The squat is a complicated animal. Simply put, there’s no black and white when it comes to a squat’s efficacy. In truth, reaching different depths will help you achieve different results, especially if your goals are aesthetic.
Here’s a guide to help you find what’s right for you.
Make it a Choice, Not an Obligation
It’s important to remember that many people use arguments against full-range squatting to excuse the fact they aren’t able to do it. If you have mobility issues limiting your squat, address these first. Get that sorted – then you can start thinking about load.
Looking for Glute Development? Parallel Depth Is Your Best Friend
Squatting to ‘parallel’ – where your thigh is level with the floor – is a smart benchmark for lifters looking to develop their posterior chain. The reason is simple: your hamstrings and glutes remain the most engaged muscles for the majority of the lift. At the bottom of a parallel squat, knee flexion is less pronounced than hip flexion (in other words, there’s more bend at the hip than at the knee).
The result is a greater demand for hip extension during the upward phase of the rep, which activates more of your posterior chain – including the glutes, hamstrings and lower back. Going deeper, on the other hand, can encourage the pelvis to tuck under, shortening the hamstrings and offering minimal added benefit if your goal is glute size and strength.
Want Big, Strong Quads? Raise Your Heels and Get Low
Simply put, the further forward your knee tracks over your toes under load, the more quadriceps fibres you’ll recruit when squatting. Wearing Olympic lifting shoes or placing small plates under your heels changes your shin angle just enough to encourage greater knee flexion as you squat ‘ass to grass’. This shifts the emphasis of the lift onto the front of your legs, making it quad-dominant. You can compound this effect by opting for front squats – and, over time, build seriously powerful thighs.
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Looking for Athletic Performance? Don’t Rule Out the Quarter Squat
Recent research suggests that quarter squats, performed with heavier loads and lower rep ranges (under eight reps), can translate to greater power – particularly for sprinting and explosive jumping. The movement more closely mimics the joint angles used in these activities and can be used effectively alongside your standard squat routine. Stop above parallel and be aggressive in the upward phase.
And when someone accuses you of not squatting deep enough, you can let your performance do the talking.
