Dude, that's bad for your knees!

 
 
A few weeks ago I was in a big Globo Gym squatting, not very heavy, but squatting none the less. As I finished my fifth set or so a "trainer" approached me and said, "Dude, that's bad for your knees"!
 
"What's bad for my knees? Squatting"? I replied. "No, going all the way to the floor like that." He said.
 
I didn't want to argue with this young, enthusiastic, over zealous trainer, so I just basic response was, "this is how I've been squatting for twenty years and I cannot do it any other way."
 
It's true though, very rarely do I see people performing good old fashioned butt to the floor squats.(or at least below parallel) I remember days back in the early eighties where we had full on squat workouts and if you didn't bottom out and puke you weren't leaving the gym.
 
We would pull up a bench, pull out the knee wraps and grab the nearest trash can and see who would puke first. Seriously, we had some fun. There would be at least 6-7 of us on a Saturday morning or late night, after the gym closed, and we went at it.
 
Here is the problem with "half squats", as I see it. First of all it's not really functional. Typically when you squat in life you go all the way to the ground, so I like to train how I function. That's just my common sense explanation. No for the more scientific explanation in layman's terms.
 
Your knee joint is at it's strongest when it's in it's fully  flexed or fully extended positions...not in between. If you are doing "partial squats" there is a really good chance that you are creating a muscle imbalance by just strengthening your quads, and not your hamstrings and glutes.
 
That would be more of a reason people suffer from sore knees, not just because you do full squats...follow me? (Maybe Gary wants to chime in on this) Muscle imbalances are a big reason many people suffer from pains like lower back and knees.
 
The squat, in my opinion, is one of those desert island exercises that you would choose if you could only choose one. The reason being is that it works your entire body.
 
If you do decide to squat a little deeper, be sure to start light, go slow and work your way up. Also be sure to use proper form.
 
1). Position of the bar- Low on back, the bar should fit in between your lower traps and rear delts. You'll find there is a nice little groove in there.
 
2). Chest is up- This will keep you from rounding your back
 
3). Eyes to the horizon- Contrary to popular belief you shouldn't be looking up. This will cause your neck to hurt. Also, if you look down you could easily fall.Remember this rule, where your head goes, your body follows.
 
4). Foot position- feet just about shoulder width and feet facing out about 30 degrees. 
 
5). Knee alignment- Imagine a line down the center of your knee, keep that tracking directly over your toe next to the big toe.
 
6). Hand position on bar- Not too narrow as this can be very uncomfortable. 
 
7). Weight distribution- Don't squat by pushing from your toes, always use heels...drive them through the earth.
 
If you follow these simple guidelines you'll be much better off and try to go all the way down, unless of course you have some pre existing condition that would limit this ability.
 
Always use safety as your guideline first and foremost and never do anything you aren't comfortable with. Having a good spotter always helps.