# Tall lanky people and squat depth to pack muscle?



## Ark94 (Feb 1, 2011)

Well, this has always been a fan of deep squatting, but always been told that  shouldn't squat that low. Now my lower back hurts, but thats not the point of this thread.

People that are 6ft or over, they have a lot longer muscles, and more to fill out. However, their ROM is always going to be greater than that of a shorter persons right?

For squatting, to pack on muscle what should squat depth be for a tall person? I myself squat ATG, very low and it looks funny as hell, as a random guy in the gym pointed out 

But whenever you see big guys, or bodybuilder videos and their squatting there always doing parallel, or above. Now of course there is a lot of debate on knee stress etc, but what is beneficial to squatting to add muscle? Parallel & above? or ATG?

ATG seems to be more powerlifting style compared to bodybuilding style, but any verification on this? 

With a tall person, the bottom of the hole is a pain in the ass, well at least it is for me. What should i do in terms of squatting depth? I'll have a video of my back squat depth tomorrow, and it'll look funny but hopefully you could let me know if i really need to go very below parallel.

I hope my post makes sense, its not organized so sorry about that.


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## ihateschoolmt (Feb 1, 2011)

I do ATF squats and im tall and lanky too. I like them better because I always find for me a full range of motion is better. Power lifters go parallel because that's how deep you go for competitions. Olympic lifters go ATF though. Just make sure like any other lift you are using the right form lower back pain other than soreness is a very back sign.


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## Ark94 (Feb 1, 2011)

ihateschoolmt said:


> I do ATF squats and im tall and lanky too. I like them better because I always find for me a full range of motion is better. Power lifters go parallel because that's how deep you go for competitions. Olympic lifters go ATF though. Just make sure like any other lift you are using the right form lower back pain other than soreness is a very back sign.



Thanks for the reply. Well i know my form should be good, i spent all last year working on form not caring much about weight. And i switched to front squats for 6months and just started back squats 2 weeks ago. Now im my lower back hurts, so i am going to have to take a video and see my form faults. Maybe even get some input on here 

I like ATF squats (same as ATG), i have never even tried anything higher. But i was curious about the which way would add more mass. I feel its ATF because you really stretch the muscle in the bottom right? But you never see bodybuilders doing ATF squats.


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## GMO (Feb 1, 2011)

Ark94 said:


> Thanks for the reply. Well i know my form should be good, i spent all last year working on form not caring much about weight. And i switched to front squats for 6months and just started back squats 2 weeks ago. Now im my lower back hurts, so i am going to have to take a video and see my form faults. Maybe even get some input on here
> 
> I like ATF squats (same as ATG), i have never even tried anything higher. But i was curious about the which way would add more mass. I feel its ATF because you really stretch the muscle in the bottom right? But you never see bodybuilders doing ATF squats.



You are probably leaning forward a bit when you are at the bottom of the movement.  Then when you drive up, your lower back is stressed as it contracts to straighten your torso.  Focus on keeping your chest out and head up.  Lower the weight if you have to and watch yourself in the mirror to ensure proper form.


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## ihateschoolmt (Feb 1, 2011)

Ya I feel like ATF is better for mass because it works the muscle more. I wouldn't do board presses for mass so why go half way on squats. And what you see in the gym isn't a good way to judge what to do.


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## Ark94 (Feb 1, 2011)

ihateschoolmt said:


> Ya I feel like ATF is better for mass because it works the muscle more. I wouldn't do board presses for mass so why go half way on squats. And what you see in the gym isn't a good way to judge what to do.



Oh i know, i don't have any big guys in my gym but i was talking about pro bodybuilders etc.

I guess ATF even though it may be better, you have to see what your body responds to well. I have never done parallel or half squats, so i don't know how my body responds to that. 

Just my theory, but i was curious about how tall people should squat. Guess its not different then a short person


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## BIGBLUECHEVELLE (Feb 1, 2011)

When i started out years ago and was a novice lifter that was my problem my squat form was bad and i would only go parallel. Then an experience lifter gave me the suggestion to squat on a smith machine to make sure I got my form down and go ATG. Therefore my suggestion to you is start using a smith machine that helped me out when i was starting out.


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## davegmb (Feb 2, 2011)

I think it depends going off the numerous conversations ive had about this, some tall guys are perfectly in proportion so ATG isnt a problem, but for others in can be arkward. 

"Some people's joints articulate in a manner that allows them to benefit
greatly from squats; others may not benefit at all. If you're not too
tall and have short limbs, it may be the best exercise for you, but if
you're tall with long legs, it might be both ineffective and dangerous.
I was stubbornly faithful to squats for years until I finally realized
they were not well-suited for my body structure. After I switched to
more muscle-intensive movements, my gains in leg size were astounding."
--Dorian Yates
Wonder wheels: the 40 all-time greatest legs | Flex | Find Articles at BNET


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## SloppyJ (Feb 2, 2011)

We got the short end of the stick (See the irony) But full depth squats are the way to go.


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## Ark94 (Feb 2, 2011)

GMO said:


> You are probably leaning forward a bit when you are at the bottom of the movement.  Then when you drive up, your lower back is stressed as it contracts to straighten your torso.  Focus on keeping your chest out and head up.  Lower the weight if you have to and watch yourself in the mirror to ensure proper form.



Yeah, i was thinking the exact same thing GMO. I had always had that problem, and i think i was putting way to much stress on my lower back by doing what you say.

I'll be training tomorrow, and i'll have a video of it to see.



> We got the short end of the stick (See the irony) But full depth squats are the way to go.



Haha i'll continue on doing full squats then 

It sucks though because i squat like a pussy. I can only do 160x5x5.... to correct my form i'll have to go down to 150 or 140. 

But my question with that is, how to i move up the weight increments without sacrificing form, if you get what i am asking?

I always think that whenever the weight moves up, something is always going to go bad, and its always going to be 2 steps forward, 1 step back. How do you prevent this and just get 2 steps forward, no step bad?


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## shortstop (Feb 2, 2011)

go deep baby! i have a special hatred for front squats, mainly due to back surgery i had some years back. its just painful, but gotta do it. i just keep it to 2 or 3 sets every other week


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## gtbmed (Feb 2, 2011)

There is no question that a larger range of motion is going to recruit more muscle fibers.

I know tall people sometimes have trouble squatting, and IMO it is true that some do not have the body proportions to squat huge weights, but you have to remember that this does not hinder your goals as a bodybuilder and does not preclude you from including squats in your program.  You can get a benefit from doing them even if you are not especially proficient in the movement IMO.


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## SloppyJ (Feb 2, 2011)

Ark94 said:


> Yeah, i was thinking the exact same thing GMO. I had always had that problem, and i think i was putting way to much stress on my lower back by doing what you say.
> 
> I'll be training tomorrow, and i'll have a video of it to see.
> 
> ...


 

It's called experience bro. Once you get in tune with your body you can do some amazing things. It doesn't happen overnight. I don't know what I started out squatting when I first started lifting when I was 13 but I know it can't be much more than what you're at. Now I can rep 315 for a few sets. 

Just keep it up. You will find your niche in the gym. Atleast you're asking questions and not skipping leg day! You're far ahead of the game.


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## Merkaba (Feb 2, 2011)

going ATG is difficult for many people to do while keeping proper lower lumbar posture.  Most people will want to round their lumbar some.  If this is the case, you need to work on flexibility and/or form.  Height and limb length for squats and bench and anything else only come in to play when trying to increase weight.  ROM is ROM


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## edp71u528 (Apr 4, 2011)

I have really long legs for my height and always had a hard time adding any mass.
After ATG squats my knees hurt less and I grew....


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## Gazhole (Apr 5, 2011)

Most tall guys i know are actually better at squats than everybody else. It's all a case of technique, form, and working on flexibility. This is only a hunch, but i think the reason a lot of tall guys find squatting and deadlifting hard is because they're more prone to flexibility and posture issues from going around oversized for everything.

Think about it, regular sized office chairs aren't gonna be as comfortable or give the optimal seating position and you probably hunch over a lot trying to talk to us short ass people 

But the upside is that your frame can accomodate a lot more muscle mass. Once you get the technique right and improve flexibility you'll reap the benefits of that. Theres a reason most pro strongmen are well over six foot.

My advice would be to strip the weight right down, re-learn how to squat using the EliteFTS "so you think you can squat" series of videos (google 'em), and add 20-30 minutes of foam rolling and static stretching mostly centered around the legs, IT band, glutes, and lower back after EVERY workout.

Give that a few months and you'll be squatting ATG with no problems.

I'm a firm believer in the lower the better with squats. In fact, ATG is easier on the knees than stopping at parallel because when you cause yourself to stop dead in a parallel position it can produce some pretty bad shearing force compared to just letting the knee track through that position to it's natural endpoint.

Also, add a shitload of hamstring, glute, lower back, and core work to your program. Glute Ham Raises, Hip Thrusts, and Good Mornings are three amazing exercises. If you find you get lower back pain squatting, these will almost make it disappear completely.


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## davegmb (Apr 5, 2011)

The back pain you get worries me! im tallish at 6'3" and lanky but never get back pain with my squats, that must mean your not staying tight enough. My problem at first was flexibility which ive worked on alot but still a way to go and also my knees collapsing in, which from EliteFTS is most likely a hamstring weekness which im working on with good mornings and RDL's.


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## ALBOB (Apr 5, 2011)

Makes no difference how tall you are, you should go full ROM.  The only difference is how far a tall person has to travel to get there.  A five footer only has to squat down a few inches to reach the bottom of a squat.  Meanwhile is six footers have to travel a couple of feet to get there.  But either way, it's still ALL THE WAY DOWN.


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## DaMayor (Apr 5, 2011)

ALBOB said:


> Makes no difference how tall you are, you should go full ROM.  The only difference is how far a tall person has to travel to get there.  A five footer only has to squat down a few inches to reach the bottom of a squat.  Meanwhile is six footers have to travel a couple of feet to get there.  But either way, it's still ALL THE WAY DOWN.



I find it odd that you would have credibility in a thread entitled "Tall Lanky People...etc.etc."

Please redirect to the "Fat Bald People" thread. Or join me in the "Fat and Old" thread.


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## ALBOB (Apr 5, 2011)

DaMayor said:


> I find it odd that you would have credibility in a thread entitled "Tall Lanky People...etc.etc."
> 
> Please redirect to the "Fat Bald People" thread. Or join me in the "Fat and Old" thread.



Well shit, nobody told me you had to have credibility to post in here.  And if you do, how the Hell did YOU get in?


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## DaMayor (Apr 5, 2011)

ALBOB said:


> Well shit, nobody told me you had to have credibility to post in here.  And if you do, how the Hell did YOU get in?



Ahh,  Yeah, I guess you're right.


*ALL THE WAY DOWN, BEEOTCHES! ALL THE WAY DOWN!*


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