Squatting past parallel?

nbafo wrote: thanks for any pointers and are there any other good quad/glute workouts besides squats? Nancy

Nancy,  Lunges will destroy the glutes.

You are 41 and already have knee problems.  You have no business at all doing deep squats with any substantial weight.  There is plenty of challenge in taking just 25# plates on a smith bar, rack, and with as perfect form as you can and under control, squat to parallel, hold for one second and under smooth control come back up, hold for a second and repeat.  Try twelve and then walk away.  You'll feel it the next day or two for sure.  If you want to build "thigh" strength, then do partial squats going down a quarter or a third of the way and that is all.   No bebopping up and down.  Control.  Get rid of the boxes.  Don't use a bench to bounce your arse off, unless you might enjoy a broken tailbone.  Your goal is to train using weights.  Anything else is just weight lifting.  Squating 500 pounds does not equal distance.  It only means you can squat 500 pounds.

And wrap your knees! 

That's my two-bits worth of sound advice.

I understand all that.  Good job for you.  You've been doing it.  The questioner is getting back into shape and has a history.  His smart moved to lighten the weight and be more concerned with proper, and safe form long before he should consider adding100, 200, 300, pounds on his back and  knees.  I believe that one needs to  understand the range of motion that a highland games athlete needs to concern themself with, and one will find that 1/4 to 1/3 is about as low as most need to go.  No one explodes from a deep squat.  No one.  If it were true, basketball players would be dropping into a deep squat and slamming from midcourt.  Just my opinion based on years of training, coaching, playing.  Okay, I retired. So I will shut up from now on.  But I retired in one piece and no surgeries.  I think that is pretty darn good after seventeen years.

those crafty Bulagarians...i have used heart rate also...I use it once in a while to make sure I am getting enough rest between sets...or most of the time not getting too much...

Coach do you ever add the lifters size into the equation...

If two lifters of equal maxes in the squat were working out...the more top heavy athlete will still be doing a higher percentage intensity of work....I have a few athletes (besides myself) that fit this profile.

Other wise in a well thought out plan an athlete will do a squatting movement at all range of motion parameters....with good technique anyone can squat full range...if not you have some muscle missuse problems....the squat often gets blamed when in reality it just points out problems an athlete has like poor VMO, poor glute activation, poor internal and external rotators of the hips, abs...the list goes on and on...

I just know that a good squatting workout helps my sheaf!

I love box squats...especially with novices as it aids in teaching technique...there are 100's of ways to squat...use them all.

So before anyone discusses compression on the disks...bouncing off the box etc...remember any exercise done wrong can be harmful.

I think people are worried about this spinal compression a little too much.  Granted, while at college, I saw some real retards attemp box squats and they came crashing down on to the box.  Here, I think a warning is warrented.  In most cases though, read; with most of us, there is enough training knowledge to know not to do that...I would hope.

Most people can not box squat near the weight that they can regular squat or deadlift.  Add to that that many people do partial rack pulls with a ton of weight.  Spinal compression is always an issue. Anytime you put any heavy weight across your back or in your hands your going to have spinal compression.  I we lift smart, box squats should be no more dangerous than anything else.

Nancy says she has bad knee's and she goes slow when she squats. Obviously she is worried about them. So I would seek out a warm water tHerapy style pool and do jump squats and lunges in the pool. The faster you go the harder the resistance. Plus your knees will feel better and your legs will get stronger. Then I would progress to machinery like leg press hip sled and then on to front squats. Just an Idea. I just don't want you to hurt anymore than you have to.

i am 61

still squatting deep

i mean dead rock bottom deep (355 x 5)

you cannot get a volume of erotic poetry between my ass and the floor

use wraps, yes, and icyhot; any 12 year old scotch is a good warmup

otherwise its just down and up, down and up

the knee is made to go all the way, so let it

the company was stellar as well

Myles AND Kearney

lots of laughs - lots of weight - lots of fun

old plaid wrote: i am 61 still squatting deep i mean dead rock bottom deep (355 x 5) you cannot get a volume of erotic poetry between my ass and the floor use wraps, yes, and icyhot; any 12 year old scotch is a good warmup otherwise its just down and up, down and up the knee is made to go all the way, so let it

That was beautifully said, from a leader in our sport. I'm actually misting up a bit. I'd be honored to join you in a lifting session; I'll bring the scotch.

Plaid, I showed my high school group a deep squat, and I was amazed that many of them couldn't sit on their heels. It's like a right of passage to be able to do that.