SQ Depth issues

[borobulker]

I have been having issues achieving correct depth. We ditched the ME LB day today to practice depth under load, ~85%. My training partner was giving me the lift call as i achieved a convincing parallel. We were trying to figure some things out. I currently wear converse all stars on LB day. I love them for pulling but i have never been convinced with squats. I attempted getting depth with 2.5lbs plates under my heals and it was much easier. The tightness i am feeling comes in my hips and lower back/glutes.

I was wondering if you had any ideas. I am considering some type of heel riser inside my all stars. I do not feel comfortable in my Nike's, although they do have a heel.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[sreed11]

I had that same kind of issue and it was tight hipflexors.

 

[borobulker]

after looking into tight hip flexors as the root of my problem, i found a few pretty good resources for stretching and rehab... thanks sreed11...

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=779624

i am also considering purchasing a foam roller... i would still like to hear other opinions...

thanks!

 

[sreed11]

Foam roller is great for self myofacial tissue release. Glad to help bro. But remember IF it is tight hipflexors it wont go away right away. You're hipflexors have probably been tight for a very long time. I found best results with long stretches but not doing them very intensely at all. Just a slight stretch of the muscle for 15 minutes or so while i was watching tv.

 

[Lene28]

We need a little more info than this
1. Do you squat close or wide stance?
2. What kind of squat gear do you use?
3. Do you box squat?
I squat in Chuck Taylors and they are by far the best squat shoe, I have a feeling that if you have to stick plates under your heels that problem is your form. If you are having trouble hitting depth raw then it is strictly form and flexibility.

 

[sreed11]

I was re reading over it and i really do think it is tight hip flexors. Everything you said was exactly how i am/was.

 

[borobulker]

1. Wide Stance
2. I have been training raw.
3. I box squat once a week on speed day. Sometime with bands and/or chains.

It takes more effort to pull my butt back and down than it does to press up. With low box squats i find that i sometimes just drop the extra 1/2" unless i make a strict point not to drop.

I am looking into slight heel inserts or something. I have been stretching like crazy. I really think it is rooted in poor flexibility.

thanks for your opinions guys

 

[pmiller383]

its not flexibility, it is ankle mobility that is holding you back. This is why the plate's under you heals increase your depth, so if you ankle mobility is off, it is going to throw off your knee and hip mobility as well. Give me a little while and I will find a good article for you, I have the same problem but certain drills have helped me a lot.

Mobility Article

 

[borobulker]

its not flexibility, it is ankle mobility that is holding you back. This is why the plate's under you heals increase your depth, so if you ankle mobility is off, it is going to throw off your knee and hip mobility as well. Give me a little while and I will find a good article for you, I have the same problem but certain drills have helped me a lot.

Mobility Article

thank you sir... seems to make sense... you're alright P....

 

[borobulker]

the URLs not working buddy

 

[borobulker]

it is interesting because when i attempt dorsiflexon, my tibialis anterior is extremely tight. i can feel tension when it contracts.

 

[jcp2]

I don't know anything about ankle mobility so i will not comment on it. What i do know is i have had problems with flexibility and A.R.T helped tremendously. It sound silly but the hip adductor and abductor machines have helped as well. Also squatting too wide without some sort of brief can be tough.

 

[pmiller383]

Hey, try the link again
Mobility Article

 

[borobulker]

I don't know anything about ankle mobility so i will not comment on it. What i do know is i have had problems with flexibility and A.R.T helped tremendously. It sound silly but the hip adductor and abductor machines have helped as well. Also squatting too wide without some sort of brief can be tough.

i have inzer groove briefs but it seems to make it worse. a different feeling but worse...

i may try ART...

thanks

 

[sreed11]

its not flexibility, it is ankle mobility that is holding you back. This is why the plate's under you heals increase your depth, so if you ankle mobility is off, it is going to throw off your knee and hip mobility as well. Give me a little while and I will find a good article for you, I have the same problem but certain drills have helped me a lot.

Mobility Article

Could it be a chain reaction? many things in the body can affect many other things, all the way from head to toe. I do think that you have tight hipflexors but maybe you have tight hipflexors because of your lack of ankle mobility and certain compensations. If somebody disagrees with me that's ok i know pmiller overall is much more intelligent than me and has many more years in this field than i do. But i do know that the same exact thing happened to me and my hipflexor tightness was a main cause.

I find it really weird that your anterior tibialis is tight when you're going through dorsiflexion. Most people have really tight or strong calves and it's an overworked muscle and they need to use anterior tibialis strengthening.

If you were to lay down flat and relaxed on your back which way do your feet move. Remember completely relaxed.

 

[pmiller383]

Could it be a chain reaction? many things in the body can affect many other things, all the way from head to toe. I do think that you have tight hipflexors but maybe you have tight hipflexors because of your lack of ankle mobility and certain compensations. If somebody disagrees with me that's ok i know pmiller overall is much more intelligent than me and has many more years in this field than i do. But i do know that the same exact thing happened to me and my hipflexor tightness was a main cause.

I find it really weird that your anterior tibialis is tight when you're going through dorsiflexion. Most people have really tight or strong calves and it's an overworked muscle and they need to use anterior tibialis strengthening.

If you were to lay down flat and relaxed on your back which way do your feet move. Remember completely relaxed.

A tight Hip Flexor could certainly be part of the problem as well, you have to have mobility from the ground up so poor ankle mobility will result in other areas being greatly affected. When the blocks are used under his heals in puts his ankles in a much better position which then affects his knees, quads, thighs and glutes. I have a very similar problem and a little over a month ago could not back squat at all and could only front squat with blocks under my heels. I used the mobility drills listed in the article I posted above along with ART on a foam roller and now I am performing box squats on a slightly bellow parallel box and hope to be able to free squat with significant weight by the end of June.
Sorry for getting so long winded, but when it comes down to it you have to focus on overall mobility and strength for a movement like a squat because even the tiniest disruption in one area of the body can throw everything else out of whack. There could definitely be a problem with your hip flexors, just don't neglect your other areas either.

 

[borobulker]

this is great. i am taking it all in. this is out of my knowledge base...

if i lay on my back, my feet turn out, laterally with a mild plantar flexon.

YouTube - Casey Bard - Squat - 405x8
here is a clip of my form, you cannot 100% see my depth but you can see my hip crease break below my knee....

i dont know of anything else i could tell you.

thanks again guys!

 

[borobulker]

Hey, try the link again
Mobility Article

wow, what an excellent resource.
i usually catch all of T-Nations articles, i must have given that one the "this is stupid" treatment... :fool2:

thanks again for your help...

 

[sreed11]

A tight Hip Flexor could certainly be part of the problem as well, you have to have mobility from the ground up so poor ankle mobility will result in other areas being greatly affected. When the blocks are used under his heals in puts his ankles in a much better position which then affects his knees, quads, thighs and glutes. I have a very similar problem and a little over a month ago could not back squat at all and could only front squat with blocks under my heels. I used the mobility drills listed in the article I posted above along with ART on a foam roller and now I am performing box squats on a slightly bellow parallel box and hope to be able to free squat with significant weight by the end of June.
Sorry for getting so long winded, but when it comes down to it you have to focus on overall mobility and strength for a movement like a squat because even the tiniest disruption in one area of the body can throw everything else out of whack. There could definitely be a problem with your hip flexors, just don't neglect your other areas either.

I agree 100%