How Low Should You Squat? Squat Depth for Beginners
General information: This article is general information about squat depth and strength training and how an app works. It has not been reviewed by a dietitian, doctor or qualified trainer, and it is not a substitute for their advice.
Gym floors are full of quarter squats, and online arguments about "ass to grass" do not help a beginner. This page checks what a meta-analysis and two randomised trials report about squatting deeper or shallower, then gives a careful way to find your own depth.
The short answer
Squat to a depth you can control and without pain; in these studies deeper range did better for leg strength and size. A meta-analysis of 16 studies (Pallarés et al., 2021) of full versus partial range of motion (across exercises, not squats alone) found full range of motion produced significantly greater strength gains and greater lower-limb muscle growth. That says nothing about forcing depth: if you cannot squat deeply with good form yet, build up gradually.
What the research says
- Meta-analysis: full range did better for strength and leg size. The meta-analysis of 16 studies (Pallarés et al., 2021) found full-range training produced significantly greater adaptations than partial range for muscle strength (effect size 0.56, p = 0.004) and lower-limb hypertrophy (0.88, p = 0.027). Gains in functional performance were larger with full range but not statistically significant (0.44, p = 0.186).
- Full vs half squats. In a 10-week randomised trial (Kubo et al., 2019) of 17 men, a full-squat group and a half-squat group trained twice a week. Knee extensor muscle volume rose by a similar amount (4.9% and 4.6%), but adductor and gluteus maximus volumes rose more with full squats (6.2% and 6.7% vs 2.7% and 2.2%), and full-squat 1RM rose 31.8% vs 11.3%. Half-squat 1RM rose similarly in both groups.
- Deep vs shallow squats. In a 12-week randomised trial (Bloomquist et al., 2013) of 17 male students, a deep squat (0 to 120 degrees of knee flexion) gave larger increases in front-thigh muscle size (4 to 7%) than a shallow squat (0 to 60 degrees), plus greater isometric knee-extension strength at two angles and squat-jump performance. On 1RM, the deep group gained about 20% in both squat depths, while the shallow group gained 36% in the shallow squat but only 9% in the deep squat.
The two trials were small (17 men each) and lasted 10 to 12 weeks, so they describe averages, not what will happen to you. They are not instructions to squat as deep as possible regardless of pain or form.
Finding your depth (our practical template)
The table below is our own reading of those studies, not a trial result.
| Where you are | What to do |
|---|---|
| Cannot squat deep yet | Squat to a bench or chair at a depth you can control, then lower the target a little over weeks. |
| Can reach thigh parallel with good form | Make that your working depth and add load as in the progressive overload guide. |
| Deeper feels easy and comfortable | You can lower the target gradually; in these studies deeper range did better for leg strength and size. |
| Pain, pinching or your back rounding | Stop at the depth before that and ask a trainer or doctor. |
Warm up first (see how to warm up), start with bodyweight or a light goblet squat, and use the squat variations in the beginner gym plan or the beginner home workout plan.
When to see a doctor or trainer first
If you have knee, hip or back pain, an injury, a medical condition, are pregnant, or have not exercised for a long time, ask your doctor or a qualified trainer before you squat deep or add load, and do not push through pain. Stop and get advice if you feel sharp pain or dizziness. A trainer can check your squat form.
Logging squats in NYUS
NYUS is an AI diet and workout coach. On the workout screen you can log each set and use the rest timer, and each exercise shows what you did last time ("Last: ..."). NYUS does not measure how deep you squat: judge your depth by feel, a bench, or a trainer.
Log your squats in NYUS
Log each set and see what you did last time on every exercise. An AI diet and workout coach built around Indian food. 30-day free trial, then ₹499/month, no card needed to start. No ads, no data sold.
Join the NYUS waitlistFrequently asked questions
How low should a beginner squat?
To a depth you can control, without pain. A meta-analysis of 16 studies (full vs partial range across exercises) found full-range training gave greater strength and lower-limb muscle gains than partial range, but beginners should build depth gradually and ask a trainer to check form.
Are half squats bad?
Half squats still raised knee extensor muscle volume by a similar amount to full squats in a 10-week trial of 17 men, and half-squat strength rose similarly in both groups. Full squats gave larger gains in adductor and gluteus maximus volume and in full-squat strength.
Do deep squats build more muscle?
In a 12-week trial of 17 men, deep squats (0 to 120 degrees of knee flexion) gave larger increases in front-thigh muscle size (4 to 7%) than shallow squats (0 to 60 degrees). The trial was small and short.
Should I squat deeper if it hurts?
No. Stop at the depth before pain, pinching or rounding of your back and ask your doctor or a qualified trainer. This is our advice; the studies did not test squatting through pain.
Sources (read 23 October 2026)
- Pallarés et al., Effects of range of motion on resistance training adaptations: a systematic review and meta-analysis (Scand J Med Sci Sports 2021) (abstract; DOI 10.1111/sms.14006, PubMed 34170576, read 23 Oct 2026): 16 studies; full ROM greater than partial ROM for muscle strength (ES = 0.56, p = 0.004) and lower-limb hypertrophy (ES = 0.88, p = 0.027); functional performance larger with full ROM but not significant (ES = 0.44, p = 0.186).
- Kubo, Ikebukuro and Yata, Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volumes (Eur J Appl Physiol 2019) (abstract; DOI 10.1007/s00421-019-04181-y, PubMed 31230110, read 23 Oct 2026): 17 males, 10 weeks, 2 days a week, full squat (n = 8) vs half squat (n = 9); knee extensor volume +4.9% vs +4.6%; adductor +6.2% vs +2.7% and gluteus maximus +6.7% vs +2.2% (full vs half, both significantly greater in full); full-squat 1RM +31.8% vs +11.3%; half-squat 1RM +24.2% vs +32.0% (not significant).
- Bloomquist et al., Effect of range of motion in heavy load squatting on muscle and tendon adaptations (Eur J Appl Physiol 2013) (abstract; DOI 10.1007/s00421-013-2642-7, PubMed 23604798, read 23 Oct 2026): 17 male students, 12 weeks, deep squat 0-120 degrees knee flexion (n = 8) vs shallow squat 0-60 degrees (n = 9); deep squat gave larger front-thigh muscle CSA gains (4-7%), isometric knee extension strength at 75 and 105 degrees (6% and 8%) and squat-jump performance (15%).
- The depth table and the practical rules are NYUS's own reading, not from a trial. App behaviour checked in the NYUS app on 23 Oct 2026.