How to squat lower...any tips?

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!

I get why they are called that, I just think the name is ... ugh. Shouldn't have mentioned it, I'm clearly too PC/sensitive for my own good on some things. It has been said before...

Stripper squats I like but I think I shall call them toddler squats, as they are exactly what my friends children do ALL the time. ;-)

I just managed to do them without holding onto anything, no problems at all. So, I think my issue is mainly confidence. I'm going to build regular body weight ATG squats into my routine (pre weight warm ups perhaps) and hopefully I'll get there.

Thanks everyone.

Confidence was totally my issue as well. I constantly had (and still sometimes do have) a fear of falling by going that low. But my knee pain has virtually disappeared once I started going parallel or below. I started out by holding onto a table or the catch bars in the squat rack and just getting the feel for going that low with bodyweight squats. And worked my way back up with weights.

good luck!

Checkout the video on YouTube "So You Think You Can Squat" and check your own form. A lot of it is just form. Also on YouTube, search for "Joe DeFranco and Agile 8". Those drills will help with some flexibility and mobility issues.

I feel ya. My issue is balance. I have great balance when standing, when I squat I do not!!

I found this site yesterday: http://www.mobilitywod.com/episodes/

It might help you to identify if you have a weakness in a particular area. Search for "squat" in the episodes section.

I have the same issue. My trainer told me I need to strengthen my inner thighs, and also work on my hips. Try some strength training on those areas and see if that helps..