Does Everyone Need To Squat Deep?

Deep squats are one bro-science semester on from Bench Press 101, Curl For Guns and Bro, Do You Even Lift? But the problem with things that become rote statements of faith is we forget to examine them.

Does everyone - even people with back problems or shot knees - really need to squat deep?

And if not, what can you do instead?

People who start lifting weights tend to one of two routes: they’re either the guys in sleeveless shirts earning the lifelong ire of serious lifters by doing curls in the squat rack, or they start out with a few basic compound movements, get reasonably good at them - and then start preaching. And the one thing that everyone knows is that you’ve got to squat. 

Debate rages about whether squats are the best way to get big arms - because of the hormonal and metabolic effects of using all that muscle - and the old ‘bad-for-your-knees’ chestnut crops up every now and then, but for the most part, squats are widely recognised as one of the best and most worthwhile exercises you can do.

Before we go any further, I’d like to say that their reputation is well-deserved - squats are great, and if you can do them with no issues, there’s no reason in the world to stop!

However, some people do have issues when they squat.

So do all these people need to squat deep?

That doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Think of an equivalent - the overhead press. Everyone knows that the overhead press is a great exercise, except if you’ve got shoulder problems, or you lack the ability to extend your thoracic spine well enough to press safely overhead, or when you have lumbar instability… in fact it’s a great exercise, except for when it’s not. Unless you’re specifically training for a sport that requires exactly that movement - Olympic lifting, say - you should be able to replace one movement with another, or with a couple of others, and still get similar results. Squats are a great leg exercise, but they’re not the only leg exercise.

In the top part of a squat, your quadriceps are involved in extending your knee joints against the load. You can quarter-squat quite heavy loads without your posterior chain really firing at all. Deeper into the squat the posterior chain starts to fire and by the time you’re breaking parallel, the glutes and hamstrings are involved to a significant degree.

So that’s one way of looking at it - in terms of which muscles are used. So could we replace squats with an exercise for each of the muscles squats use and get similar benefits?

See Also: Serious Gains With Serious Squats

Not really, because squats involve a movement pattern, not just muscles firing in a random sequence, and it’s a very functional and beneficial movement pattern. One reason why you might need a replacement for squats is if you can’t yet do them properly, for whatever reason. As well as firing the posterior chain and quads, squats involve the femoral rotators, low back and core, the hip flexors and more. There’s not much that doesn’t get a stern workout doing squats, which is why they’re so great. But it means a few leg curls and knee extensions aren’t going to cut it as squat replacements. We need something compound, preferably functional - i.e., a cleaned-up version of a movement you might do outside the gym to get something done - and ideally, capable of being loaded.

Alternative Replacements For Squats In Your Training

Standalone movements

Front Squats

Most of us think of back squats when we think of squats. but front squats have different requirements. If you can’t back squat, you might be able to do front squats, Zercher squats, or goblet squats. 

Bulgarian split squats

They offer more loading for the legs and less for the low back, because they’re unilateral. 

How are they done?  

Stand with one foot ahead of you and the other behind you, with the instep on a bench or other raised object. You need some room between your legs laterally too, partly for balance and partly to get a good movement. Your back should be straight and erect. Lower your weight until your front thigh is parallel or lower. It’s important that you set up with your front foot in front of you, not underneath you as if you were hopping, because you need to squat behind your front foot, not over it - just as you squat behind both feet in a regular squat. Obviously, do an equal number of reps on each leg.

Trap bar or dead-squat deadlifts

Maybe your gym doesn’t have these. If it does, though, you’ve got a great tool at your disposal. Trap bar or dead-squat deadliest allow a more upright movement that stresses the lower back less than deadlifts, and the knees less than squats. It’s a win-win.

Do them Together

List A is hip flexor and quad dominant exercises.

List B is glute, hamstring and hip dominant exercises. 

While squats might be more knee dominant than deadlifts, they’re still a mixture of both hip and knee - or posterior and anterior.

Pick one from each list and superset them.

List A: Anterior

Straddles

Hanging or on top of a pair of parallel bars, hold your legs out like you’re doing a seated L. Now, open your legs as wide as they’ll go. Even if you’re strong, this will be hard.

Hanging or seated Ls

Sit or hang and extend your legs parallel with the ground. This will make your quads fire hard.

List B: Posterior

Glute bridges

Lie on your back on the floor, with our feet flat on the floor and as close to your butt as you can comfortably get them. Press your heels into the floor, and drive your hips upward. You should feel this in your glutes.

Glute ham slide curls

Start the same way as a bridge does. Then, slide your feet out til your butt just touches the floor. Return to the starting position. Again, even if you're already strong, this can be humbling movement. 

See Also: Split Swings: Build Balanced Glutes and Hips With This Tweak of a Classic

Often if you can’t it’s a question of mobility and stability, and of nailing the motor pattern. In the meantime, for people recovering from injuries or new to training or who can’t squat for any other reason, you should find your replacement here.

If you like what I’ve written, or I’ve missed your favourite solution, let me know in the comments section!