Kuma is correct, but be sensible about width. For a while I went in the opposite direction and got too wide.
My rule of knee is the person can go as deep as is comfortable for as long as good form will allow and is maintained. comfortableness varies from person to person with the exception of newbie lifters because it WILL feel uncomfortable reguardless for them. I can barely hit 90 degrees or else my knees will ache a little bit afterwords. I'm also not very flexible and use pretty high weight in relation to my max. Personally i think a better and more controversial issue is the rule of heel, should it be on the ground or off during squats? sorry it wasn't letting me edit my old post and it seemed kinda hard to read
For a back squat I can't see how your heels can be anything other than on the ground. This is kinda hard for me after years of dance training where the emphasis was not to rest your weight into the heels. Last night I did squats first 2 x 5 @ 30, 35, 40, 45. Got over my knee fear (the only injury I've had in MA) and can feel DOMS a lot in my right hip. Hoping that's all it is
To quote Dan John "Squating doesn't hurt your knees, the way YOU squat hurts your knees!" I suspect that you're: a) Using too much weight without sufficiently good form b) You're weight distribution is too far forwards on your foot c) Your knee is tracking past your toes No controversy here at all. For weighted squats your weight should drive through your heel. Weight lifting = Drive through your heels Sport = Drive through the balls of your feet
There's a nice new article on T-nation about preparing for deep squatting: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online...quat_like_you_mean_it_tips_for_a_deeper_squat
I thought I'd almost 'got' squats but after the xmas/new year break each part of the movement feels wrong from my wrists through to the high or low back, can't quite find the position I was getting used to and can't tell if I'm doing a 3/4 or a full squat
Well that was a wake up call. I can't do a squat like in the op's pic without rounding my back or falling on my butt =[
There's a nice new goblet squatting article by Dan John on T-Nation: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/goblet_squats_101
Box squats are also excellent for teaching correct form. A lot of beginner athletes often fall over backwards in deep squats because they haven't yet developed sufficient hamstring and glute strength; box squats remedy this problem. I know of trainers who make their athletes box squat in the gym year-round and only free squat in competition.
Westside is big into box squats. I liked them a lot but admittedly did not work them as much as I should have. Box front squats is one exercise that will explode your nick-nacks though as it is darn tough.
What's interesting is that I often have to teach people who have never really squatted in their life how and why to squat. No small task in some ways. It never fails to shock me how something that comes naturally to me... is so hard for so many. Now granted my squats are not huge bodyweight X3 squats... as my focus has always been more on the strength endurance end for Muay Thai (though this year I'm looking to squat and lift more to see where I stand against benchmarks - not that I'm all that sure what benchmarks I should be looking for just yet - but that's another post). One thing I've found consistently over the years is that a great many people have tight hips, tight hams and tight calves. So there is a whole range of work that has to be done to get people just squatting at bodyweight properly... let alone with a bar and weights. I've found that bodyweight box-squats are brilliant for giving a person some sort of structure. Most people learn much better if they have a goal to get to. Just saying come to horizontal with the top of the thigh is often too abstract for novice lifters or people new to training. But a bench or box are just perfect for giving their butt a goal to reach. I've seen it time and time again... people all over the shop with bodyweight squats and no idea of where the need to go (read as - poor proprioception)... and yet suddenly when they have the goal of getting their butt to lightly touch the bench/box they suddenly get their head around it and their ass follows. I'm all for anything that can make learning a great movement like the squat easier for them... so box/bench squats are a great way to go for bodyweight and weighted squats as well. Just sayin'.
Agree completely with Slip's post. I've seen people fanny about for months trying to learn correct squatting form; stick a box under their butt and they get it in five minutes.
The first time I did box squats (with dumbell thrusters) I found it quite difficult to put any weight into my heels without falling back. For back squats I setup a resistance band below the lowest peg on the squat rack as I've occasionally dropped a bar and the box would be in the way.
