The Impossible Back Squats

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Replies

  • tgmichelleee
    tgmichelleee Posts: 144 Member
    When you say you can do regular squats but not back squats what do you mean?

    Sorry should have clarified
    Regular squats (to me) are like at/maybe slightly below parallel

    So you can do back squats and the such as long as it is parallel?

    Why not just do them parallel then? You don't have to go ATG on your squats, especially depending on bar placement.

    Yea, so I can't break parallel is my problem.
    I have nothing against against "regular squats", they're a great work out and I love them, but I guess it's just a personal choice.
    I'm starting back up with Crossfit in May and we do quite a bit of olympic lifting. Atg isn't a requirement, but I just want to be able to say I can do one. And in general I think being able to squat like that seems like it would be a good skill to have
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    When you say you can do regular squats but not back squats what do you mean?

    Sorry should have clarified
    Regular squats (to me) are like at/maybe slightly below parallel

    I do CF and oly. They will give you a lot of mobility ideas. Don't worry. Most people can't do olympic squats when they start CF. Even the lifters usually come from a bodybuilding (and sometimes powerlifting) background. Feed the beast: do them more. They get easier! Having a strong core also helps.
    So you can do back squats and the such as long as it is parallel?

    Why not just do them parallel then? You don't have to go ATG on your squats, especially depending on bar placement.

    Yea, so I can't break parallel is my problem.
    I have nothing against against "regular squats", they're a great work out and I love them, but I guess it's just a personal choice.
    I'm starting back up with Crossfit in May and we do quite a bit of olympic lifting. Atg isn't a requirement, but I just want to be able to say I can do one. And in general I think being able to squat like that seems like it would be a good skill to have

    Most people can't do them when they start CF. I do CF regularly and oly lifting on the side. They will give you lots of practice in CF and lots of mobility ideas. Even people who start from a lifting background usually come to CF from bodybuilding or powerlifting, so don't feel self-conscious. They will get better as you do more and more. A strong core also helps!
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Can you do ATG squats with wider foot placement? A lot of trainers tell people that they *have to* squat with a fairly narrow stance and toes pointing forwards.... ideal foot placement varies depending on your limb/body proportions. The problems you describe can be caused by having relatively long femurs and short shins... this is fixed by taking a wider stance and/or pointing the toes outwards when squatting. If the problem is flexibility then this won't help. But I thought it deserved a mention as a lot of people don't realise that variation in body proportions can affect what's good form for some lifts. Try different foot placements and see if it makes a difference.
  • tgmichelleee
    tgmichelleee Posts: 144 Member
    When you say you can do regular squats but not back squats what do you mean?

    Sorry should have clarified
    Regular squats (to me) are like at/maybe slightly below parallel

    I do CF and oly. They will give you a lot of mobility ideas. Don't worry. Most people can't do olympic squats when they start CF. Even the lifters usually come from a bodybuilding (and sometimes powerlifting) background. Feed the beast: do them more. They get easier! Having a strong core also helps.
    So you can do back squats and the such as long as it is parallel?

    Why not just do them parallel then? You don't have to go ATG on your squats, especially depending on bar placement.

    Yea, so I can't break parallel is my problem.
    I have nothing against against "regular squats", they're a great work out and I love them, but I guess it's just a personal choice.
    I'm starting back up with Crossfit in May and we do quite a bit of olympic lifting. Atg isn't a requirement, but I just want to be able to say I can do one. And in general I think being able to squat like that seems like it would be a good skill to have

    Most people can't do them when they start CF. I do CF regularly and oly lifting on the side. They will give you lots of practice in CF and lots of mobility ideas. Even people who start from a lifting background usually come to CF from bodybuilding or powerlifting, so don't feel self-conscious. They will get better as you do more and more. A strong core also helps!

    Strong core hasn't come up yet but I could see how that would play a role.
    Thanks for the advice/encouragement, and always glad to run into other female lifters/crossfitters :)
  • tgmichelleee
    tgmichelleee Posts: 144 Member
    Can you do ATG squats with wider foot placement? A lot of trainers tell people that they *have to* squat with a fairly narrow stance and toes pointing forwards.... ideal foot placement varies depending on your limb/body proportions. The problems you describe can be caused by having relatively long femurs and short shins... this is fixed by taking a wider stance and/or pointing the toes outwards when squatting. If the problem is flexibility then this won't help. But I thought it deserved a mention as a lot of people don't realise that variation in body proportions can affect what's good form for some lifts. Try different foot placements and see if it makes a difference.

    I can go lower with wider foot placement, but even that only gets me just a little lower than parallel -- narrow stance is completely out of the question. So like you said foot placement does play a big role and did help somewhat.
    But yea someone sent me this link: http://themovementfix.com/the-best-kept-secret-why-people-have-to-squat-differently/ which really helped in understanding different people's anatomical structures and why people might not all squat the same way. Great read
    Thanks for the input!
  • Chaskavitch
    Chaskavitch Posts: 172 Member
    My problem is hip flexor strength and tightness. Working on those issues with stretching and little things like leg swings and hanging leg lifts have made a big difference in my squat depth.
  • grantdumas7
    grantdumas7 Posts: 802 Member
    As others have suggested mobility work would help. This issue is bought up in this video at the 4:29 mark.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhUcwLEI83E&hd=1

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