ATG vs parallel.. Did I dun goof?

[thecpthree]

Switched from going parallel to going ATG a while back.

ATG I struggled with weight compared to going parallel but recovered a little.

It's been about 6ish months probably and I can do about 260x6 ATG (low as i can go, way lower than the parallel vids in my sig).

Brb going from 260x9 parallel to 260x6 ATG.. feels bad but is ATG worth the decrease in weight?

I'm all about lifting the heaviest weight possible. Tried to do parallel the other day, haven't done it in so long it doesn't seem right, can't lift as much as I used to that way either.

[INB4HULK]

Progressive overload is progressive overload. You will continue to see mass gains but I cant promise your knees will like you for much longer. All your tensioj goes to your ligaments and knee bones at parallel...ATG is more natty

[thecpthree]

Progressive overload is progressive overload. You will continue to see mass gains but I cant promise your knees will like you for much longer. All your tensioj goes to your ligaments and knee bones at parallel...ATG is more natty

I'm saying I've been going ATG for some time now but don't know if I should choose ATG for slightly less weight or parallel for slightly more. Since I pride myself on how strong I am for my bw (parallel stats are more impressive sounding)

[berrywood]

ATG engages more hams and glutes. If you stop at parallel or above you are mainly hitting quads. Either is fine, it depends on your goals. Personally I choose ATG.

[thatonedude_808]

I'm saying I've been going ATG for some time now but don't know if I should choose ATG for slightly less weight or parallel for slightly more. Since I pride myself on how strong I am for my bw (parallel stats are more impressive sounding)

With that logic, you might as well only go an inch down on squats and bench.


Doing half squats can just put more stress on your joints, and it wouldn't count toward any competition since it would be too high

You've done the exact opposite of goofing. You've lowered the weight to assure proper depth and better form, and i can only see good results in the near future with that.

I used to hit 315 just right at parallel for three horrible looking reps. Was dissatisfied with depth, so I lowered the weight to get lower. I found myself at a 295 max single which was a huge blow to my confidence. However, I stuck with it and got stronger in time. Now i can do 385x3 "ATG" and am still increasing the weights weekly.


Just stick with what you're doing, and you'll eventually get even stronger with more depth.

[thecpthree]

As others have said, doing half squats can just put more stress on your joints, and it wouldn't count toward any competition since it would be too high

Why? I thought a parallel squat is green light for competitions. And it is considered a complete squat. Sort of seems like ATG is kind of unnecessary.

I know you can still have good form and only go parallel. Tons of powerlifters who only go parallel have good form

[WatsonS90]

Parallel is fine, usually lifters will go parallel when doing a low bar squat, usitilising their posterior chain more and driving with the hips.

Going ATG will allow you to keep more upright and as said above will encorporate more of the glutes and hams whilst still hitting quads too.

It all depends on what feels good for you bro, I love ATG now since fixing my form and I've been progressing nicely with no injuries.

EDIT: Strong lifts in comparison to your BW.

[INB4HULK]

Just do whatever the phuck feels good bro lol.
You're over thinking if not competing.
If parallel feels good with more weight do it...

What it comes down to is more mass gains@ less weight with ATG...because muscle is more engaged.
Opposite for Parallel but the gains are still gonna be there either way. Your body knows total tonnage and nuerons fired not weight or ATG vs Parallel lol.

[thatonedude_808]

Dammit excuse my last post. For the life of me, I don't know why I didn't even ask the most important question in the first place (whether you squat high bar or low bar) as depth will/can entirely vary depending on the type of form you use.

As i've grown too accustomed to high bar, I tend to forget to acknowledge the variations -__-




As I've read, and to others who read my post, please point out anything you notice: different feds will judge depth differently, and one of the most common problems with people who train just at parallel is getting red-lighted in comps for questionable depth in a certain angle, which is why they usually go a bit below para to stay on the safe side.

I watched your vids on your sig and from the looks of it you are getting good depth. Just choose whichever you prefer.

I'll just leave this here and be on my way (fck lol I'm out of it atm. need some sleep)
http://www.usapowerlifting.com/newsl...ce/novice.html

[WatsonS90]

Could I also ask if you don't mind, how come your weight has been around 125lbs mark for ~1 year or more?

Your strength is obviously good at this bodyweight but imagine if you were to go on a serious bulk...

[thecpthree]

Dammit excuse my last post. For the life of me, I don't know why I didn't even ask the most important question in the first place (whether you squat high bar or low bar) as depth will/can entirely vary depending on the type of form you use.

Low bar, but I still get great depth. I squat as low as I can.. which is too low for the safety bars at my uni but I am short however

Could I also ask if you don't mind, how come your weight has been around 125lbs mark for ~1 year or more?

Your strength is obviously good at this bodyweight but imagine if you were to go on a serious bulk...

I don't monitor what I eat. I'm actually 128-130 range as of right now. I put on about 5 pounds I guess lol.
Even though I put on 5 pounds some people I hadn't seen in a little while said I look thinner. So it's like I gain weight but lose bf.. idk

Been eating a lot more than usual for the past month or so, so maybe I'll start going up

[berrywood]

It's actually pretty difficult to do a true ATG squat if you squat low bar. The position causes your back to round (butt wink).

[danlsann]

I've always gone ATG even with front squats

[WatsonS90]

I don't monitor what I eat. I'm actually 128-130 range as of right now. I put on about 5 pounds I guess lol.
Even though I put on 5 pounds some people I hadn't seen in a little while said I look thinner. So it's like I gain weight but lose bf.. idk

Been eating a lot more than usual for the past month or so, so maybe I'll start going up

Good stuff man.

Your strength should sky rocket, good luck.

[BruteMutant]

Switched from going parallel to going ATG a while back.

ATG I struggled with weight compared to going parallel but recovered a little.

It's been about 6ish months probably and I can do about 260x6 ATG (low as i can go, way lower than the parallel vids in my sig).

Brb going from 260x9 parallel to 260x6 ATG.. feels bad but is ATG worth the decrease in weight?

I'm all about lifting the heaviest weight possible. Tried to do parallel the other day, haven't done it in so long it doesn't seem right, can't lift as much as I used to that way either.

If you feel this way, you might as well start doing partial range of motion on your OHP, bench press, and squat...

I recommend Full ROM on every lift, or I don't count it as a complete rep - no matter what kind of weight it is.

[thecpthree]

It's actually pretty difficult to do a true ATG squat if you squat low bar. The position causes your back to round (butt wink).

Never see this problem. At first I did when I made the switch to ATG but not now.. Maybe I lean forward more or something to counteract it

High bar doesn't feel right to me and I definitely can't do as much weight with high bar

May try to get a vid next squat day. I see no real difference in my lower back between front squat ATG and low bar back squat ATG. I just lean forward less on front squats (no goodmornings)