How Deep Should You Squat? It Depends.

Breaking down the pros and cons of varying squat depths.

Jan 22, 2024

This past week I had a question from a subscriber named Steven. He asked a simple question, “How deep should I squat?”

The question is simple, but the answer is complex. I put together a short video outlining the main points of my answer for him and you can watch it below. If you want more depth than I provide in the video, read the rest of this article.

You’re still reading, which means you want more detail. Let’s break down each of my three main points. For the rest of this article, assume the mindset/goal is maximal lower body muscle growth.

Peak Quad Activation

The squat is a quad-builder. This is well-accepted and many people treat it as a quad exercise, which they should. The squat is also a glute-grower, but depth matters in how much the glutes are actually drawn into the picture. With this first point, I want to tell you how to squat when quad focus is priority number one.

Multiple studies (1, 2) have shown that, when squatting, quadriceps activation peaks around 90 degrees of knee bend and remains consistent as squat depth increases.

In Layman’s terms, if you want peak quad activation, you only need to squat to 90 degrees at your knees. You can go further, but quad activation won’t significantly increase as you do.

If quad activation is your only goal when squatting, this is a highly-valuable nugget of knowledge. It not only tells you that you don’t need to go overboard with your depth, which would waste energy during each rep, it also helps to ensure you’re not leaving any quad gains on the table by not squatting low enough.

When squatting, which muscles are you intending to work?

The Depth Marker for Consistently Better Squats

So how can you guarantee you hit that magical 90 degrees of knee bend with each rep?

I almost never see others doing this, but it’s something I’ve done for years and recommend for you too; use a depth marker.

A depth marker works like this:

Find an object that you can sit on or squat to, which has your knees at a 90 degree bend when you make contact with it. A chair, weight bench, jump box, or stacked aerobic steps usually work well for this.
Place the marker just behind your heels when squatting. As you lower into your squat rep, you’re eventually going to make contact with the marker. Since this is just a marker for depth, you’re not going to sit on it with your full weight. Rather, you’re just going to feel that you’ve touched it and then drive back up to complete your rep.

It’s really as simple as that. Of course, if you’re doing a box squat, where you’re supposed to sit on the box or pause on the box before coming back up, you’ll want something strong enough to support that much weight.

Here are three reasons why I feel the depth marker is so valuable:

It guarantees your goal depth is reached.
It ensures each rep’s range of motion (ROM) will be the same throughout a full set.
By placing the marker behind you, it ensures you’ll push your hips back to ‘find’ it at the bottom of each rep. This promotes proper squat form.

Have you ever used a depth marker while squatting?

Squatting for Glute Gains

Glute activation is highest during full squats, meaning past 90 degrees of knee bend (3). If you’re interested in a side of glute gains with your quad growth, keep reading.

Studies continually show that glute activation remains constant whether a partial squat or a squat to 90 degrees is performed. But when the subject squats past 90 degrees, glute activation significantly increases. This makes perfect sense from a bio-mechanical standpoint, so I’m not surprised it’s shown by science as well.

When I think of squats and the muscles I’m targeting by doing them, I think of both quads and glutes. To me, squats have always involved my glutes because I’m a proponent of squatting as low as I can with proper form.

So what does proper form look like in relation to squatting deep? In my opinion, the most important form aspect has to do with the position of the lower back. When squatting low, it’s common to see the lower back round under as the subject gets closer and closer to their full squat position. This lower back rounding needs to be avoided.

Here’s an important reminder for anyone wanting to squat deep:

Hip flexibility needs to be in check. Without flexibility at the hips, you’ll see lower back rounding as your squat depth increases.

If you can’t squat deep and keep your lower back from rounding, you need more hip flexibility.

The following video is a great place to start:

Since I care about you staying injury-free, I also need to point out that lower back rounding commonly occurs when people use the leg press too.

If you’re leg pressing deep (your knees are near your shoulders), you need to make sure you’re keeping your lower back straight and that it’s not rounding off of the back pad. Trust me, I see this happening in commercial gyms and it will injure your lower back.

In summary, squatting deep mimics a natural movement pattern for us as humans. When done correctly, expect growth and strength gains throughout your quads and glutes.

Are you learning from this article? If you are, please share so your friends can too.

When Squatting Isn’t Recommended

Squatting, regardless of depth, provides you with muscle and strength. At the same time, it’s strenuous and correct form should be in place at all times. Of course, squatting also requires healthy hip and knee joints, as well as intact vertebral discs.

Per the studies, squatting deep provides you with the most lower body muscle activation, but it’s not always the best choice.

When bad pain enters the room, things change. If you experience knee, hip, or back pain during deep squats, it’s best to avoid maximum depth.

If max depth won’t work, then what? In some cases, people are able to continue squatting if they just avoid the depth that causes them pain. As I mentioned earlier, squatting to a pre-set depth marker is a great tool for this situation.

I strongly urge you to consider my points on consistent use of a depth marker.

In other situations, squatting isn’t an option and other exercises that work the quads and glutes should be used to continue toward lower body development. These exercises include, but are not limited to:

Belt Squats
Leg Presses
Hip Thrusts
Hack Squats
Lunges
Split Squats
Sissy Squats
Leg Extensions

Finishing Up

My goal with this article is to answer a subscriber question, and do it well. I wanted Steven to see my answer through video, but also provide more depth through writing. I feel I’ve accomplished this and I enjoyed doing it. Honestly, I want to do this more in the future.

If you have a question you’d like me to answer, just click the comment button and ask.

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