Parallel to the floor

[spidey]

Is it the top or bottom of your legs that need to be parallel?

 

[RockHard]

What are we discussing about today?

 

[spidey]

top or bottom of thighs, which is supposed to be parallel?

 

[Starcraftmazter]

Doing what?

 

[Typhon]

Can I assume you're talking about squats?

If so then if the bottom of your thigh is parallel then the top should be too, I can't see how one end could be parallel to the floor and the other not

 

[Karky]

If your quad is bulging or your hams sagging it would not be the same. I belive however, that it's the femur that's suppose to be parallell in a parallell squat. Do you do powerlifting? If not I'd just go as low as I can.

 

[Typhon]

If your quad is bulging or your hams sagging it would not be the same.

Ah, I thought he meant top and bottom as in the ends of the thigh (top being near the hip and bottom by the knee)
What you're saying is far more sensible and I'd agree it should be the bone that's parallel

 

[Karky]

I hope he diden't mean that..

 

[spidey]

yeah i meant squat, sorry i shouldve specifiied.

 

[LeiYunFat]

**** parallel

 

[spidey]

usually i just go all the way down just to be sure

 

[dnort75]

Going below parallel hurts the knees. It is biomechanicali not a good position for the joints. Of course in powerlifting some below parallel training is necessary.

 

[Karky]

Thats not true dnort. Below parallell is a much more natrual position to stop the squat, some research has actually shown that theres more force on the knees the higher up you stop. What hurts the knees is if you go ass to calfs and sit down there and rest with your hams against your calfs. This will cause the knee to want to "open" if you catch my drift? Because the calf and hams will press against eacother pressing the tibia and femur in different directions, then the tendons and ligaments in the knee will have to work to prevent that from happening. But aslong as you don't rest down there, it's not so much of a problem.

 

[dnort75]

I have to agree that some research suggests that you are out of trouble squatting low as long as you can keep your hams from resting or bouncing on the calves.

However squatting low requires more strength and a solid form to be performed safely.

 

[yassinator]

Squats used to make me nervous, but ever since I started doing them below parallel I feel much more safe. I finally got the feel for them, and appreciate them ever so much more. I think people who don't go to parallel do not understand what it means to control their squat movement and are more prone to injury. At least for me this was true.