How Deep Should You Squat

I have been asked a lot by athletes: “Should I be doing deep squats or quarter squats?”

I used to give a vague answer—“it depends”- but after years of coaching sprinters and jumpers in their 30s, 40s and beyond - I’ve seen how the body actually responds. Both can be useful—but for very different reasons.

Deep or near-parallel squats are often helpful if your goal is building overall leg strength, improving joint stability, and keeping muscles resilient over time. I’ve had athletes with knee or hip issues who can’t safely drop “ass to grass,” but even a controlled squat to parallel can improve tendon strength and help protect the joints from the stresses of sprinting. One athlete in her mid-30s added these in cautiously, with lighter loads and strict form, and she noticed her stride felt more stable and her knees less sore during sprint work.

Quarter or partial squats hit the positions closer to sprinting or jumping. They allow heavier loads, target power at the angles you actually use on the track, and fire up explosiveness.

I’ve seen athletes plateau in speed until we brought partial squats into the mix, then suddenly they were pushing off the blocks harder and moving faster in short sprints.

The key tension I see is some athletes go heavy with shallow squats without any base and risk joint pain. Others do only slow, deep squats and never feel faster on the track. The solution isn’t “one depth fits all”—it’s using the right squat for the goal, the joint, and the training phase.

At MHPC, I usually structure it like this:

• Choose squat depth based on joint health, mobility, and comfort

• Mix depths over time to cover strength, resilience, and power

• Adjust loads and reps depending on whether the focus is robustness, muscle building or explosiveness

It’s not about ego lifting or chasing social media trends. It’s about giving your body what it actually needs to achieve the goal we are chasing.

The bottom line: Range of motion for any exercise is a tool. Be clear on what you are trying to achieve and how a particular exercise and range can help you achieve that goal. There is no magic solution.

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