What is a Parallel Squat?

In order to understand squat depth, we need to quickly cover some anatomy and put it in the context of who is evaluating the squat. Many organizations such as the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association define a parallel squat to be when the thigh is parallel to the ground, or in our definition, when the femur is parallel to the ground based on the anatomical landmarks of the greater trochanter and lateral femoral epicondyle being level with each other. Breaking parallel may also mean something different in other contexts such as powerlifting, so we’ll cover the differences below.

Squat Anatomy Landmarks

The lateral epicondyle is the bony protrusion on the outside of your knee joint. Based on most people’s anatomy, it is about 1 inch below the top of your knee. The greater trochanter is the bony protrusion at your hip joint. If you stand up, place your hand on your outer hip, and then rotate your foot in & out on the ground like you’re putting out a cigarette, you’ll feel this spot moving. In the physical therapy world, these are the two distinct landmarks that we either palpate or visually approximate to gauge range of motion.

The hip crease and top of the knee are usually easy to spot, however, depending on the angle and clothing worn, these landmarks may be hard to see. Additionally, sometimes the patella, or kneecap, is referenced as a landmark for depth. In my opinion, the kneecap is not a good marker to use for the following reasons.

As you squat deeper, the kneecap moves downward, so if you landmark the top of the knee cap, you’re actually being penalized the deeper you go. In my experience, it’s also difficult to visually approximate and impossible to see if pants are worn.

Powerlifting Squat Depth

Although required depth varies between different powerlifting organizations, most have established that the hip crease must drop below the top of the knee for sufficient depth. In this context, parallel would be the imaginary line that connects the hip crease to the top of the knee. The image below is straight from USAPL’s rulebook, contrasted against our previous diagram.

As you can see, getting your hip crease below the top of your knee will break parallel, but breaking parallel does not guarantee your hip crease will fall below the top of your knee. Ultimately, it is important to practice your squatting depth based on the rules you’ll be judged on.

Squat Depth Diagram

Below we have some images that demonstrate what each type of squat looks like.

Parallel Squat

Hip Crease Level with Top of Knee Squat

Below Parallel Squat