Note that Low Bar isn't the “easy way out” or “cheating,” it's still plenty challenging and requires a lot of focus (squatting 300-500 lbs is very taxing), but it's just less necessary for non-competing, beginner athletes.
Squating low is often said to be bad for the knees and back - which is true if you do so with poor technique - but partial squats can often be worse than a full squat. The reason is because a partial squat allows you to add more weight to the bar. This excessive weight can be damaging to your knees and back.
Well for the vast majority of us, a low bar is significantly stronger than a high bar on the squat.
This means the torso of the client can remain more upright throughout the lift. The low bar squat requires the bar to sit much lower near the spine of the scapula. This creates more forward lean because the torso tilts forward. Many gym-goers will say that the low bar squat feels easier.
The low bar squat is more suitable for taller individuals or those with longer femurs. Femur length can affect the center of mass and balance. The low bar squat utilizes a slight hinge position that leans the hips back, resulting in less hip flexion compared to the high bar squat.
Low bar squats will hurt your low back when technique is subpar or errors are being made. The low back shouldn't be overloaded when performing low bar squats with good technique. If you are particularly sore the day of or the days after your squat session this is a sign.
For the general populace, ideal depth is reached a few inches above what is typically defined as parallel (hip crease level with the top of the knee cap).
A: Low bar squatting allows the athlete to lift more weight and activate more muscle. This results in increased absolute strength and muscle mass.
A: No, deep squatting is not inherently bad for the knees.
However, although the research shows that squatting deep is safe, this does not mean that this is the only appropriate way to squat or that squatting at heights above 90 degrees of hip flexion is incorrect. Squats higher than 90 degrees can also be performed depending on what your fitness and rehab goals are.
Ultimately, it's a balance problem. “Something is loading too much backwards,” he said. This usually means the athlete is trying to raise the chest at the bottom of the squat without pushing the hips forward to right himself.
Note that Low Bar isn't the “easy way out” or “cheating,” it's still plenty challenging and requires a lot of focus (squatting 300-500 lbs is very taxing), but it's just less necessary for non-competing, beginner athletes.
While compressive forces on the meniscus and PFJ increase as depth increases, if you don't have any prior injury to these structures there is no evidence that squatting deep will cause injury to these structures.
This is a relatively simple process. Stand upright and look at the proportions of your body. Do your legs seem like they're really, really long when you compare them to your torso? If your answer is yes – then your femurs are probably long.
If you are an athlete competing in strength sports, the low bar position is a great way to move the most weight possible. If you are an athlete competing in conventional sports, the low bar position is a great way to use the squat movement pattern to target and enhance posterior chain strength and muscular development.
Squats needed a standard, so just below parallel was chosen. But for getting stronger, that depth “isn't anything inherently necessary for the exercise.”
The hack squat is usually performed on a hack squat machine, where the lifter stands on a plate and the weight rests on their shoulders. The lifter squats down and then pushes the weight up, driving through their feet.
When you execute the low bar squat correctly it should not hurt your knees at all. In fact, with correct progression and technique, no squat variation should hurt your knees.
Powerlifters typically use Low-bar squats since they allow you to stabilize yourself with more weight. High-bar squats elicit a more torso-up position. If you participate in any sport that's not powerlifting or just squat for leg gains, chances are, ahem, high, that you're already doing high-bar squats.
It can be hard to keep your balance when you have a longer torso and legs, which makes squats all the more challenging. Plus, it's harder to get into the correct form when your body is spread out over a larger area.
Not only does it use around 200 muscles to perform a squat (that's around a third of all the muscles in your body), it also requires triple extension: that means you're bending through three joints – your hips, knees and ankles – at once.
Bench Press
This is where short people have a slight advantage. Bench presses end up being a bit easier for shorter lifters because the bar has to travel less during the exercise.