Squats. Good for you. Do them.

You might hear about the “partial vs. full” debate, that is, whether should you stop halfway down at parallel or continue until your butt hits the floor. I’m in the “full” camp; my dad, who I work out with, is in the “partial” camp. (Funny, though: after watching the Squat Rx series (see the end of this post for a link), my dad does quarter squats. So he doesn’t even do what he says I should do.) NROLFW shows “partial” squats. A lot of reputable internet sites show “full”.

Argh.

From what I’ve read, though, the main reason for listing partial squats is that most people can’t start with a full squat. Full squats require more hip, ankle, and hamstring flexibility and strength; more balance; and more lower back strength. So everyone starts with partials.

My dad claims that partial squats will hurt my knees. (Which is, of course, why I have fewer knee problems than he… Wait, huh? Yeah.) I try to show him information that says the opposite Krista on Stumptuous lists the myths of squatting; #1 is “Squatting must not be done with a full range of motion or you will hurt your knees”, but he doesn’t listen, not even when it’s information from Dave Draper’s forums (and my dad loves Dave Draper). He’s been doing partial squats for 20+ years, so he thinks that’s the only way to do things.

The conclusion I’ve reached is that full squats are better, but partials are all right if you can’t do full squats. But if you’re doing partials, start training to do fulls. Besides, if I’m training for real life function, far more things have to be picked up from the floor than from knee level.

Articles on squatting at Stumptuous:

• Learning the Squat: Part 1: Debunking the Myths
• Learning the Squat: Part 2: Why Squat?
• Learning the Squat: Part 3: How to Squat
• Learning the Squat: Part 4: Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting
• Lurn 2 Squat Good — E-ZY!
• From Dork to Diva: The Squat

Video squat series: post at JP Fitness.