What is a parallel squat?

Written by Alex Corbett, PT, DPT

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 (CSCCa) define a parallel squat to be when the thigh is parallel to the ground, while many powerlifting organizations define squat depth based on the relationship between the hip crease and the top of the knee.

Squat Anatomy Landmarks

Anatomically, thigh-parallel would translate to when the femur is parallel to the ground based on the bony landmarks of the greater trochanter and lateral femoral epicondyle being level with each other. These are the two distinct landmarks that are used to assess and measure joint position. The lateral epicondyle is the bony protrusion on the outside of your knee joint. Based on most people’s anatomy, it typically sits about an inch below the top of the knee. The greater trochanter is the bony prominence on the outside of the hip. In most individuals, it lies approximately 3/8 of the distance down from the hip crease (the image above shows it slightly too low).

Additionally, sometimes the kneecap is referenced as a landmark for depth, but it is not a good marker to use for the following reason.

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.

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.

USAPL squat depth rules — USAPL Squat Depth Rule

As you can see, getting your hip crease below the top of your knee will break thigh-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.

strength origins squat depth standards

For judging purposes, Strength Origins considers a squat to have reached parallel when the entirety of the thigh appears parallel to the ground. Because the femur cannot be directly visualized in a submitted video, judges primarily evaluate the visual appearance of the thigh while using anatomical landmark approximations as needed to help estimate joint positions when video angles are unclear.