Ass to grass vs. Parallel squats

[MindlessWork]

Used to hit almost asg but after knee injury and months of rehab was told that the wear and tear on knees isn't worth it for long term. Only go to parallel not as heavy and have noticed a lot less knee pain. I'm in for the long haul and not in my 20's anymore so parallel is for me.

You could always go for volume and rep out as many reps as you can using a lighter weight. I myself have been doing squats for 225lbs for 10-15 reps for squats and going to parallel with a fairly wide stance. Not too shabby for me as I'm almost 51

 

[jaymaximus]

I always say go as low as YOU can possibly go. Everyone knows their own body.
But I do see a lot of people who add too much weight and cant go low, they choose being able to say they lifted X pounds over form and getting the most out of the exercise.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[MindlessWork]

I always say go as low as YOU can possibly go. Everyone knows their own body.
But I do see a lot of people who add too much weight and cant go low, they choose being able to say they lifted X pounds over form and getting the most out of the exercise.

Just my 2 cents.

Good point there and I generally go as low as I can to parallel or even somewhat below.

 

[xgunx]

I wish i could do any ammount of squats. Raced moto x to many years, to many tears and knee surgeries. When i get paralell they just give out. It sucks cause i have to do several other exercises to try and make up for it. Luckly my lower body is naturally bigger so i just keep it in shape to stay preportionate however thats spelled. Lol

 

[gr8whitetrukker]

Proportionate you english bastard

 

[xgunx]

Proportionate you english bastard

Lol im not english im american. And thats actually what i changed it from, damn..

 

[dnoyez]

I used to squat atg and my roots stating out was atg,there was no other way.Now days I go a bit below parallel and have developed my quadriceps to a newer level and less growth in my glutes and back side in general.Going in the bucket is a bit too much for my knees risk wise when my goals are hypertrophy oriented more then power.I five by fived my way to 405 atg back in the day..it did contribute to what I believe overall muscle growth from head to toe but my quads didn't pop just nicely with sweep until I stoped below parallel and suppose kept more of the movement quad and less glutes and hams and all the rest.

 

[ruckin]

I used to squat atg and my roots stating out was atg,there was no other way.Now days I go a bit below parallel and have developed my quadriceps to a newer level and less growth in my glutes and back side in general.Going in the bucket is a bit too much for my knees risk wise when my goals are hypertrophy oriented more then power.I five by fived my way to 405 atg back in the day..it did contribute to what I believe overall muscle growth from head to toe but my quads didn't pop just nicely with sweep until I stoped below parallel and suppose kept more of the movement quad and less glutes and hams and all the rest.

I don't get why you'd intentionally try to remove some of your posterior chain involvement from the greatest overall lower body exercise there is. It's a squat; it's supposed to fully involve your glues and hams, it's not supposed to be a big leg extension.

 

[dnoyez]

Simple as I said before to have larger quads.Lol big leg extension im picturing that but honestly it was trial and error trying to improve my legs visually,not power wise.And that's a wives tale squats are good but not the greatest overall exercise for every person seeking leg development.

And who are you really to say how a movement is supposed to be anyways?Everyone has different goals and arrive there by different ways.I see both sides of the coin ..the parallel and atg as both good variations of form for the squat.For now I squat parallel or a tad under and im making my gains but you seem to think anyone who squats parallel are doing some form of upright leg extensions?Thats what I gather from you.

 

[Ozzy619]

@weighted chinup made me an atg believer with a simple illustration. He said if you ever look at a little kid, how do they squat? Always atg, its a natural movement. I think over time as we grow up we get lazy and half ass everything, including how we squat. Asians squat to shit, maybe we should all start doing that too.

 

[hotdog23]

I get LOW! Got so low with 225 I strained my hammy right next to my ass cheek and groin on the inside. Still very tender. No bruising thank god. I think I bounced honestly, box squats just be low parrelell for awhile. Can't wait to get in the bucket again

 

[hotdog23]

@weighted chinup made me an atg believer with a simple illustration. He said if you ever look at a little kid, how do they squat? Always atg, its a natural movement. I think over time as we grow up we get lazy and half ass everything, including how we squat. Asians squat to shit, maybe we should all start doing that too.

To be fair. This argument has little validity with 300lbs on your back. Yes it is a natural position, UNLOADED. I like to get real low with sub maximal weight. It feels better. But with higher weight I do shorten ROM. I'm pretty sure below parellel puts knees in a weaker position. How weak depends on the person. IF you can do it pain free I think you should do it

 

[Ozzy619]

To be fair. This argument has little validity with 300lbs on your back. Yes it is a natural position, UNLOADED. I like to get real low with sub maximal weight. It feels better. But with higher weight I do shorten ROM. I'm pretty sure below parellel puts knees in a weaker position. How weak depends on the person. IF you can do it pain free I think you should do it

I agree, I was just being a smart ass Atg feels better to me too. I used to be all about parallel with a moderate to heavy weight. A few months back I started atg. When I started doing it I went all the way back to 135. Sometimes Ill go up to 185 but honestly Im still working on form and just doing what feels right. Theres no way I could do 300 atg yet.

 

[barbelle]

Threadjacking. I always did a2g, from day one. Favourite lift. Never had any problems, never any accidents involving the knees, not even slipping into bad form.

Then, for various reasons, I basically stopped lifting for about two years.

And _now_ my knees decide to start hurting like hell! From out of nowhere.

Even when I just do nothing, I can feel them, like a slight burning feeling. I can go about parallel, but that's about it. It's like something grew inside my knees, some tissue, because as soon as I go below parallel, it feels like I'm squeezing something in there.

Any ideas? Doctors are morons, unfortunately.

Can the knees joints suddenly start growing by themselves?

 

[xgunx]

Threadjacking. I always did a2g, from day one. Favourite lift. Never had any problems, never any accidents involving the knees, not even slipping into bad form.

Then, for various reasons, I basically stopped lifting for about two years.

And _now_ my knees decide to start hurting like hell! From out of nowhere.

Even when I just do nothing, I can feel them, like a slight burning feeling. I can go about parallel, but that's about it. It's like something grew inside my knees, some tissue, because as soon as I go below parallel, it feels like I'm squeezing something in there.

Any ideas? Doctors are morons, unfortunately.

Can the knees joints suddenly start growing by themselves?

You probably did damage to them all those years and didnt realize it. All the muscle was doing the work and you were used to the pain. Now that muscle is gone and you arent used to the pain.

Your also getting older and lost flexibilty not using them. Hence the squeezing feeling.

I baby my knees because they are shit. My last surgery i was told after i woke up that he wasnt able to fix it and i had to wait for a knee replacement.

 

[Albeetron3000]

As a power lifter i feel like i can explode more out of the hole going ass to grass but its just me

 

[Roid Rage]

I only go slightly below parallel when I'm squatting. I can't get my ass anywhere near the ground, even when I'm just warming up. I guess my thighs are just too large and
muscular for me to get low to the ground .

 

[MR10X]

Power lifters are only concerned with how much weight they can lift,they use a lot of hip and ass with their form.Bodybuilders do squats for size and use different form,or at least they should.......

 

[Docd187123]

I agree, I was just being a smart ass Atg feels better to me too. I used to be all about parallel with a moderate to heavy weight. A few months back I started atg. When I started doing it I went all the way back to 135. Sometimes Ill go up to 185 but honestly Im still working on form and just doing what feels right. Theres no way I could do 300 atg yet.

You have to be careful doing ass to grass. It's impossible for most to keep the posterior chain tight throughout the movement in an ass to grass squat simply bc of flexibility so concentrate on tight hips, tight glutes, and tight hams. Hip drive out the whole. Another option to work the posterior more without needing flexibility for A2G is paused squats or box squats. 2 more fantastic exercises to add to your arsenal if they're not already in there.

 

[Dens228]

People are built different. Long thighs, short thighs, long spine, short spine, etc.
Different insertion points, the list can go on.
ATG, for me takes some stress off the quads and puts in on the glutes, hams, low back.
As a former powerlifter my leg mass never matched my squat strength. When I retired from powerlifting I thought switching to higher reps and continuous tension would add the mass, it didn't. For ME, pre-exaust with extensions, hitting the leg press and hacks, that started adding the mass.

Big key to success is you have to experiment with an open mind to find out what works for you.