How Many Squats?

[OCMuscleJock]

I realize you have nothing but good intentions here...but your statement that going below parallel puts "terrible amounts of stress on the knee" is simply false. Stopping a squat above parallel causes the quadriceps to push the tibia forward. Only by going below parallel is this force balanced by a posterior force by the hamstrings. This balance of forces makes the knee stronger. The idea that "deep squats damage the knee" originated in a 1961 study that has been recognized as highly flawed, and it is really dangerous advice.

If you care to learn more about this, I would suggest Rippetoe and Kilgore's _Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training_. Both authors are highly regarded strength coaches at the national level, and the second author is a professor of anatomy. The book will explain this much better than I can.

All I was saying is... If you read your article, There are a few variables that need to be addressed before you do squats deep. I do go deeper on my squats as well...HOWEVER, DingDong was asking and he is just beginning to do the exercises properly...that's why he was asking. I was saying for him not to go past 90%. Once he's advanced enough and the proper stabilizers have been developed..THEN he should try the deeper squats if and only if he doesn't have a history of knee problems or something preventing him from doing do.

OH a side note... I have A LOT of athletes as clients...some older x jocks...and most of them have knee problems and a large portion of them came from squats. Or so they say. I currently have 3 professional bodybuilders as clients and they even say they are starting to feel the wear on the joints as well. It's something that most x jocks *male and female* have to contend with when they get older.

I'm all about preventing injuries even tho treating them is my bread and butter... but hey... people never listen, therefore I will always have clients.

Also, remember..there are MANY thoughts on this from many different authors/doctors whatever... just because it's said in one book that it's the best...doesn't mean they are right. Thats what they found from their research. Again, I was trying to give advice to someone that I have no previous knowledge of their medical history, previous experience or physical limitations. So I was sticking with the basic..

 

[sdg475]

Good suggestions so far. Like OC has said, you should only be working a muscle group hard at most every other day. Like most other muscle groups, you need to max test (please wear a weight belt when you do this and have a spotter). Once you figure out what you are capable of doing correctly 2-3 times only take 70% of that weight and you have your starting number. At that weight do 3 sets of 8, next time you work out or when you feel comfortable with the weight you should move to 3 sets of 9. Increase by a rep per set as stated until you reach 3 sets of 12. Once you reach that point add about 5-10% of that weight (not of your max) and restart at 3 sets of 8.

 

[The Dragon]

I suggest until you develop some strenght in your legs perhaps it might be best to do your squats in a Smith Machine and then move on to a power rack.
In the power rack set the side safety bars a little below your thighs at 90% this will give you a visual aid when keeping correct form and not going down too far down into the squat.
The power rack will help give you a level of comfort because sometimes it can be very hard in a busy gym to find a reliable spotter.
It is perhaps best to choose one day solely for legs and it is nornal to be more sore on the second day after heavy leg training day.
Warm up and stretch before doing legs, 10mins on a tread mill at a brisk pace, and between sets stretch your legs out again and at the end of the session stretch them out yet again and do 10 mins on the tread mill at a much slower pace to cool down.
This helps flush the muscle group with blood which helps dilute and carry away the latic acid build up that has accumulated in the muscle during the session.
Go home and have a high protein meal. Your muscles will crave protein during this time.
Warming up, stretching and cool down will help reduce the discomfort after leg days.

 

[OCMuscleJock]

I suggest until you develop some strenght in your legs perhaps it might be best to do your squats in a Smith Machine and then move on to a power rack.
In the power rack set the side safety bars a little below your thighs at 90% this will give you a visual aid when keeping correct form and not going down too far down into the squat.
The power rack will help give you a level of comfort because sometimes it can be very hard in a busy gym to find a reliable spotter.
It is perhaps best to choose one day solely for legs and it is nornal to be more sore on the second day after heavy leg training day.
Warm up and stretch before doing legs, 10mins on a tread mill at a brisk pace, and between sets stretch your legs out again and at the end of the session stretch them out yet again and do 10 mins on the tread mill at a much slower pace to cool down.
This helps flush the muscle group with blood which helps dilute and carry away the latic acid build up that has accumulated in the muscle during the session.
Go home and have a high protein meal. Your muscles will crave protein during this time.
Warming up, stretching and cool down will help reduce the discomfort after leg days.

this is also good advice

 

[dingdong]

wow, thanks everyone! much appreciated

is the main rule of a squat, to not let your knees go past your toes?

 

[Rubenesque]

Personally I do no more than 2 squats a day, one to pick up a big box of biscuits, the other to put it back down when it's empty!

 

[streetdoc]

If you are a beginner, then you don't need to be doing weighted squats immediately anyhow. Squats simply with bodyweight are the best until good form is learned. As far as the parellel question? Yes, not going below parallel can be harder on the knees because the hams and accessory muscles don't get totally engaged in the movement. But a novice attempting to do weighted squats past parellel without supervision is an accident/injury waiting to happen.
If you really want to get serious about this then do this. Get a measuring tape/yardstick. Stand with your back against a wall. Slowly lower yourself down the wall until the bottom of your upper leg/thigh is parellel to the floor. Stop there. Measure from the floor to your thigh. Retain that measurement. For most peeps it's going to be somewhere between 15 and 18 inches. You will want to do your squats approximately one inch lower than that measurement in order to engage all of the muscles invloved in a proper squat. It's even a good thing just to build a sturdy square box that will be the appropriate height. You would squat until you barely feel the box against your ass, then return to upright position. Don't worry about numbers. Let your present physical condition dictate the number of sets and repetitions. Just make sure that you are doing enough to properly work the muscle. You can increase your set/reps as you progress. A good indicator for this is your last 2 or 3 repetitions should be a strain to complete. Form is important, both for injury prevention and assuring that you are engaging the proper muscles to complete the movement. Squatting is the most complex movement you can do. It works your entire body. If not done properly(especially when weighted) you will hurt yourself. Guaranteed. Go to youtube. Type in "Correct form for box squats". This will allow you to see what the movement should look like. Once you get familiar with squatting and have built up a decent routine, you need to begin giving your body what it needs to quickly repair the muscles your workout has brutalized. I recommend a simple suger and a protein shake within one hour post workout.

Four other good exercises for building glutes are glute ham raises, step ups, pull throughs, and lunges. Glute ham raises generally require special equipment. The other three do not. You can google or youtube any of them to find video on how they are done.

Another thing I would suggest would be a bike. Biking is one of the greatest workouts you can give your ass. Plus it's excellent cardio too!

Do these things and you'll see real results. It will take some time, but you'll have better health, a firmer body, and you'll get the ass of your dreams! Good luck!!

 

[srkog]

if you dont want to do squats, then try this for your ass:

lay flat on your back, then slide your feet towards your ass, bending your knees. then just raise your midsection up by squeezing your butt, making a "glut bridge." You shouldn't really feel it in your quads--if you are, you're doing the exercise wrong. Be sure to keep your core tight, and your back straight. to make it harder, try extending one leg, lifting it off of the ground, so that you are supporting your weight on only one leg.

 

[Dave NoCal]

Another technique that seems to make squats easier on the knees is, as you start to come back up, focus on rising by using your glutes rather than legs.
Dave