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angle, they fail to work the full range of motion and therefore fail to perform to their potential as an exercise.

    Figure 2-10. The variation in squat depths commonly seen in the gym. Left to right: Quarter-squat, Half-squat, a position often confused with parallel, where the undersurface of the thigh is parallel with the ground, Parallel squat according to the criteria established in Figure 2-1 , and “Ass-to-grass” squat.

    The hamstrings benefit from their involvement in the full squat by getting strong in direct proportion to their anatomically proper share of the load in the movement, as determined by the mechanics of the movement itself. This fact is often overlooked when the medical community considers anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears and their relationship to conditioning programs. The ACL stabilizes the knee: it prevents the tibia from sliding forward relative to the femur. As we have already seen, so does the hamstring group of muscles. Underdeveloped, weak hamstrings thus play a role in ACL injuries, and full squats strengthen the hamstrings. In the same way the engaged hamstrings protect the knees during a full squat, hamstrings that are stronger due to full squats can protect the ACLs during the activities that we are squatting to condition for. With strong hamstrings and the knees-back position provided by the low-bar version of the squat, the hips bear most of the stress of the movement. So athletes who are missing an ACL can safely squat heavy weights because the ACL is under no stress in a correctly performed full squat (see Figure 2-11 ).

    Figure 2-11. Forces on the knee in the squat. The hamstrings and adductors exert a posterior tension on the tibia, and the net effect of the anterior quadriceps tendon insertion is an anterior force against the tibial plateau. With sufficient depth and correct knee position, anterior and posterior forces on the knee are balanced. The anterior (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligaments (PCL)stabilize the anterior and posterior movements of the distal femur relative to the proximal tibia. In a correctly performed squat, these ligaments are essentially unloaded.

    Another problem with partial squats is the fact that very heavy loads can be moved due to the short range of motion and the greater mechanical efficiency of the quarter-squat position. A trainee doing quarter-squats is predisposed to back injuries as a result of the extreme spinal loading that comes from putting a weight on his back that might be more than three times the weight that he can safely handle in a correct deep squat. A lot of football coaches are fond of partial squats because they allow the coaches to claim that their 17-year-old linemen are all “squatting” 600 pounds. Your interest is in getting strong (at least it should be), not in playing meaningless games with numbers. If it’s too heavy to squat below parallel, it’s too heavy to have on your back.
     
    There is simply no other exercise, and certainly no machine, that produces the level of central nervous system activity, improved balance and coordination, skeletal loading and bone density enhancement, muscular stimulation and growth, connective tissue stress and strength, psychological demand and toughness, and overall systemic conditioning than the correctly performed full squat. In the absence of an injury that prevents its being performed, everyone who lifts weights should learn to squat, correctly.
    Learning to Squat
     
    We will approach the squat in two phases: first unloaded, to solve problems associated with the bottom position, and then loaded, to learn how to apply the bottom position to the hip drive used for heavier weights. Since the majority of the problems with the squat happen at the bottom, this method expedites the process quite effectively.
    Generating hip drive
     
    We will use a fairly neutral foot placement, with the heels about shoulder width apart and the toes pointed out at about 30 degrees. An excessively