How to squat lower...any tips?

Try leaning against an exercise ball up against the wall, it will give you support.

Could be a number of things, with the most likely candidates:

Ankle mobility - if you cannot dorsiflex your ankles enough, you have to flex the hips a lot more, and end up leaned forward a lot, and not getting deep.

Hip mobility - even with good ankle mobility, tight hip flexors will pull the torso forward and stop you getting deep.

Thoracic mobility - if you can't extend your thoracic spine, you won't be able to keep your chest up during the squat.


Without seeing you squat, my most likely guesses would be hips or ankles. If you elevate your ankles, using a weight plate, or a piece of wood or something similar, can you then hit full depth? If so it's your ankles, if not it could be anyhitng, but likely to be hips.

Work on rolling these areas (foam roller, tennis ball, lacrosse ball etc..) and doing mobility drills, plus keep squatting!

Ankle restrictions are very common.
They can be be soft tissue related, joint capsule related or bone structure related. The first two can be be resolved relatively quickly with frequent and aggressive mobility work, a bone issue is not going to be resolved with surgery, which I wouldn't recommend.

If you're serious about squatting, it's always worth considering getting a weightlifting shoe. They have a stiff sole, and an elevated heel, which helps with getting deep. They're designed with the sport of weightlifting in mind, as they help stay more upright in a deep squat, making catching cleans and snatches easier, but they will help generally with squatting and overhead movements.


Even the pros need a little help sometimes.

I don't like the tone of this artcile, or the name of the exercise, but it looks interesting. I'll try and remember to do these everyday.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/the_thirdworld_squat

I fail to see the tone you're taking issue with, but it's called a third world squat because third world citizens continue to do this naturally, while first world citizens don't. It's really no different than the names of other exercises and routines - sumo squats/dead lifts, Bulgarian squats, etc. - they're named after the people that were originally doing them or brought them into the greater fitness world.

Getting this low is so, so important for the health of your pelvic floor!

If you can't get that low, hang from the counter or a door knob as low as you can without too much discomfort.

I get that you don't like the third world reference, but it's so important to recognize that we've cultured ourselves into not having to squat ( gather food, take a poo, etc ) but there are many places where that squat is how people sit 90% of the time. Strictly speaking from a postpartum stance, this squat is what prevents you from peeing your pants when you sneeze. I assure you, in countries where they squat, they aren't dribbling!

I'm on my phone, so I can't pull up references, but Google ought to have lots of info for " pelvic floor squats ".

I have been doing box squats to ensure I get just below parallel & it seems to be helping. Drag one of the lifting benches over to the squat rack and squat until your bum just touches the seat then come back up. I have found that with squats, I tend to cheat, and this keeps me from doing so. Plus I am long legged enough that the benches put me just below parallel.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/box-squat

Do you by chance run too?

I notice that my running and squats tend to fight with each other. After run day, my tendons are so tight that I just can't physically get lower, (until weight increases enough that it just forces me down more).

Here's the part that people don't get...............If you are squatting low bar, 'rippetoe style' you are not going to be able to get much lower than parallel and certainly not *kitten* to grass as that is just not possible for 99% of people squatting with that style. have a look at good ol' coach rip himself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVKEl4Wxoqc thats certainly not a deep squat.

the only genuine *kitten* to grass squats you see are high bar olympic style, wearing an olympic lifting shoe. Don't stress out trying to get super low, get as low as you can maintaining good form be that parallel or slightly below.

My first thought is that your feet may not be wide enough, and your toes may not be pointed out.

So try this -- squat without the bar, with a slightly wider stance than you normally do. When you get to the bottom, put your elbows on the insides of your knees, put your palms together, and press your knees out. THAT is how far out your knees should be. That will also force your thigh bones apart, which will allow more room to squat down low.

That is mostly paraphrased from Starting Strength, and surely helped me to get down lower than I ever thought I could.

Congrats on squatting with weights!

Ankle mobility drills, hip/groin stretches, overall flexibility in the lower body area should help reach a lower squat

Try watching "So you think you can Squat" on you tube. The instructor takes you through everything from set up to lifting the bar to squating. I found it very informative regarding form. It has 4 segements, worth the time.

I don't like the tone of this artcile, or the name of the exercise, but it looks interesting. I'll try and remember to do these everyday.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/the_thirdworld_squat

I fail to see the tone you're taking issue with, but it's called a third world squat because third world citizens continue to do this naturally, while first world citizens don't. It's really no different than the names of other exercises and routines - sumo squats/dead lifts, Bulgarian squats, etc. - they're named after the people that were originally doing them or brought them into the greater fitness world.

Great link, thanks!