[quote]Khan Krum wrote:
Yesterday I finally managed to convince my girlfriend to come to the gym with me and wanted to teach her how to squat. I wanted her to do full squats, but she replied that everyone, including coaches and her brother, who is a hockey coach, taught not to go below parallel.
I know that full squats are better and safer than half squats, but how to explain it and how to argue with certified “coaches” who advocate doing half squats!? The fact that the same “coaches” make hugely overweight women do triceps kick-backs and 5 different abs exercises in order to lose fat makes it somewhat easier for me, but that’s not the point.
I guess that this had already been discussed in other topics, so a link to a similar discussion would also work for me.
Thanks in advance for your help!
P.S. My girlfriend has a great body, but I am sure that if she starts squatting (and training properly in general) she would get even hotter with an even tighter ass![/quote]
Well, first explain to her what a true “parallel” squat is (the top of the knee and crease of the hip form a line parallel to the ground/floor). In reality an ATG squat isn’t that much deeper than a true parallel squat. If she is truly hitting parallel, then she’s probably still ok.
Sadly, from experience (being certified myself as well as reading/talking to other PT’s talk about such things) I suspect that what she means by “parallel” is the knee joint being at a 90 degree angle (which isn’t even remotely close to parallel) or at best that the bottom of the thigh is parallel to the ground.
Next point out to her the literally thousands (if not hundreds of thousands or even millions) of olympic lifters out there who squat ATG and never encounter knee problems. In other words, point out that the risk which these so called “experts” warn of are completely unsubstantiated and unproven by any hard evidence.
The one study which many cite to back up such claims (as well as claims about such things as the knee never going forward the toes while squatting) is quite old and most truly knowledgeable strength coaches don’t put much stock in it. It does in fact show that pressure in the knee increases up to (I believe, haven’t actually looked at it in a while) 200% if the knee is allowed to naturally track forward while squatting to parallel. However, it also shows that if the knee is not allowed to naturally track forward (they actually used a bar to restrict the lower leg’s ability to track forward), then the pressure in the hip increases by as much as 1,000%.
All this shows is that the joints of the hip, knee, and ankle are all meant to share the load on exercises like squats, and that while restricting movement at one joint might lessen force on that specific joint, the other joints must simply bear the additional load.
I actually taught a new female client how to squat this past Friday. Before we even got started she told me that she’d always had a really hard time squatting and didn’t know if she’d be able to do them or not. Sure enough, her idea of a squat was the totally unnatural nonsensical type of squat that is illustrated in most fitness rags. Once I showed her the correct way she couldn’t believe how much more comfortable and natural it felt. Not to mention the fact that she could go ATG with absolutely no problems or discomfort whatsoever. Bottom line is that most people’s idea of a squat is totally off and once they feel how to actually do it right, they don’t have any issues (other than maybe legitimate mobility issues) doing them to parallel (or lower).
Hope this helps.
