I’ve been struggling with my squat depth for a long time now and I would like to seek help.
It is often said that squat depth would not be a mobility issue, but rather a strength and technique issue, and that almost everyone would be able to hit depth on the squat.
However, even with light weights, I cannot even get close to below parallel, no matter what I try.
Here is a recent video of my paused squats, where I really tried to push myself as deep as possible:
Here is another video of my squats at normal speed:
For me the issue is in my hip joint. I cannot get any more acute in my hip angle, not even passively (e.g. if I lie on by back and try to pull my knee to my chest). So no matter how light the weight is, there seems to be no way for me to get deeper (not even with the empty barbell - I always start with the empty barbell and work myself up to the work sets).
Do you have any idea how I could improve my hip mobility or get somehow deeper in my squat?
I’ve also tried all kinds of mobility drills in the past, without any success. Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks for the post and I can appreciate that this is frustrating.
While the normal squats were all significantly high, your paused squats are much lower- with the last rep almost looking like it’s below parallel. I’m not sure how you’re performing the passive knee to chest “test”, as if you keep your back flat on the floor and/or don’t externally rotate your thigh while doing this it is unlikely you’ll be able to go past 90*. Since we’re not squatting on our backs however, let’s try something else.
Can you take a video of you doing a bodyweight squat while holding on to the rack? Try and squat as low as possible. Take a video from the side and from the front and report back.
many thanks for your reply, I really appreciate the time your help.
First, here is a side view of me squatting while holding on to the rack:
Front view:
So, as I see it, when I try to go below parallel, I either round my back or my torso needs to stay more upright, since my hip angle does not seem to get more acute than a certain angle.
Therefore, I can e.g. front squat fairly deep because it does not require such a closed hip angle.
Furthermore, here is another lighter weight squat video where I really tried hard to sink as low as possible.
To me it seems that if I try to get lower, I compensate the lack of hip mobility by sliding my knees forward at the bottom and shifting my weight forward (heels lifting off a bit).
Please let me know if these videos are conclusive.
Yea this actually looks like what I thought- you’re able to go below parallel, but are stopping yourself due to some perceived issues. When you go below parallel with your shins nearly vertical, you have to go from a slightly extended lumbar spine to slightly flexed, though both of these are within the realm of neutral. I wouldn’t worry about this.
The three things I would try in order are as follows:
For a warm up, take a 25lb dumbbell or plate and hold it near your chest like a goblet squat- do 10ct paused squats where you go ass to ankles (or thereabouts) regardless of what you think your back is doing. Do 2-3 sets of 5 before getting under the bar. Then do a set of 5 under the bar with a 3ct pause at the bottom for each rep- again, below parallel regardless of what you think your back is doing.
Push your knees further forward during your descent. Knees forward first! I would not cue you to push your knees out at all.
Decrease your toe angle, e.g. less toes out, more knees forward
Wow, thank you so much for the swift response and advice. I will definitely try those and report back.
Just one question on your recommendation 2) above: Does that also mean I should not cue myself so much to sit back?
And do you have any recommendation about my stance width?
When I do more upright squats (like goblets or front squats), a closer stance seems to work better for me, but I’m not sure whether that’s also the right approach for low bar?
I would not (and do not) cue people to sit back in the squat, in general.
I think your stance width should be pretty similar for most of your squat variants and low bar certainly doesn’t require a wider stance. That said, a stance that is too wide can limit depth in some.
I’m really glad you posted that, Toby. I’ve had the same longterm challenge with squats.
Jordan,
I am very curious what you suspect the underlying issue might be. Your suggestions above have me wondering whether you suspect a perception issue or a flexibility issue (or both). My squats are very similar. I’m going to try your suggestions myself, but it would be nice to have some clues about possible underlying causes if the form issues persist.
I think that may be my issue as well, although I wasn’t consciously aware of it.
I implemented your suggestions to to Toby, and it resulted in a consistent, below parallel squat. Some mild soreness after the 25lb goblet warmup, but working sets at 275 lbs were fine. Very interesting. Your steps 2 & 3 are opposite to some cues I’ve accumulated over time. Not pushing knees out and decreasing the toe angle seem to help me quite a bit.
Hi Jordan,
Thanks again - I did what you recommended and filmed my last paused squats:
The depth definitely looks better now, but I noticed that the deep position felt uncomfortable around my hip joints, and on the next day the adductors were pretty sore, especially close to my hip joints. I guess this was just because the depth was unused?
Yea some of these are good and others are pretty close. I do not think it’s advisable to immediately go back to the same loads you were using, but with substantially different technique and ROM. I would limit you to starting at 75-80kg and work up from there over ~2-3 weeks. I would also sink these another inch or so. Finally, when you pause- come to a dead stop, then reverse the motion. Make sure you’re not sinking while you’re pausing.
