teach me to squat properly

[ps24eva]

i need to go deeper. How far should I go though?

 

[sage]

This is what i like to see bro. Members coming on here to learn proper form of an exercise. Props to you. Your range of motion will not be the same as your friends, someone else at the gym, any of us on this board. ROM depends on many factors, and the idea of 'ass to grass' is not the only proper way of squatting. Some techniques you could utilize....
(1) try out a wider stance. this should allow your body to carry further, compared to a narrower stance.
(2) drop your weight and get form down to a T. head up, back in a natural aligning arch, butt pushing back while descending, pushing off from your heals, properly breathing, position of the bar on your traps, not bouncing at the bottom, not locking out fully at the top, and so forth.
(3) Have someone watch you while you perform the movement and let you know on your progress to getting your thighs parallel to the ground (be careful your lower back isnt arching forward, especially the time you spend below parallel). Many times, the person doing a movement will think they're going low enough.... and they're really not. But once again, rom will be judged on an individual basis.
(4) Try putting a 10 lb plate underneath your heals. Not just to incorporate more work by the quadriceps but often people find it easier to go down when their heals are elevated.
So much you can do but most important is to know proper form of a squat (or any exercise for that matter) and practice it repetitively.... with weights you can manage all while using proper form
Sage

 

[morfiend]

just some more tips:

lead with your head and drive explosively through your feet when you come out of the whole, this may not make sense now but when you're in the hole it will.

pause when you're in the hole for a good second, make sure you keep everything tight

you should go down to paralell, so your quads are flat.

try to focus on one aspect of form at a time

 

[size]

Load a bar with a 25 on each side. Then start doing some squats with various feet positions and depth. Find what is comfortable and stable and stick with it.

 

[ManBeast]

I agree with everything except the 10lb plate, use something to elevate your heels only if you really find you have problems going deep with your heels flat, just my $0.02

ManBeast

 

[morfiend]

I agree with everything except the 10lb plate, use something to elevate your heels only if you really find you have problems going deep with your heels flat, just my $0.02

ManBeast

I agree completely.., instead of the plate just do some hamstring stretches.. thats probably what's limiting depth in the squat.

Depending on how bad you are off, a week or two of stretching should get you to parallel.

 

[ManBeast]

I've got a buddy that's 6'4" and he's very long-legged for his height, and he can't keep his CG stable and go even close to 90 degrees without a slight elevation of his heels. One of my 3 "direct" bosses is also around 6'4" but he has a much more "even" distribution of his leg/torso length compared to my buddy and he doesn't need anything to help keep his CG stable when squatting to 90 degrees (he can't go past it really though). I think it just boils down to body geometry and build, as long as yer pushin through your heels, and not the balls of your feet, you can wear stilleto heels when you squat for all I care!

ManBeast

 

[morfiend]

got to disagree with you here, but we can agree to disagree. elevating your heels is going to mess up your COG no doubt, put more stress on knees, less on back, and more on quads as you said. but aren't there better quad exercises out there? (front squats come to mind)

I'm 6 foot and couldn't squat to parallel worth a damn when I first started, lots of stretching and I can now go below parallel. I've seen guys 6'2 squat parallel too. What you're describing is almost certainly an inflexibility problem. Short guys do have the advantage in this respect.

I wouldn't foo-foo on the squats w/ a plate. In the meantime, go as deep as you can go, add in stretches afterwards, and the results will amaze you.

I bet just squatting low will be enough of a stretch for you, and subsequent workouts you may be able to go lower and lower.