How Deep Should You Squat?

Posted on February 11, 2026 by resourcefulman

I’m one of those people who appreciates the vast variety of squats in the world. High squats, low squats, front squats, back squats—they’re all great. And yet, people on the internet love to argue about which squat is best. So here’s a quick guide to squat depth and how to find the right one for you. The short and simple answer: you’re probably better off squatting “below parallel,” and I’ll explain what that means. But there are benefits to both squatting below and above parallel, depending on your goals in the gym.

What does squat depth even mean?

When people talk about how “deep” a squat is, they’re referring to how low the hips go. Some strong and flexible people can squat until their thighs touch their calves and their buttocks almost touch the ground. This is sometimes called a “floor squat.”

If you can only bend your knees partially before the movement collapses, you might be told you’re squatting “high” or that you’re not squatting “deep.” If this is being said by a coach, trainer, or friend whose advice you value, listen to them and try squatting deeper. (I’ll give you some tips on how to do that in a minute.) On the other hand, if it’s some random person on the internet or a curious member of your local gym, you don’t have to tell them a specific squat depth, and they should be free to do their own thing.

Most people should squat until they are parallel to the floor.

For most people, the optimal squat depth is “below parallel.” This means your thighs are parallel to the floor, or, in other words, your thighs and knees are roughly level. (If your thighs drop below your knees, you’re “below parallel,” and if your thighs stay above your knees, you’re “above parallel.”)

This is how most people define a full squat, and it’s a definition dictated by convenience: it’s easy to see when someone squats to parallel, making it easier for a coach or judge at a competition to determine that you’re actually squatting. It also ensures consistency in training. If you squat to parallel every time, you know you’re performing squats of the same difficulty week after week.

If you’re a powerlifter, you know that judges pay close attention to your position at the bottom of the squat to determine whether you’re performing the lift according to the rules. Typically, the rule states that your hip socket (or hip crease) should be below the top of your kneecap. This is roughly equivalent to your thigh being parallel to the floor, which is why people describe this position as “parallel.” Here’s a video showing what this depth means and how judges see it:

Don’t try to judge this in the mirror while squatting! Your eyes aren’t at the right level to accurately determine this. Instead, film yourself from the side (with the camera at or below hip level) or ask a friend to watch you squat and tell you if you’re reaching the right depth. Another way to ensure you’re squatting to a consistent depth is to find a bench or box of the appropriate height and tap your butt on it with each rep.

Benefits of parallel squats:

You get a greater range of motion, which allows you to engage your muscles better than with higher-set squats.
Most people can reach a level close to parallel with the floor through training, so even if your mobility isn’t great when you first start training, it’s a very achievable goal.
This way, you will be able to squat with more weight than if you went lower.
In a squat with your feet parallel to the floor, it’s easier to keep them stable on the floor than in a squat with your feet lower to the floor (see the point above about mobility).
You have a reliable basis for comparing results from one set to the next. (If your squats get higher as you increase the weight on the bar, then you’re not as strong as you think.)

When you might need to squat below parallel to the floor

What about squats below parallel? First, if you use “parallel” as your criterion, then technically any squat below parallel is still legal. If you’re competing in a powerlifting competition and squat until your butt almost touches your shoe, it’s still considered a legal squat. You can’t be disqualified for squatting too low.

But usually, people squat this low only for a good reason. Sometimes it’s personal preference: you might find that your squats become more comfortable (and you can even lift more weight!) if you allow your hamstrings to push off your calves at the bottom of the squat. The key is to keep this movement controlled and precise, so it’s safe and can be effective for you, depending on your body type.

It’s also common to see Olympic weightlifters squatting very low. This is because they use squats to build leg strength for exercises like the snatch and clean and jerk, and performing the snatch or clean and jerk typically requires them to assume a low squat position. Essentially, they’re training the specific positions required by their sport.

Low squats are also popular among some gym-goers who want to work on mobility and strength at the same time, or who want to ensure they train their legs through a full range of motion.

It’s important to note that not everyone is comfortable squatting low. If you have poor ankle mobility , you may be unable to achieve a low squat position while maintaining balance and keeping your feet firmly on the ground. This position can also place more stress on the knees than desired, leading some people with knee injuries to prefer higher squats. (However, deep squats have not been proven to cause knee injuries, despite what your gym may tell you.)

Benefits of low rise squats:

This exercise trains a greater range of motion for the leg and thigh muscles than a parallel squat.
According to some studies , you may notice more pronounced muscle growth in your glutes and adductors.
You maintain flexibility in your hips and ankles.
You’ll be better prepared for snatches, power cleans, single-leg squats , and other exercises that require deep squat mobility.

When you might need to squat above parallel with the floor

Let me pause while the purists clutch their heads, faint, and wait to be brought back to their senses before I point out that intentionally squatting above parallel isn’t such a bad idea. It has a place in many people’s workouts! I define high squats as those in which your hip joint isn’t even close to level with your knee. These are sometimes called “half squats” (because you only go halfway to parallel) or even “quarter squats” if you just bend your knees slightly.

What do you think at the moment?

Half squats and quarter squats can be an effective training tool, especially for those involved in sports that require running and jumping. In basketball, for example, you rarely find yourself in a full squat position, so training full squats may not be a priority in the gym. On the other hand, training half squats allows you to use even more weight than parallel squats, allowing you to overload the upper range of motion.

High squats are also often performed out of necessity. If you don’t yet have sufficient mobility to squat all the way to the floor, or if you’re working around an injury that prevents you from fully bending your knees, you may have to choose between high squats and not doing them at all. In most cases, high squats are the better option. To ensure a consistent target for each squat set, you can use a high box placed directly behind you and squat until your butt touches the box. (Over time, you can also use a lower box if you’re aiming for lower squats.)

Benefits of high leg squats:

Half-strength squats can develop the strength needed for running and jumping in athletic disciplines.
High squats are better than no squats at all.
High squats can be an interim step towards returning to normal depth if you have an injury or other issue that prevents you from squatting to parallel or below.

How to squat deeper

What if you want to squat deeper but can’t? In most cases, the problem lies in ankle mobility. While your legs do most of the work and your back helps support the weight of the barbell, the weak point in your squat is ankle flexibility. To squat to parallel or lower, your ankles must be able to flex deeply enough.

I’ve put together a guide to improving ankle mobility for squats , but for a quick fix, you can add weight plates under your heels or wear special weightlifting shoes, like these . Also, be sure to do a few calf and ankle stretches before starting squats. A few extra stretches at the end of the day (or on non-strength training days) will help improve ankle mobility in the long run.

You can also gradually improve ankle mobility through stretching and foam rolling. Additionally, try different stance widths and different squat variations (front squats, dumbbell squats, back squats, and barbell squats) to determine which ones are most comfortable for you.

How to determine what squat depth is right for you

Okay, so what if you don’t participate in any sports where squats are a primary exercise and you see benefits in each of the squat depths discussed above? Here’s the big secret about squats: it doesn’t matter . The squat police won’t come to arrest you if your squats are too high (though some of your gym friends might tease you about it—why don’t you squat deeper?).

You can lift more weight if you only do partial squats, and in every gym there are people who will boast about their incredible personal best squats, only to find out later that they never even got close to parallel. If you’re cheating on squats to show off your results, put your ego aside and squat to parallel.

And the “squat police” won’t hound you if you squat too low—but about once a week, some stranger will tell you you’ll “ruin your knees” by squatting that way. Feel free to ignore them. Low squats themselves aren’t bad for your knees, so if you feel fine, you can keep going. (I discuss this myth in detail in my squat guide .)

However, if you don’t like squatting low but you do it because someone told you “you should,” feel free to ignore that advice and squat to whatever level you prefer. Squatting all the way to the floor won’t make you any better.

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