent.
2. Perform a deep squat with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your arms can be straightened.
3. Fix the muscles in this position.
4. Get up. Take the starting position.

Exercise 6: Deep Barbell Squats

Starting position: feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell in your hands at chest level, body straight.

1. Pull your pelvis back.
2. Perform a squat with a barbell. The body should be lowered as low as possible.
3. Hold your body in this position, tensing your muscles, for several seconds.
4. Rise up to the starting position.

Video lessons

Video lessons will help you better master the technique of performing deep squats.

Recently, in the sports community and on the Internet, there have been verbal battles over whether deep squats are harmful or beneficial. Their antagonist is the so-called parallel squats, when the thighs are parallel to the floor. In the deep, you need to lower yourself until the back of them touches the calf muscles (this exercise is also called “butt to the floor”).

How do your knees feel when the load on them increases several times? It is believed that the joints simply cannot withstand it and are injured. It's time to figure out if this is true.

Muscle atlas

They are called deep when the pelvis and hips fall below the knees. At the same time, the following increases: the working muscle in length, the amplitude of lowering and lifting, and the load. The number of muscles worked is much greater than in parallel squats, and the complexity of the exercise is much higher. This requires serious physical training related to the flexibility of the hip joint, ankle and coordination of movements.

So, what muscles work when performing this exercise:

• VMO is the quadriceps muscle, which in the shape of a drop is located directly above the knee, crosses it and performs the function of stabilizing it;
• hamstrings;
• wide muscles of the thighs;
• gluteal;
• back and lower back - partially;
• if with weights - shoulder girdle and arms.

We can conclude that deep squats are an ideal exercise for women, which reach maximum tension at the lowest point. And it is useful for men to perform them to pump up the famous VMO and quadriceps muscles.

Expert opinion. Sports scientist Andrew Fry believes that constantly doing partial squats eventually weakens proprioception and flexibility.

Benefits and harms

Are there any benefits to such training? Isn't it better to adhere to the majority opinion and leave the squat to parallel?

Many people believe that deep squats are undeniably harmful to the knees due to their excessive extension beyond the line of the toes. In fact, the only risk group is people with thin legs, since they simply lack the muscles that do all the work in this exercise. The thighs and lower legs must be well developed to ensure a safe descent to the lowest point.

According to recent research, such squats increase the stability of the knee joint by reducing the pressure inside it. So this is a great way to make your legs stronger. During such training, the buttocks are loaded 25% more than in regular squats.

Arthritis and knee pain in most modern people are a consequence of a sedentary lifestyle and ignoring exercise and stress on the legs. This leads to the knee joints becoming overgrown with soft tissue. As a result, this limits the range of motion and impairs mobility.

So now you know whether deep squats are good for your knees - undoubtedly, yes, if your legs are ready for such tests and you are not at risk for health reasons.

This is interesting. Tony Parra, one of the most experienced PICP Level 5 trainers, was able to rehabilitate his knee injury using deep squats. Thus, he refuted the opinion that this exercise only harms the joints.

Execution technique

To avoid injury, you need to know how to do such exercises correctly. The classic technique involves performing them with your own weight, that is, without any weight in the form of a barbell or dumbbells.

1. Spread your legs shoulder width apart. Toes point forward or slightly to the sides.
2. The head, shoulders, hip joints and ankles are located in the same vertical plane. Look only forward.
3. Tighten the muscles of your thighs, buttocks and abdominals.
4. The body will be pulled down by the chest and shoulders.
5. Move your pelvis back as far as possible.
6. Fully stretch and engage your thigh muscles, bend your knees and slowly squat down. Go down as low as possible, but without bending your lower back too much.
7. Fix in the lower position, maintaining tension in the body.
8. Lean forward and stand up, straining your buttocks.

Typical mistakes of those who try to do deep squats without weight: hunched back and transferring the load to the toes during the lower squat and rise. Therefore, in your first training sessions you should try to work, first of all, on these two points.

Records. US bodybuilder Tom Platz performed 23 deep squats with a weight of 244 kilograms in 1993. He not only has the best and most sculpted thighs in the history of bodybuilding - their shape showed an incredibly developed VMO muscle.

Types of exercises

Despite the fact that the classic exercise is performed without a barbell, weights make the workout easier, not more difficult. If the implements are at chest level, they serve as a counterweight, which minimizes the risk of falling on your back, keeps your torso straight and allows you to squat deeper.

• With a barbell

The most common option is with a barbell on your shoulders. Here the muscles of the back and lower back, as well as the shoulder girdle, are additionally worked out. The projectile must be removed from the racks carefully. To do this, you need to take the bar, placing your hands on it slightly wider than your shoulders. Place it on the trapeze, smoothly release it from the clamps, and take a step back. Next - everything according to the classical execution scheme. Unless your feet can be placed a little wider than your shoulders.

Experienced athletes recommend starting to work with a barbell in a Smith machine, where there is no risk of falling on your back or improperly loading your foot. You can choose classic exercises, when the apparatus is placed on the back, or you can do frontal exercises, when you have to hold it on the chest.

• With dumbbells

Deep squats with dumbbells are recommended for girls and beginners whose physical fitness for the barbell is still a little weak. It is better to use one projectile, which should be held vertically at chest level, pressing your elbows to your body. If you take two, place them above your shoulders.

• Cyclist squats

Coaches force Olympic-level cyclists to do this exercise. They use a narrow stance of the legs (10 cm from each other), and a wedge-shaped block is placed under the heels, minimizing the pressure on the foot. This allows you to maintain your back in a perfectly straight position and reduce the load on your gluteal muscles. For this reason, the squat is recommended primarily for men.

• One and a quarter

This deep squat is part of the training for Olympic skiers. It compensates for the development of the upper quadriceps and prepares the knees for risky situations. Within 5 seconds you need to go down until you reach the lowest point. Then - slowly and evenly rise up only 1/4 of the amplitude. You need to feel yourself in this position and then return under control to the lowest point so that your hips are in full contact with your calves. Lifting up is carried out until the knees are completely turned off.

Stubborn statistics. Weightlifters who perform shallow squats are twice as likely to experience knee injuries as those who perform full-range squats.

Features and rules of training

To do a deep squat correctly, it is not enough to know the technique of doing it. Listen to the recommendations of experienced professionals to get the most out of this exercise.

1. The VMO muscle contains more fast-twitch fibers than the other heads of the quadriceps. Therefore, to work it out, a relatively small number of repetitions will be required. 5 approaches 6-8 times give the desired effect.
2. Fast pace is strictly contraindicated.
3. Aim to learn how to squat as deeply as possible so that your knees and lower back become flexible and allow you to hold the lowest point for 10 minutes without a break.
4. Watch your breathing: sit down as you inhale, rise as you exhale.
5. The foot should not be lifted off the floor.
6. Slouching is also strictly prohibited.
7. You cannot exercise if you have anorexia and diseases of the musculoskeletal system (including joints).

Sample program for deep squats without weight:

1. Zero level (2 weeks) - the exercise is performed against the wall.
2. Initial (next 2 weeks) - with a step platform.
3. Intermediate (month) - classic deep squats.
4. Advanced (2 weeks) - hands behind the head.
5. Maximum (infinite) - dynamic squat with a jump from the lowest point.

There is no need to be judgmental about deep squats. They are no more harmful to the same knee joints than all other physical exercises. The main thing is to correctly perform the lowering and lifting technique, observe contraindications, and not try to do more, because here quality comes first.

With regular training, girls will be able to see slender legs and a beautiful, firm butt in the mirror, and men will be able to see sculpted quadriceps and that very pumped droplet above the knees - the VMO muscle.