<\/p>\n
Admit it at one time, you judged someone else\u2019s squat depth.<\/p>\n
Are you on the \u201cass-to-grass, or it doesn\u2019t count\u201d side, or are you a \u201cparallel is good\u201d member? But somewhere in the middle are everyone else, wondering how low they need to squat to build muscle.<\/p>\n
Why does it matter? Because squat depth changes the game.<\/p>\n
Go shallower, and you can use more load. Go deeper and recruit more muscle, especially the glutes and adductors. But depth doesn\u2019t mean a thing if you lose position, dump tension, or force your body into a range it can\u2019t handle.<\/p>\n
Here, I\u2019m cutting through the squat-depth dogma to focus on what matters for muscle growth<\/a>. Here I\u2019ll break down, with some help from Greg Nuckols, powerlifting coach, researcher, and writer,<\/a> what different depths do, what the research says about quads vs. glutes, and common mistakes, such as forcing a range you don\u2019t own.<\/p>\n First up, why squat depth matters for muscle.<\/p>\n