Is squatting below 90 degrees actually bad for your knees! Well the answer to that depends, if your knees are healthy then squatting past 90 degrees will cause you no issue at all. You may be hindered by poor mobility especially in the ankle joint.
A common misconception is that as you squat, your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is placed under tension, making it susceptible to damage. However, research has shown that the opposite is true. See, the force placed on this ligament decreases the more your knee is bent — which is exactly what happens when you squat.
Look at how a child squats, in fact most children will spend the majority of their time in what looks like a deep squat. That’s a big hint that it’s not bad for you, as a child will not put themselves in a position that causes them pain, they move in our natural movement patterns until they are taught otherwise.
What then happens is our kids grow up and we start introducing the pattern of sitting behind a desk all day. That’s 7-8 hours of sitting and what that does to our flexibility is where the issues arise.
Where did all the fear mongering come from in the first place?
The fear all started in the 1950 and 60s due to some poor research that was conducted by looking at knee injuries in college American football players. The researchers concluded that the injuries were caused squatting below parallel. The results got published and it sent shockwaves around the sporting communities. This research has since been disproved and in fact squatting below parallel has been shown to be good for the human body.