Having trouble with your squat? Your issue might be structural which we covered off in another blog post.
We’ve got 3 hacks to help improve your squat. Play around and find the combination that works best for you.
You might find that your ideal squat is somewhere between a regular squat and a sumo squat. That’s okay, you need to work with your body’s limitations. You may never squat below parallel, and that’s okay too.
While some of these structural variations may make it harder for you to squat deeper, they may give some advantages in other activities. You may be a better runner or rower. You might also find that you have more stability and power at the top of a squat. Then you can leave others for dead when it comes to a power clean or power snatch.
Squat wider
This is great for those with long thighs and a short torso.
The act of placing your feet wider makes you turn out at the hips. Turning your legs out at the hip joint means that as you squat, your knees travel outwards more and forward less. So your hips won’t have to travel back quite as far, and you will be able to keep your torso more upright. You don’t have to lean as far forward to keep the bar over your centre of gravity.
This is a little like shortening your thighs without actually taking to them with a hacksaw (really, don’t do that).
Lift your heels
When you lift your heels you don’t have to flex your ankles as much at the bottom of the squat.
This gives you more range of movement, allowing the knees to travel further forward. This will also bring your hips further forward, again allowing you to keep your torso more upright.
If you can get your hands on a pair of lifters (weightlifting shoes), that’s a good way to go. You can also squat with something under your heels, like a thin weight plate, or a rubber mat.
Turn your feet out
Turning your feet out will also turn your legs out at the hips.
Turning out can change the orientation of the neck of the femur. In some cases, this can mean you don’t reach the point of bone-on-bone until lower in the squat. You don’t want to turn your feet out by more than about 10 degrees at the most. Doing more changes the nature of the squat, and it can be hard to generate the stability you need in the hips to squat heavy if you’re too turned out.
Want an assessment of your squat?
Contact us or book an appointment at our clinic in Canberra.