The Versatility of the Squat

A recent study highlights how versatile the squat is. By this I mean it shows that when you modify the squat that you get a different effect even though the load is the same. The study is by Drinkwater and colleagues from New South Wales, Australia published this year (2012) in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

The authors asked the question whether completing a full range of motion squat was different in terms of velocity, power and force production compared to a partial range of motion squat. The definition of a full ROM and a partial ROM was as follows:

A full squat was where the hips and knees were flexed until the hips reached the same horizontal plane as the knees. That sounds a lot like a parallel squat and clearly does not seem to be as low as ‘the ass to the floor’ depth associated with a full, deep squat.

A partial squat in this particular study was where knee flexion reached 120 degrees of full leg extension. That sounds a lot like what short squat ROM and is nowhere as low as a half squat when defined by a 90 degree knee bend.    

Also important to clarify is the subjects’ background. Ten male recreational rugby players volunteered for this study. They had resistance trained between 2 and 3 times a week and had at least one year of squat training experience. The subjects were approximately 21 years of age and their mean full squat 1RM was 149 kgs and their partial 1RM was 271 kgs. Thus their partial 1RM squat load was 122 kgs greater than their full 1RM squat load.

The subjects completed 10 and 5 reps using 67% and 83% of their 1RM loads in their respective squat. Note that the 1RM load was not determined directly (as in completing a 1RM load in a full or partial squat). The load used was calculated indirectly using a prediction equation. Thus while this could be considered a major flaw in this study many sports people and recreational athletes have not attempted a max load 1RM squat (be it full or partial) so the results of this study are still of interest to us.

The authors measured the speed of movement, the power output and the total work completed in both squat types using a 10RM and a 5RM load.

The results showed that depending on the type of squat used (whether full ROM or partial ROM) then the movement kinetics were different. For example, the authors found:

1. The highest velocity was produced in the full ROM squat with 10 reps
2. The highest power output was produced in the partial ROM squat with 5 reps
3. The highest force was produced in the partial ROM squat with 5 reps
4. The highest total concentric work was produced during the full ROM squat with 5 reps.

So taking the study as a whole and applying the results to a recreational young male population it seems that if high velocity training is the goal then a full ROM using a relatively light load is best option based on the type of squat used and load used in this study. Also if seeking to generate most power then the partial ROM squat with 5 reps is best. In addition you might also get the best bang from the partial ROM with 5 reps when seeking to generate the most force.

In summary the authors noted that either range of motion squat can have practical implications in designing resistance training programmes depending on if the training goal is related to power or force development, maximizing work or speed output.