Best squat depth for hypertrophy

WHEN IT COMES to the barbell back squat, the exercise sometimes referred to as the "king" of all the heavyweight moves in the gym, the biggest point of focus for guys isn't necessarily how many plates they can stack onto the rack.

The more pressing question relates to depth—as in, how low should you go as you descend into the bottom portion of the movement? Does your butt need to hit your heels for a rep to count (known in fitness circles as "ass-to-grass"), or is it acceptable just to drop until your hips and knees form a 90 degree angle (or close enough, depending on the day)?

If your goal is to get bigger or stronger, experts say, there's an answer to the leveling quandary.

“The history of squatting below parallel was really based on the need to have something to judge in competition… If you think of your big three at a powerlifting meet—bench press, deadlift, squat—the squat is the only one with an unclear stopping point,” says Shawn Arent, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., chair of the Department of Exercise Science at the University of Sou

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