posted Sat, 03/10/2012 - 05:14
1661
Which is Best: Ass-To-Grass or 90degrees When Squating?
ad
I keep hearing different views on how low one should go when squatting. Some say, go as low as you can (Ass To Grass) while others say its best to resist the weight as you go down and hold it at 90 Degrees then go back up again.
I prefer going 90 because every time I go completely down, my back gets all messed up especially when going heavy.
What are your takes on this?
Which is better, Ass-To-Grass or 90 degrees?
- Bookmark
- 0
- 0
It all depends on the person tbh. Some people are just not made for ass to the grass. Just see what you like most. Oh and for legs stick to 10-15 reps. You ever notice those girl at gym that have THICK squads? They never go heavy. Just high reps. Better for the mass on legs.
If I have learned one thing about lifting, it is to only take advice from guys bigger and better than you. This doesn't mean that someone smaller doesn't know what they are talking about, but somebody bigger has had to push through plateaus and knows what it takes to get there. I say this because everyone has opinions and how else do you know who to listen to? lol And when it comes to squats... Ask anyone who has BIG legs. I use to go parallel, even using a bench under me to make sure I didn't go any lower. I talked with a few guys, including 3 X 202 Mr.O Kevin English and they all said the same thing. Squat til your ass is in the grass! I don't know about anyone else, but Im gonna listen to Kevin English before some guy at the gym that has an excuse as to why he can't do deep squats. Have you seen his legs!? Ya, now I squat til I can't go down anymore. Its actually easier with heavier weight because it pushes you deeper. You can't argue with results! I love squats!!
ASS TO THE GRASS BABY!!! Full range of motion is best for complete development and everything eliot_99 said below is right on point too. The only thing is you cant go as heavy as when you stop at 90 degrees. Dropping weight is a blow to some guys ego's but you'll be back where you were in no time. Athletes who need to jump high and run fast (basketball, track) do hack squats. I was the number 1 high jumper in the county back in my day, hack squats!!
We did a lab on this in one of my biomechanics classes at university. The most strain put on your knee's ligaments and meniscus are when your knee is at 90 degrees. going below 90 degrees is actually much better for you as you do not stop the load and change direction when your knees are at 90 degrees.
This is also exactly what Mark Rippetoe describes, and what my own personal experiences line up with. An easy way to confirm this is to "cop a squat". You can squat down indefinitely without stress or fatigue on your knees. Try squatting down to talk to your kid but keep your knees locked at a 90 degree angle and see how long you last for.
This is really interesting man. Can I ask what was the average size of the subjects thighs. I was there a difference in stress on the joints between a guy with a thigh circumference of 20-25 inches and a bigger guy who has 25-30inch plus? What was the math in other words.
the circumference wouldnt make any difference. Ill have to pull out my books and see exactly what was calculated. (This class was 2 years ago). However we did the lab with different electrodes on different ligament. showing the stress on various ligaments throughout a squat. From what i remember which was the take home message was that at 90 degrees the stress on the knees ligaments are much higher then any other angle during a squat. Even below 90 degrees the load is transfered from your knee onto your glutes and hams. and above 90 degrees the stress is on your quads and consequently at 90 degrees the stress is directly on your knees. do a quick google search and i am sure this lab has been done numerous times and you could find someones results.
Too much squatting at or just slightly under parallel is hell on your knees. I went through a bad case of tendonitis from doing squats 3x per week like that. Now I squat heavy and often with no issues by simply using strict form and going as low as possible. The real problem with going low is your hamstrings pull on your pelvis and this can cause lower back pain. I'm still able to get full depth even with 2 herniated discs though simply by going slow keeping form strict, and warming up gradually. If you get full depth with perfect form on a low bar squat you'll feel it in your back and hamstrings most. Anyways I love squatting and I'm pretty opinionated on the matter, but honestly if you're going to go through all the stress of squatting, why skip out on tons of glute/hamstring work by not dropping those last few inches.
I'd say everyone will have different views of the squats!
If I go too low(literally sitting on the ground) I can feel it badly on my knees, not a good feeling. I always try and aim to go below the 90 degree mark and wait until I feel it in my glutes and then shoot straight up.
Going low should never cause stress in the knees in fact it should relieve it. Make sure you aren't coming forward too far, and push your knees out when you squat down.
Yeah I know, I always try to get my form 100%, but Thanks I'll try it anyway! but I have a feeling it might just be that my knee is banjaxed.
I personally just go down slow and controlled until i break parrallel then explode up im like u if i go to low it makes me bend forward and gives my back grief
Nice slow controlled reps get the best burn. It just squeezes all the Lactic acid into the muscle.
Both:-)
When doing lighter weight warming up i always go ass to the floor. But when the weight gets heavier it kills my knees. Before I hurt my neck and could actually use the barbell to squat I would put a stool down behind me so once I hit 90 deg I'd be touching the stool. Now I use the machines. To be honest most guys ass to the grass is almost 90 deg. anyway. You have to take your body mechanics into account before going heavy. If your technique is off all thats going to happen is you'll get hurt when you throwing extra plates on there.