How To Make The Squat As Useless As The Leg Press

Among a lot of “hardcore” strength training types, the leg press is considered basically useless. Barring an injury making the leg press your only choice, I generally share this sentiment.

The squat is a much better exercise because it’s more functional, hits more muscles, and builds more whole body strength… but if you’re doing it this one way then you might as well be doing a leg press.

In fact, I’ve been guilty myself of executing the squat like this… What’s the issue?

Not squatting deep enough!

You need to squat to parallel or below if your goal is to build strength.

Because when you squat to parallel (when your hip bone is lower than your knee bone) then you don’t just activate your quadriceps– your hip flexors, glutes and hamstrings get involved and do the majority of the work out of the bottom position of the deep squat.

Why is this a good thing?

• Your hips, glutes and hamstrings are some of your biggest, strongest muscles, meaning you’ll lift more weight…
• Most people’s posterior chain is undeveloped and not strong, squatting deep strengthens it…
• It’s safer for your knees because your quads don’t get overdeveloped and pull too much on your knees in one direction…

And probably a lot more reasons I’m forgetting right now.

How To Tell If You’re Squatting Deep Enough

Most people assume they’re squatting deep enough because they look at the bottom of their hamstrings and when it’s parallel with their knees they call it parallel.

This is an incorrect way to judge squat depth. You should look at your hip bone, and when your hip bone is lower than your knee, that is parallel. Look at the picture below and you’ll see (from left to right) the bottom position on the squat, parallel, and rock bottom (also called Ass To Grass):

Another way you can tell you’re squatting deep enough is when you start to come back up you’ll feel your hip flexors tighten and then your hamstrings contract as you start to power out of the bottom position.

So whenever you hit the squat rack from now on, be sure to squat deep enough… or you might as well be doing a leg press.