Unable to do parallel squats!
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comptonelizabeth wrote: »I'm probably expecting too much. I'm 61 and started this 3 months ago after years of chronic illness,degenerated discs and long periods on steroids (prednisolone- not anabolic!) which weaken the muscles. I'll keep at it and thanks for the encouragement!
You definitely need to begin with a very high box squat!!!0 -
Mycophilia wrote: »Knees going over your toes are supposed to happen, and there's nothing wrong with that. Can't speak to why your knees hurt without more information though. But if I were to guess, it's probably because you aren't squatting to/below parallel.
^This is why it's VERY important to squat to parallel.
-Take a stance a little wider than your shoulders.
-Turn your feet out 15-35 degrees (whatever feels must comfortable to you)
-Push your knees out HARD
-Squat
If you can't get depth holding on to a band or TRX (as mentioned above) then you probably need to work on your flexibility - my guess would be you have tight ankles/calves or hip flexors, or both.
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Thank you for all the tips. I will definitely try box squats!Leadfoot_Lewis wrote: »Mycophilia wrote: »Knees going over your toes are supposed to happen, and there's nothing wrong with that. Can't speak to why your knees hurt without more information though. But if I were to guess, it's probably because you aren't squatting to/below parallel.
^This is why it's VERY important to squat to parallel.
-Take a stance a little wider than your shoulders.
-Turn your feet out 15-35 degrees (whatever feels must comfortable to you)
-Push your knees out HARD
-Squat
If you can't get depth holding on to a band or TRX (as mentioned above) then you probably need to work on your flexibility - my guess would be you have tight ankles/calves or hip flexors, or both.
I think with my history of back issues,that's a distinct possibility.0 -
You might just need to build more strength in your legs. That's part of the equation. Keep working at it.1
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Start off with Box squats then work your way to parallel. It will help you with form better. Also, try doing lower weight. I seen someone post up above about just using the weight of the bar. That is the best way to help you get your form down.1
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Thank you - I'm grateful for all the tips! Xx0
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comptonelizabeth wrote: »OK as an experiment I tried squatting while holding onto the kitchen worktop. Even with that, what happens when I try to get to parallel is that I can feel my feet rolling inwards (is it called pronating?) Which I'm pretty certain is not a good thing.
I'll just have to carry on working at it!
pronating sounds like your glutes aren't strong enough to keep your femurs turned out. if you can get hold of a mini theraband to put round your knees, that often helps to get the glutes activated. you don't have to squat with it right away. when i first put on a theraband after 2+ years of 'squatting', just walking from one end of the house to the other made my glutes pay attention.
for the knees-forward thing, you can either set up something like the Terribly Useful Block Of Wood right in front of your toes to tell you when your knees go too far - or you can do what i do when i'm stiff and squat by standing in front of the sink with the cabinets underneath it closed. sink is best because you can hold onto the edge more strongly than you can with a flat countertop. my neighbours can see my kitchen window and must think i'm extremely strange. in either of those workaround versions, if your knees travel out past your toes you will know
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Another suggestion is using a strap or belt or the like, and doing assisted squats. It's much easier to control your form and adds a lot of stability.
This^^^
This will also help you work on mobility and flexibility, particularly in the ankles and hip flexors...
Also, do other leg work and glute work to build strength...1 -
canadianlbs wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »OK as an experiment I tried squatting while holding onto the kitchen worktop. Even with that, what happens when I try to get to parallel is that I can feel my feet rolling inwards (is it called pronating?) Which I'm pretty certain is not a good thing.
I'll just have to carry on working at it!
pronating sounds like your glutes aren't strong enough to keep your femurs turned out. if you can get hold of a mini theraband to put round your knees, that often helps to get the glutes activated. you don't have to squat with it right away. when i first put on a theraband after 2+ years of 'squatting', just walking from one end of the house to the other made my glutes pay attention.
for the knees-forward thing, you can either set up something like the Terribly Useful Block Of Wood right in front of your toes to tell you when your knees go too far - or you can do what i do when i'm stiff and squat by standing in front of the sink with the cabinets underneath it closed. sink is best because you can hold onto the edge more strongly than you can with a flat countertop. my neighbours can see my kitchen window and must think i'm extremely strange. in either of those workaround versions, if your knees travel out past your toes you will know
LOL @ neighbours- yeah,my kitchen sink overlooks theirs but who cares! Thanks- I'll try that (and I actually have therabands from when I broke my shoulder a few years back. )cwolfman13 wrote: »Another suggestion is using a strap or belt or the like, and doing assisted squats. It's much easier to control your form and adds a lot of stability.
This^^^
This will also help you work on mobility and flexibility, particularly in the ankles and hip flexors...
Also, do other leg work and glute work to build strength...
Cheers- looks like I have some work to do!1 -
Like you I'm short with short legs and love squatting (seriously it's one of my 2 favourite lifts and ties with deadlifts). But back when I first started I couldn't drop more than a couple of inches, it's taken a year of patience and practise, finding exactly the right foot placement for me and slowly working on lowering my depth.
I did try using a ball to do wall squats but felt uncomfortable and out of control, so to progress I started out by doing sets of ten with a pretty wide stance (more than shoulder width but not as wide as sumo), dropping as low as I could on the last squat of each set and holding it for a count of ten. Once I was getting somewhere close to parallel I moved on to using the barbell and then sitting back on to a flat bench, just so I was pushing myself to drop a little lower than was truly comfortable, and as I got comfortable at that height I found a slightly bench, etc, etc. Eventually I no longer needed a bench and could not only drop parallel but could go below (which I have to be careful with as I have very loose joints).
I do find it's easier to keep good form with some weight on the bar, even if it's just 5kg extra it seems to balance better than just the bar. I love squats so much that I also do bodyweight with various stances (narrow, shoulder, sumo) and am trying to master front squats oh and the instructor in the classes I go to got me doing countless squats instead of core exercises while I was recovering from a hernia repair, those 100s and 1000s helped me get my bodyweight squats atg (the one exercise where I can not only keep up but beat most of the (younger and skinnier) class)0 -
So- major important question- can you *kitten*?
Because if you can - then guess what- you can squat.1 -
Like you I'm short with short legs and love squatting (seriously it's one of my 2 favourite lifts and ties with deadlifts). But back when I first started I couldn't drop more than a couple of inches, it's taken a year of patience and practise, finding exactly the right foot placement for me and slowly working on lowering my depth.
I did try using a ball to do wall squats but felt uncomfortable and out of control, so to progress I started out by doing sets of ten with a pretty wide stance (more than shoulder width but not as wide as sumo), dropping as low as I could on the last squat of each set and holding it for a count of ten. Once I was getting somewhere close to parallel I moved on to using the barbell and then sitting back on to a flat bench, just so I was pushing myself to drop a little lower than was truly comfortable, and as I got comfortable at that height I found a slightly bench, etc, etc. Eventually I no longer needed a bench and could not only drop parallel but could go below (which I have to be careful with as I have very loose joints).
I do find it's easier to keep good form with some weight on the bar, even if it's just 5kg extra it seems to balance better than just the bar. I love squats so much that I also do bodyweight with various stances (narrow, shoulder, sumo) and am trying to master front squats oh and the instructor in the classes I go to got me doing countless squats instead of core exercises while I was recovering from a hernia repair, those 100s and 1000s helped me get my bodyweight squats atg (the one exercise where I can not only keep up but beat most of the (younger and skinnier) class)
Thanks - that's really helpful (and reassuring!) I love squats too and despite not being able to get to parallel, I've still noticed a difference and it's really helping my lower back so I don't want to stop.0 -
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Make sure you are keeping your knees pushed outwards. Also work on your flexibility and mobility in your groin, lower back, and ankles.1
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quiksylver296 wrote: »
I'm gonna guess poo.0 -
The great thing about *kitten* is that it could be anything.
I went for cr**0 -
canadianlbs wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »OK as an experiment I tried squatting while holding onto the kitchen worktop. Even with that, what happens when I try to get to parallel is that I can feel my feet rolling inwards (is it called pronating?) Which I'm pretty certain is not a good thing.
I'll just have to carry on working at it!
pronating sounds like your glutes aren't strong enough to keep your femurs turned out. if you can get hold of a mini theraband to put round your knees, that often helps to get the glutes activated. you don't have to squat with it right away. when i first put on a theraband after 2+ years of 'squatting', just walking from one end of the house to the other made my glutes pay attention.
for the knees-forward thing, you can either set up something like the Terribly Useful Block Of Wood right in front of your toes to tell you when your knees go too far - or you can do what i do when i'm stiff and squat by standing in front of the sink with the cabinets underneath it closed. sink is best because you can hold onto the edge more strongly than you can with a flat countertop. my neighbours can see my kitchen window and must think i'm extremely strange. in either of those workaround versions, if your knees travel out past your toes you will know
Unless I am not understanding you, your knees should go past your toes. It's a myth that they should not. One of the standards for determining proper ankle mobility is to see how far past your toes your knee can go. Should at least be several inches (note this is done during a particular drill to measure, not while actually squatting)1 -
canadianlbs wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »OK as an experiment I tried squatting while holding onto the kitchen worktop. Even with that, what happens when I try to get to parallel is that I can feel my feet rolling inwards (is it called pronating?) Which I'm pretty certain is not a good thing.
I'll just have to carry on working at it!
pronating sounds like your glutes aren't strong enough to keep your femurs turned out. if you can get hold of a mini theraband to put round your knees, that often helps to get the glutes activated. you don't have to squat with it right away. when i first put on a theraband after 2+ years of 'squatting', just walking from one end of the house to the other made my glutes pay attention.
for the knees-forward thing, you can either set up something like the Terribly Useful Block Of Wood right in front of your toes to tell you when your knees go too far - or you can do what i do when i'm stiff and squat by standing in front of the sink with the cabinets underneath it closed. sink is best because you can hold onto the edge more strongly than you can with a flat countertop. my neighbours can see my kitchen window and must think i'm extremely strange. in either of those workaround versions, if your knees travel out past your toes you will know
Unless I am not understanding you, your knees should go past your toes. It's a myth that they should not. One of the standards for determining proper ankle mobility is to see how far past your toes your knee can go. Should at least be several inches (note this is done during a particular drill to measure, not while actually squatting)
Oh! Well, that's news to me - thank you!0 -
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