Squatting Deep

thael · 06-02-2008, 08:54 AM

I noticed my thighs were lacking so I've started my squats over. In my progress photos my Vastus Lateralis and my Rectus Femoris were the majority of my legs so I set out to start anew.

I warm up with a set of 12-15 with the barbell, my feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. I'm only doing 135 or so for sets (8-10 rep range) but I'm squatting until my hips are parallel or below (not the tops of my quads).

I've been doing this for the past 2-3 weeks and I'm already noticing an increase in size and definition, as well as increased density of my Vastus Medialus. They're getting a nice (blocky) teardrop shape. When I get my phone fixed I'll update some progress photos. I'm also noticing more definition in the Femoris itself.

Can't wait to catch back up to my old weights. I wish I'd started lifting right from the beginning. Stupid coaches.

Edit: The moral of the story is, "To all those "HOW DO I GET BIG LEG MANGS?!" threads is, "Squat more. Squat deep."

forcountry · 06-02-2008, 10:29 AM

Very nice. The same exact thing happened to me. It took me around a year to get back up to squatting 225 when going deep. It makes a big difference. Great job, keep spreading the message.

nateakabear05 · 06-02-2008, 10:40 AM

Good work man, I also found the same thing. When I started squatting deeper within a few weeks my quads started to look a lot fuller. If I'm not mistaken, you can mess around with your stance and hit different parts of the quads to get a certain affect (not 100% on this so don't quote me). I do notice with a closer stance while still squatting deep I hit the teardrop a lot more than with a farther out than shoulder width stance.

phaiel · 06-02-2008, 10:53 AM

take it for what it's worth, but i got some great vastus lateralis development off of shoulder width leg presses. though squats have always been my staple, the addition of leg press in that fashion really started my leg development.

i have no empirical evidence, but it seems to me that the hamstrings, at least on my body, take up more 'leg' than my quads. it may just be a perceptional thing. but i always though it was the same as the triceps/biceps situation, to a degree.

SB100%Natural · 06-02-2008, 01:14 PM

"Go deep or go home"

I always say you wouldn't do half a biceps curl or half a bench press, so why do half a squat?

AoD · 06-02-2008, 01:24 PM

I did some deep squats for the first time last Thursday. I couldn't believe how much less of an impact it had on my knees.

steviekm3 · 06-02-2008, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nateakabear05

Good work man, I also found the same thing. When I started squatting deeper within a few weeks my quads started to look a lot fuller. If I'm not mistaken, you can mess around with your stance and hit different parts of the quads to get a certain affect (not 100% on this so don't quote me). I do notice with a closer stance while still squatting deep I hit the teardrop a lot more than with a farther out than shoulder width stance.

Is it true that the deep part of the squat works the quads more and the above parallel part works the hamstrings more ?

What about glutes and hip flexors ... when are they worked the most ?

IronAbrams · 06-02-2008, 01:58 PM

The VMO (Vastus Medialis Oblique, aka the teardrop quad), gluteus maximus and adductor magnus are recruited most heavily in the past parallel position. The vastus lateralis is worked heavily in the quarter and parallel positions, and hamstrings activation stays relatively constant throughout (although they are involved in the stretch reflex at the bottom).

Footballmuscle5 · 06-02-2008, 02:01 PM

Yeah I thought I was hot **** when I was doing 225 going 5 inches down. Now I'm proud to say I can do about 245 atg

steviekm3 · 06-02-2008, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 101CavGrunt

The VMO (Vastus Medialis Oblique, aka the teardrop quad), gluteus maximus and adductor magnus are recruited most heavily in the past parallel position. The vastus lateralis is worked heavily in the quarter and parallel positions, and hamstrings activation stays relatively constant throughout (although they are involved in the stretch reflex at the bottom).

Thanks man. At your age you should think about med school down the road, if you have not already !

forcountry · 06-03-2008, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steviekm3

Is it true that the deep part of the squat works the quads more and the above parallel part works the hamstrings more ?

What about glutes and hip flexors ... when are they worked the most ?

Just go deep and everything is worked more. Notice that the lower you go, your legs take compress and the muscles are stretched (quads and hams), so just by the laws of physics, you will have to contract much harder to move the weight back up.

OutOfStep · 06-03-2008, 09:16 PM

Edit: The moral of the story is, "To all those "HOW DO I GET BIG LEG MANGS?!" threads is, "Squat more. Squat deep."

Truth