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Can squatting past parallel be bad on the knees?


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A couple months ago I decided to rework my squat and essentially start over. I realized I wasn't going to parallel and my form generally sucked. So I dropped down to 95lbs and started doing 5x5 sets 2 times a week, increasing the weight whenever I could complete 5x5 going all the way down, till I'm in a full squat, "ass-to-grass." This is significantly lower than parallel, and the results have been positive in terms of strength gains I've made (up to 115lbs currently) and I like knowing that I'm hitting as much range of motion as I can (I train martial arts and leg strength in weird positions is crucial when you find yourself in certain sticky situations).

 

Anyway, about the knees... I don't feel any pain or discomfort when squatting this deep, but I do hear a little weird "clicky" noise in my right knee. Sometimes the day after my right knee feels a little off, not painful, just off. It's so subtle I'm half-sure it's just in my head and I hear that clicking and I'm assuming something's wrong with my right knee, or I subconsciously compensate weird when doing the squats and this makes the knee feel different than the left the next day.

 

So my question is, is it not a good idea to squat so low in general? If it is ok to squat that low with healthy joints, should I start doing them a little higher, like right about before I hear that clicky noise? Or am I just crazy? Any thoughts?

 

TIA.

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There's never been any evidence to show that deep squatting (when done properly) has any negative impact on the knees, unlike partial squats which do create a greater shear on the joints (partials can be safe, but again, as long as they're done properly).

 

So as long as you're not feeling pain or discomfort that would alarm you, it's probably just one of those weird joint "clicks" that you'll have to contend with. I've got similar things - my left knee clicks and crackles when I squat deep, but squatting deep makes my knees feel better, so it's just noise. When I DON'T squat for a while, my knee gets sore when I do anything requiring a quick movement, so I attribute good, deep squatting to keeping my knee feeling better.

 

For me, I also found that Rehband knee sleeves help keep my trick knee feeling better when squatting, and it muffles the clicks so I don't get distracted by them. Check out www.jackalsgym.com if you're interested - the sleeves aren't cheap, but you can't do better than Rehband products for supports!

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Check this out; http://www.dieselcrew.com/how-to-squat/

Read right the way down because it kinda changes subject then goes back to squatting. There are some cool squatting technique videos on their website too

I didnt use to put my weight on the outside edges of my feet, so when I squatted deeply my knees tended to buckle in..that causes problems for your knees I can tell you!

Now, when I'm getting into position I consciously shift the weight to the outside of my feet and my knees never buckle in and never hurt.

So many people have tried to teach me how to squat, but if it weren't for reading the advice on this web page over and over again, I think I would still have crappy form and knee problems. De

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Squat to as deep as is comfortable and safe for you. If you can go all the way down, great. If not, still great because you are doing what is unarguably one of the best compound exercises there is. Enjoy a challenging squat session with safety. Maybe mix it up. One session deep, the next to parallel. Whatever works best for you.

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