Pin squats slightly above parallel - hard on knees?

[yellowmamba]

Hey guys,

Supramaximal pin squats above parallel seem to be getting more popular as a training method. Would anyone know if these are particularly hard on the knees, given prolonged half-squatting generally leads to tendinitis?

Cheers
Yellow Mamba

[yellowmamba]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFLNIIoCLSs

[Tamara Reynolds]

I'm doing front squat partials from the pins right now, but not as low as that video. I'm unsure as to why you would set the pins THAT low unless you were trying to work a sticking point? I don't know. I'm working around a knee issue, and the partials certainly don't irritate my knees at all. Not sure about long term.

I'm either doing them to this depth, which is basically for the purpose of working my jerk dip and my front squat lockout, as well as serving as a heavy walk out:



Or, I am doing them to this lower depth, which is helping me with my high sticking point but still allowing me to load decently heavy weights:



I'm also doing sets of 10 at the lower pin setting for hypertrophy.

In the past, I've set the pins much lower and squatted to pins as an isometric exercise.

[hamburgerfan]

I do them sometimes starting a little above parallel. Great for just turning your brain off and grinding out the lift.

[medwards]

Isn't the guy in the OP's video sort of doing the same as a box squat? He's unloading the weight at the bottom.

[hamburgerfan]

No, it's different. At the bottom of a box squat, your legs and hips are somewhat relaxed, but the force is transferred through your trunk so your abs and back still need to work statically to support it. At the bottom of a pin squat the weight is deloaded entirely onto the pins.

[medwards]

No, it's different. At the bottom of a box squat, your legs and hips are somewhat relaxed, but the force is transferred through your trunk so your abs and back still need to work statically to support it. At the bottom of a pin squat the weight is deloaded entirely onto the pins.

Well, that's sort of like box squats...

[hamburgerfan]

I guess they do share some slight similarities.

[Tamara Reynolds]

They really feel totally different than box squats to me even when I've done pin squats much lower.