Squat Depth & Variation For Olympic Weightlifting
How deep is deep enough? Where’s the bottom? Why does everyone’s squat position look different? Confusing stuff, but it shouldn’t be—here’s how it works.
Full depth in a squat is closing the knee joint as much as possible without losing the proper extension of the back while maintaining balance over the foot. That’s it.
If you sit all the way down and relax your trunk, your hips will sit a bit lower, but you’re now in a compromised position that you don’t want to load.
Set your back properly and the hips will rise slightly, but this is maximal depth in a practical sense—this is as low as you can squat with a sound structure for loading.
What this position looks like in terms of joint angles and actual hip depth will depend primarily on limb segment length and limb circumference. Limited mobility will affect your depth, but this is correctible over time.
Don’t overthink depth, and don’t try to mimic the position of a lifter built nothing like you. Just keep your back set and your feet flat, and close the knee maximally, and you’ll know you’re at full depth.
Full depth in a squat is closing the knee joint as much as possible without losing the proper extension of the back while maintaining balance over the foot. That’s it.
If you sit all the way down and relax your trunk, your hips will sit a bit lower, but you’re now in a compromised position that you don’t want to load.
Set your back properly and the hips will rise slightly, but this is maximal depth in a practical sense—this is as low as you can squat with a sound structure for loading.
What this position looks like in terms of joint angles and actual hip depth will depend primarily on limb segment length and limb circumference. Limited mobility will affect your depth, but this is correctible over time.
Don’t overthink depth, and don’t try to mimic the position of a lifter built nothing like you. Just keep your back set and your feet flat, and close the knee maximally, and you’ll know you’re at full depth.
