Deep Squats, Best Way To
Train Buttock Muscles

by Edmund R. Burke, PhD., CSCS

Coach Eddie Lomax

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While deep squatting tends to get a bad rap for the possibility of causing knee injuries, it may be just what the doctor ordered to target that hard-to-train gluteal group.

Researchers from the Furman University in Greenville, SC, had 10 well-trained men perform squats at partial, parallel and full depths with 100%-125% of their bodyweight while special electrodes placed on the skin measured the activity of the contribution of the gluteals, quadriceps and hamstrings.

The deeper the athlete squatted, the greater the role the gluteus maximum (large buttock muscle) played in the contribution of strength during the ascent (concentric) phase.

Taking time to perfect your form and controlling the depth of your squatting will not only increase your overall strength but also add strength to your buttock muscles.

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 32(5): S56, 2000

About the Author

Edmund R. Burke, Ph.D., CSCS, is Professor and Director of the Exercise Science Program at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.He served as Coordinator of Sports Sciences for the U.S. Cycling Team leading up to the Olympic Games in 1996 and was a staff member for the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Cycling Teams. Dr. Burke is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the NSCA. He has authored or co-authored fifteen books on training, fitness and nutrition.

NSCA’s Performance Training Journal Volume 1 Number 3, Fitness Frontlines

“This article originally appeared in NSCA’s Performance Training Journal, a publication of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. For a free subscription to the journal, browse to www.nsca-lift.org/perform.”

Coach Lomax Comments

Deep squats are always a topic of debate because of the belief that deep squats can hurt the knees.

This controversy can similarly be seen in the discussion of the Bethak, or Hindu Squat... A type of bodyweight deep squat that extends the knees over the toes during the performance.

I am a big fan of training all movements, including strength movements, throughout their full range of motion... Meaning I am in favor of deep squats.

However, like any other exercise, you must concentrate on proper form and resist increasing the weight load until your form is correct and controlled.

Use common sense when performing deep squats, and I’m sure you will find that it is as safe to perform as other strength training exercises.

If training your buttock muscles is a concern, than deep squats will get the job done... as well as improve your strength over a greater range of motion.

Bodyweight deep squats, whether they be Hindu Squats or others, are an excellent way to strengthen and tone the entire lower body....

Especially when they are performed as part of a comprehensive system like Workout Without Weights: Bodyweight Calisthenics Workout Progression System!

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Coach Eddie Lomax is the founder and president of the Optimum Fitness Network, and author of the best-selling ebook Workout Without Weights: Bodyweight Calisthenics Workout Progression System. Please sign up for the free NEWS-WIRE to keep up to date with all Coach Lomax web-sites and products!

DISCLAIMER: The material on this site is for informational purposes only and not intended to replace professional, medical recommendations or common sense. This site, owners and employees accept no responsibility for injury or damage arising from the use or misuse of the information provided.