Full Squats Year-Round Ruin Athleticism

The full depth back squat is an athletic multi-joint lower body exercise that is utilised in preparation across a range of sports as well as general gym users. Though there are many different ways to load the squat pattern (goblet squat, zercher squat, front squat, OH squat etc) this article will discuss the back squat. 

The full back squat can be included in a programme for several purposes: lower body hypertrophy, lower body strengthening, rehabilitation, and trunk strengthening. 

There are several benefits to performing the full back squat, one of which is that the gluteus maximus becomes more active the deeper the squat is performed (Caterisano et al., 2002). This is beneficial for athletes as the gluteus maximus is responsible for hip extension, and explosive hip extension is critical in most sports. While the classic full range of motion back squat has many other benefits, it’s not the only squat to consider when optimising athleticism. In fact, there are many rugby athletes who can’t perform full back squats due to injury history and/or limitations from heavy in-season contact exposure.

In this article we discuss the variants of the back squat, including their benefits and exactly when in the season they are most useful.

Anton performing a full back squat

Before we look at the squat variations, it’s important to recognise two facts when it comes to the full depth back squat:

The squat is a skill
To this day the notion still exists that the ability to squat low is purely a requirement of flexibility and mobility. This isn’t accurate. While there are mobility considerations in the squat pattern, it can also be thought of as a skill whereby you must keep your balance and find the correct strategy to do so (Cleather, 2012). 

Your anatomy will affect your set up
Not all hip sockets are made equal. Your hip anatomy will determine your foot placement and the width of your stance during the squat (Horschig, 2016). 

Remember that there are many benefits to the full range of motion back squat, and while this article discusses variations, the classic back squat is justifiable as a main feature in an athletic programme (pending individual context) at certain points of the year. 

Three Levels of Squat

The agreed full range of motion on the back squat is when the hip joint is in-line with or lower than the knee joint (Schoenfeld 2010). There are various depths to the back squat pattern, below are three depths which I programme for my athletes throughout the year. Side note: in the past I prescribed parallel squats as a depth in my programming, however; I found in the rugby population that this is so close to full squats in many cases that I removed them as an option for programming. 

• ¼ Squat | ~55-65 degrees of knee flexion

• 1/2 Squat | ~90 degrees knee flexion

• Full Back Squat | Crease of the hip in-line or lower than the crease of the knee

An example of the quarter squat can be seen below (as part of a behind-the-neck push press sequence).

Juan Fi performing a BN Push Press. Left Photo: 1/4 posture is used during the ‘dip’ phase of this movement.

The quarter squat could be considered during the specific preparation phase or competition phase of an athletic calendar as greater loads can be used compared to that of the full squat due to the shorter range of motion. This will impact on the forces an athlete can absorb and express which will transfer to a faster and more powerful athlete as part of a wider programme (Rhea, 2016). As demonstrated in the picture, the quarter squat is similar to the counter movement jump depth for a lot of athletes, and it’s the depth they’ll go to in performing push press and jerk variations as well as certain points in a sprint. 

The half squat can be implemented during the general preparation phase of the athletic calendar for specific hypertrophy. While the full squat stresses the gluteus maximus more than the half squat, knee extension can be overloaded effectively in the half squat and might be appropriate for players who would benefit from specific quadricep strengthening and/or hypertrophy as tension remains on the quadriceps throughout the movement. Half squats are also a good option during the specific preparation phase as the angles and range of motion are more similar to that of sprinting and jumping mechanics. 

Sig. Roy performing some 1/2 squats on his way to collecting the club’s 10m & 30m records during a specific preparation block.

The full back squat is a great exercise during the general physical preparation phase for athletes as it lays a foundation of balance and mobility at the end range of an athlete’s squat. Getting stronger in full range of motion during the pre-season will allow for greater loads in the partial range squat patterns which will transfer more to sporting activities such as sprinting and jumping (Rhea, 2016).

Roy’s starting shape when he ran the club’s 10m record of 1.54s

Other Considerations

Use of the full back squat all year round is a good idea in certain contexts. For example, in youth development there may be no need to alter squat depths as younger players will progress from improving global strength and improving motor control through full range of motion. 

Additionally, though the full squat is a great option during the general preparation phase in an annual cycle, it may also be included throughout the competitive season when paired with other squat patterns (jump squats, single leg squats etc). 

Summary

The full squat is a great lower body exercise for developing strength. It can be cycled in and out of programming thoughout the year depending on the needs of an athlete.  The quarter squat and half squat also have a place in programming and have a potentially higher level of transferability to sporting movements than the full back squat.

Athletes should consider the use of various ranges of squat depth to maximise force characteristics and athleticism. 
 

References

• Caterisano, A., Moss, R.F., Pellinger, T.K., Woodruff, K., Lewis, V.C., Booth, W., & Khadra, T. 2002. The effect of back squat depth on the EMG activity of 4 superficial hip and thigh muscles. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 16(3):428-32. 

• Horschig, A. 2016. Online. Accessed 09.01.2022:
  https://squatuniversity.com/2016/03/25/how-hip-anatomy-affects-squat-mechanics/

• Rhea, M.R., Kenn, J.G., Peterson, M..D., Massey, D., Simão, R., Marin,P.J., Favero, M., Cardozo, D & Krein, D. 2016. Joint-Angle Specific Strength Adaptations Influence Improvements in Power in Highly Trained Athletes. Human Movement 17: 43-49.

•  Schoenfeld, B.J. 201. Squatting kinematics and kinetics and their application to exercise performance. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24 pp 3497–3506.