I can't do squats. At all.

Erisad

If you have an exercise ball, you can hold it up against the wall with your back and then build up your squats that way. It helps me, especially since I have a job where I have to squat a lot to pick up boxes. Luckily I'm short so I don't have that far to squat, lol.

dlwyatt82

Work on your flexibility before trying to add weight, then. To some extent, it will improve just from doing squats, but you at least need to be able to comfortably sit in the bottom position (below parallel) with just your body weight.

geekyjock76

I'd check your form to be honest. Unless you have some medical reason, squats (when done properly) should not hurt the knees.

cordianet

Start your squats using the back of a chair for support, but make sure your knees aren't over your feet. You want to squat from the butt, not the knees. If you're not used to them, then don't get into s deep squat. Push as far as you can until you feel the burn start then stop. Gradually you'll find your strength increases and you'l be able to go deeper.

Good luck!

^^ I agree with this. An assisted squat will be your ticket. Sit on the edge of one chair and put another chair in front of you to help support you and take a bit of the load off. I also think this is a form problem. The squat is probably the most incorrectly performed exercise there is. To start, think about pushing your rear out of the chair, not straightening your knees. I have no ACL and no cartilage in my left knee and I can still squat 315, so I do understand knee issues. Maybe watch some of the videos online that show form?

Krazy_Kat

Ok I've read up on it a bit, I was doing them a little bit wrong, and I don't know how to activate the right muscles, as soon as I try my knees tense up and I take the weigh on my knees, I am scared I'm going to fall over or something. I just need to keep practicing

dlwyatt82

Don't try to micro-manage your muscles in the squat. If you keep a few mental cues in mind, your motor skills will take over and do the rest:

1) Picture keeping your weight balanced over your mid-foot, and visualize the bar (once you've added it) moving down and back up in a completely vertical path. Your body will naturally move the right way to make this happen (hips back, knees not too far forward).

2) Focus on shoving your knees out so they're parallel with your toes the entire way down and back up. Your foot position should be heels shoulder width apart, toes pointed out somewhat. Exactly what angle is up to you to figure out; start with 30 degrees, and adjust farther if you need to. Don't try to squat with your toes pointed straight forward; it'll give you problems toward the bottom position.

3) Keep your back straight the entire way down and back up again. Tighten your abs and lower back muscles to form a solid bar out of your torso.

4) When you reach the bottom position, visualize your hips and shoulders moving straight up together, which should engage your entire hip drive (hamstrings, glutes and quads).

That's all I'm thinking about each time I do a rep. I start with balancing the weight over mid-foot and tightening my abs / back (while at the top position). Then I focus hard on shoving out my knees and keeping the vertical bar path as I go through the motion, and picture my hips/shoulders exploding straight up from the bottom. If I am lazy about keeping those things in mind, I tend to screw up the form in some way (usually by either letting my knees come in, having my balance pitch forward toward my toes, or having my hips come up before my shoulders, putting strain on my back).

Most of that advice, I got from reading the book "Starting Strength", though it's a bit of work to pick out those few gems from all the medical discussion of what the muscles and joints are doing.

LadyZi

Any help will be greatly appreciated. I'm a senior that has loss 48pds so far this year and looking to loss about another 25-30 by end of this year. Once I reach my goal I will be working on toning and building muscle for the next year or however long it takes to get back in the best shape I can for my age. I know in the past that with added weight I have had problems doing squats. Now added to that is age. In 2007 I had the same problem but as I loss weight (80-100), even with arthritis it got better and I was able to squat all way to the floor. I'm hoping that will be the case again. My plan is to purchase a Total Gym as my xmas gift to myself. But until that time does anyone else have any suggestions.

usmcmp

Do you stand all day? Do you stand while you go to the bathroom? Sitting in a chair and sitting on the toilet require you to squat. Try goblet squat to get the form down. To strengthen the connective tissues and muscles that support the knees squats do help. Another strengthening exercise is Peterson step ups.

mayfrayy

do goblet squats. there's no reason you shouldn't be able to perform a squat, unless your form is atrocious.

212019156

If you lack the mobility to be able to get into a squat position you may want to go to a physical therapist.

JoRocka

So you have a standing toilet to take a poop???

if you can sit to take a dump- you can squat.

if you can get in and out of a chair- you can squat.

learn how to squat- and start using a chair- or rail to help.
use a dumbell for goblet squats if you are falling forward (usually that is an ankle mobility issue)

if it's a depth/uncomfortable- just keep doing it it's fine- you can keep working on it with the use of a chair- or a broomstick across your back (like a barbell).

Galatea_Stone

Try stretching. Do sumo stretch with your elbows inside your knees touching, widen your stance, and keep practicing.

When I first started, my thighs rippled like water. I had no discernible muscle, doing simple step-ups unweighted was difficult, I had trouble walking up stairs. Now, I squat with well over my body weight on the bar. Squats aren't something you just do out of the gate. You have to work at them.

http://www.besthealthmag.ca/get-healthy/stretching/sumo-squat

http://www.sensational-yoga-poses.com/psoas-stretches.html

http://www.fitness.com/exercises/202/glute_stretch.php

Tortitudekitty

As age creeps up on us the old joints get not so supple as in our youth. :ohwell:

I'm 56 now and used to be a gym fanatic in my 30's and had a well buff body to show for it. Fast forward to now and I was a bit shocked as to how "unsafe" I felt (and a bit creeky!) doing squats.

Salvation came in a Swiss Ball until I got some strength and flexibility back........

May_Rose

If you can sit in a chair, you can do a squat. Maybe not a true, below or at parellel squat, but it'll give you a good place to start. Google ways to learn how to squat (chairs are usually inolved) . Best of luck.

Leadfoot_Lewis

You either don't know what you're doing or you have mobility issues. My bet would be you have mobility issues. You really need to address this before you even attempt to add any weight. Not seeing how you squat and move I obviously can't say for sure, but most people are very tight in their hip flexors (quads/top of legs) and calves. Foam roll and stretch these areas like crazy. Place a bench or chair behind you and practice just squatting to parallel. Having a bench/chair behind you will assure you hit close to parallel and will give you some security that you won't fall. Ideally you want to squat about an inch below parallel but that will come with time.

212019156

One other thing to add, if it just hurts when you squat down then it may just be muscle tightness. If that's the case then you just need to do stretches and work on body weight squats for a while until you limber up. In addition performing a heavy warmup may alleviate this as well.

dbmata

As age creeps up on us the old joints get not so supple as in our youth. :ohwell:

I'm 56 now and used to be a gym fanatic in my 30's and had a well buff body to show for it. Fast forward to now and I was a bit shocked as to how "unsafe" I felt (and a bit creeky!) doing squats.

Salvation came in a Swiss Ball until I got some strength and flexibility back........

My last leg session at the Y involved me resting as I watched a geriatric sweatin' to the oldies.

He was easily 80 if a day... and doing low bar back squats with 25 pound plates.

PeterSedesse

You really have to be careful with squats and do them correctly.

http://www.explain-health.com/proper-technique-squats-exercise.html

With that said, a great exercise that works nearly the same muscles is to go hiking ( uneven terrain) with a backpack with some books or water bottles in it. Make sure the backpack is fairly tight and high on your back ( don´t let is dangle around your lower back).

cosmichvoyager

I used to not be able to do squats at all, had that feeling of terror because I was really just too weak in most parts of my body to hold my 250 pounds of weight up with mainly my glutes. Even now I prefer to do squats over a low weight bench so I feel secure that I am really doing a sitting type motion.

I started with core/ab exercises that mostly had me on my back on a mat: I started with practicing diaphragmatic breathing, glute bridges, heel taps, dead bug, planks.

It is way better to build up your strength gradually and over your whole body rather than risk hurting yourself. It took me like a year to be strong enough to do a squat.

dbmata

A year? You went too slowly. A squat is a normal day to day functional movement.

Unless you were rehabbing a trauma, of course.