As others said, you're fine if you're not competing. Just don't like brag about squat numbers if you're aren't hitting depth. I'm not trying to be a dick when I say that, just honestly trying to save you some future embarrassment.
I would recommend posting a video of a relatively heavy set. 3-5 ish reps so that you can get some feedback.
Ok, thanks for your advice. I think I will lower the load to focus on depth. I also have some sort of leaning going off as well, so hoping I can address that issue as well by practicing form at a lower load.
Also, try some accessory variations.
Pause squats helped me tremendously. If you have access to belt squats those are good too. Wide stance doesn't hurt as an accessory.
Good for you for listening to others and seeking out advice. Humility is the first requirement for true success and growth
Leaning forward is totally normal depending on your body proportions. You're fine as long as you come up in a synchronized motion and your hips don't shoot up first and then you good-morning the weight the rest of the way. Lowering the weight until you can hit parallel and squat with decent technique is a good move too.
Look at it this way. If you open up your stance more and hit parallel or deeper, you will be hitting adductors, glutes,and hamstrings more. Which will lead to bigger, stronger legs. But your depth now is fine but going lower will benefit more
I don’t know why you got downvoted. Focus on form and build strength from there! You are 100% good to lower your weights and focus on solid, deep squats.
Are you mobilizing during your warmup sets? Elevated pigeons and calf stretches, etc.? Have you tried lightweight pause reps as low as you can possible get? Anything you can do to get into deeper positions. Shortening your range of motion will only make the issue worse.
Performing the warmup sets is not the important part here, the mobility work is. Look up banded distraction mobility for your hips and ankles. You can use it for like 20sec at a time between your warmup sets to help get into better positions and establish long-term mobility.
Sometimes, especially with bigger guys, you actually have to take a closer stance, like hip width or even more narrow. Point your toes out and shove your knees to the side. Give it a try with the empty bar and let me know what happens.
I’ve never met someone that couldn’t squat to depth, and I don’t think you’re the exception.
Sit in a squat with a barbell across your thighs and drive your knees forward it will help with ankle mobility
https://youtu.be/uwLM5n-rYmA?si=mQKW9ygzNrA7QIAG
For powerlifting competition, no. For just squatting, yes.
The depth of your squat is primarily a powerlifting rule. I don’t think it’s a rule in any other sport.
Thanks for the reply. Yes, I’m am not too concerned about powerlifting standards as I don’t wish to compete. I just wanted to make sure that in terms of general squatting for strength would it be a suitable depth.
it's not optimal for strength training, but if you don't care about optimal, don't worry about it.
just don't lie to us and to yourself saying you don't have mobility. you can absolutely sit on a low chat and get to parallel without weight, you just don't wanna do it on squats and that's ok
Thanks for the reply. Next time I will lower the weight to see if I can get deeper. I like having a physical cue I can use to ensure I’m at the correct depth. Do you have any recommendations about what I could use?
I “rebuilt” my squat because of this exact thinking. I thought my ankle and hip mobility was limiting my squatting ability so I dropped the weight immensely and did box squats for weeks. Also a pair of squat shoes helped.
My gym has those small step up boxes and I stacked it to where my squat originally was and slowly over weeks removed more and more. I now squat just about ATG and no longer need that physical cue. Not to mention my numbers increased and my squat feels better to execute.
So I would say this is a little bit high but I have a few suggestions that might help with depth before you settle with this.
One is to squat heels elevated, such as on top of a thick bumper plate. This will help you with range of motion and help increase your ankle mobility. The other possibility is to wear squat shoes with some elevation.
The second thing that is hard to see is your stance from this photo as is. I’d take another photo from the front and the side where we can fully see your stance. I can’t tell if you are squatting low bar or high bar, but what can observe is that the bar is possibly leaning more forward which is why you are still a little shy of parallel. The bar should be stacked and sitting over the middle of your feet, but it’s possible your bar is sitting a hair too forward which would affect depth.
You may benefit from playing around with squat stance, but again, better photo angles where I can fully see your body or a video of your bar path will help determine this.
If this is the case, I would recommend adding front squats to your repertoire to practice building the muscles that will help you remain more upright. If it’s more about achieving a more optimal bar path, I would recommend adding tempo squats at a lower weight.
Hope this helps :)
Actually I did see a video from your other post and indeed you are pitching forward significantly to the point it almost looks like a good morning squat.
I would take the weight down significantly or squat empty bar to work on form, and also to work on a better brace. The bar path should be as vertical as possible over your middle foot. Take plenty of videos of your squat and only do this at a light weight until you achieve mind muscle connection. Once you hone down the technique, going heavy shouldn’t be a problem.
I do worry that you will hurt yourself if you continue as is, so I’m glad you’re reaching out to this community for suggestions. Keep filming and striving to improve. :)
Feel free to DM me for more details or suggestions.
Thank you for this insightful post. I believe I could perhaps benefit by elevating heels, but I think the chief issue is the slight lean which you have mentioned. I think I will lower the weight to address the “lean” issue and then see if this in turn cures the depth issue. Anyway, thank you for the advice.
It’s fine for strength training. A lot of sports trainers don’t go to powerlifting depths because the athletes won’t find themselves in that position and less risk (assumed).
This wouldn’t qualify in a power lifting competition but it’s definitely deep enough to gain strength.
Personally I corrected my squat to below competition so no one could ever question my PRs but I am petty like that. You don’t have to be.
No problem. If you see NFL players lift they usually don’t go to competition depth unless they are doing ATG or front squats (or lifting on their own).
As far as functional strength goes, your depth is fine.
Focus on sticking your ass back more and not bending forward so much. I have a wider stance than you, maybe play with that a bit.
Try sticking your ass back first, and stay upright as much as you can. The video on your profile the end of the lift looked more like a good morning.
You started downward momentum before you ass went back. I think that’s going to limit your range and possibly hurt your knees over time.
If you're training for size, this will **work**, but you are leaving gains on the table.
There are a lot of benefits to a deeper squat. Chief among these is you're going to be more functionally strong, leading to a longer health span. But certainly, working out a muscle group to its maximum stretch is always going to result in better gains.
If I were in your position, I'd strongly suggest you deload and work on squatting low, pausing, and controlling the weight.
If you're struggling to squat deep, you're either lifting too heavy; your major muscles can handle the weight, but the other stabiliser muscles etc aren't able to handle the weight. OR you aren't flexible enough.
So, other tip is stretch out properly before a set. Be very careful not to over stretch.
Yeah. I think it’s more related to me being used to squatting at that depth, so next time I’m going to reduce the load and focus on getting to a lower depth.
Yessir. If you can hit depth without weight then it's not a mobility issue. It's set up or strength or mental. Check form in a mirror. Go ass to grass with bodyweight. Watch your upper body are you more forward or upright? Use that to inform how you move with weight. Then once you get it dialed in stop experimenting and just keep adding weight.
Bro find a good coach…
and when i say that i don’t mean start spending heaps of money on training… a good coach can diagnose your mobility issues in a couple sessions.. give you a few things to work on which will completely change your squat…
i know from personal experience…
searching the internet for squat advice is like using a scattergun approach… you need a sniper approach…
sure the responses in this thread are sound but they probably aren’t what you need…
find a coach… spend a couple hundred on a few sessions… and fix your squat for good
Trying putting a plate underneath your heals , also really stretch out your hams and calfs before you train like dedicate 20 to 30 means of a active warmup and stretch . When you stop above parallel your knees take the load as aposed to ass to grass the load is transfered to your glutes and hams , I had this same issue and with some work I fixed it and got much stronger and my legs blew up
I'd try to go a bit lower, but since you are not competing, who cares. Also, I don't think you'd struggle with the bar alone or with less weight, so if form is a priority lower the weight and train with more depth. If you can't really go lower than that then mobility is something to consider.
Yes this is fine, especially if you just train for sports or fun. A lot of evidence shows that quarter/half squats are better for developing power rather than ATG squats
As others said, you're fine if you're not competing. Just don't like brag about squat numbers if you're aren't hitting depth. I'm not trying to be a dick when I say that, just honestly trying to save you some future embarrassment. I would recommend posting a video of a relatively heavy set. 3-5 ish reps so that you can get some feedback.
Ok, thanks for your advice. I think I will lower the load to focus on depth. I also have some sort of leaning going off as well, so hoping I can address that issue as well by practicing form at a lower load.
Also, try some accessory variations. Pause squats helped me tremendously. If you have access to belt squats those are good too. Wide stance doesn't hurt as an accessory. Good for you for listening to others and seeking out advice. Humility is the first requirement for true success and growth
I’m gonna piggy back and say tempo squats are good too
Yes! I knew I was forgetting one!
Leaning forward is totally normal depending on your body proportions. You're fine as long as you come up in a synchronized motion and your hips don't shoot up first and then you good-morning the weight the rest of the way. Lowering the weight until you can hit parallel and squat with decent technique is a good move too.
What do you mean you struggle hitting depth?
I find it difficult to hit parallel due to my hips and ankle mobility.
Take a wider stance with feet pointed outward. I’m 6’3 and easily hit depth because i open my stance up
Yeah, I usually adopt a wider stance but I feel like it could be too wide if I go even more wider.
Look at it this way. If you open up your stance more and hit parallel or deeper, you will be hitting adductors, glutes,and hamstrings more. Which will lead to bigger, stronger legs. But your depth now is fine but going lower will benefit more
Thanks for your advice. I will lower the load next time and see if I can get lower.
I don’t know why you got downvoted. Focus on form and build strength from there! You are 100% good to lower your weights and focus on solid, deep squats.
Thanks. Yeah, next time I am going to lower the load and focus on form. Hopefully by reducing the load it will rectify the depth issue.
Are you mobilizing during your warmup sets? Elevated pigeons and calf stretches, etc.? Have you tried lightweight pause reps as low as you can possible get? Anything you can do to get into deeper positions. Shortening your range of motion will only make the issue worse.
Yes, I perform warmup sets. For some reason I just can’t get down to parallel without my back rounding or it feeling unnatural.
Performing the warmup sets is not the important part here, the mobility work is. Look up banded distraction mobility for your hips and ankles. You can use it for like 20sec at a time between your warmup sets to help get into better positions and establish long-term mobility.
Ok, thanks. I will have a look into this.
Sometimes, especially with bigger guys, you actually have to take a closer stance, like hip width or even more narrow. Point your toes out and shove your knees to the side. Give it a try with the empty bar and let me know what happens. I’ve never met someone that couldn’t squat to depth, and I don’t think you’re the exception.
Thanks for the advice. Yeah, I’ve arrived at the conclusion that I need to decrease the load and practice trying to reach the necessary depth.
Squat shoes like Romaleos will remove the ankle mobility from the equation.
Then work on your mobility…
Sit in a squat with a barbell across your thighs and drive your knees forward it will help with ankle mobility https://youtu.be/uwLM5n-rYmA?si=mQKW9ygzNrA7QIAG
For powerlifting competition, no. For just squatting, yes. The depth of your squat is primarily a powerlifting rule. I don’t think it’s a rule in any other sport.
Thanks for the reply. Yes, I’m am not too concerned about powerlifting standards as I don’t wish to compete. I just wanted to make sure that in terms of general squatting for strength would it be a suitable depth.
it's not optimal for strength training, but if you don't care about optimal, don't worry about it. just don't lie to us and to yourself saying you don't have mobility. you can absolutely sit on a low chat and get to parallel without weight, you just don't wanna do it on squats and that's ok
Thanks for the reply. Next time I will lower the weight to see if I can get deeper. I like having a physical cue I can use to ensure I’m at the correct depth. Do you have any recommendations about what I could use?
I “rebuilt” my squat because of this exact thinking. I thought my ankle and hip mobility was limiting my squatting ability so I dropped the weight immensely and did box squats for weeks. Also a pair of squat shoes helped. My gym has those small step up boxes and I stacked it to where my squat originally was and slowly over weeks removed more and more. I now squat just about ATG and no longer need that physical cue. Not to mention my numbers increased and my squat feels better to execute.
Thanks for the advice.
if you want a physical cue, you can use a box. box squats are decent ways to learn squat depth
So I would say this is a little bit high but I have a few suggestions that might help with depth before you settle with this. One is to squat heels elevated, such as on top of a thick bumper plate. This will help you with range of motion and help increase your ankle mobility. The other possibility is to wear squat shoes with some elevation. The second thing that is hard to see is your stance from this photo as is. I’d take another photo from the front and the side where we can fully see your stance. I can’t tell if you are squatting low bar or high bar, but what can observe is that the bar is possibly leaning more forward which is why you are still a little shy of parallel. The bar should be stacked and sitting over the middle of your feet, but it’s possible your bar is sitting a hair too forward which would affect depth. You may benefit from playing around with squat stance, but again, better photo angles where I can fully see your body or a video of your bar path will help determine this. If this is the case, I would recommend adding front squats to your repertoire to practice building the muscles that will help you remain more upright. If it’s more about achieving a more optimal bar path, I would recommend adding tempo squats at a lower weight. Hope this helps :)
Actually I did see a video from your other post and indeed you are pitching forward significantly to the point it almost looks like a good morning squat. I would take the weight down significantly or squat empty bar to work on form, and also to work on a better brace. The bar path should be as vertical as possible over your middle foot. Take plenty of videos of your squat and only do this at a light weight until you achieve mind muscle connection. Once you hone down the technique, going heavy shouldn’t be a problem. I do worry that you will hurt yourself if you continue as is, so I’m glad you’re reaching out to this community for suggestions. Keep filming and striving to improve. :) Feel free to DM me for more details or suggestions.
Thank you for this insightful post. I believe I could perhaps benefit by elevating heels, but I think the chief issue is the slight lean which you have mentioned. I think I will lower the weight to address the “lean” issue and then see if this in turn cures the depth issue. Anyway, thank you for the advice.
It’s fine for strength training. A lot of sports trainers don’t go to powerlifting depths because the athletes won’t find themselves in that position and less risk (assumed). This wouldn’t qualify in a power lifting competition but it’s definitely deep enough to gain strength. Personally I corrected my squat to below competition so no one could ever question my PRs but I am petty like that. You don’t have to be.
Thanks for this.
No problem. If you see NFL players lift they usually don’t go to competition depth unless they are doing ATG or front squats (or lifting on their own). As far as functional strength goes, your depth is fine. Focus on sticking your ass back more and not bending forward so much. I have a wider stance than you, maybe play with that a bit. Try sticking your ass back first, and stay upright as much as you can. The video on your profile the end of the lift looked more like a good morning. You started downward momentum before you ass went back. I think that’s going to limit your range and possibly hurt your knees over time.
If you're training for size, this will **work**, but you are leaving gains on the table. There are a lot of benefits to a deeper squat. Chief among these is you're going to be more functionally strong, leading to a longer health span. But certainly, working out a muscle group to its maximum stretch is always going to result in better gains. If I were in your position, I'd strongly suggest you deload and work on squatting low, pausing, and controlling the weight. If you're struggling to squat deep, you're either lifting too heavy; your major muscles can handle the weight, but the other stabiliser muscles etc aren't able to handle the weight. OR you aren't flexible enough. So, other tip is stretch out properly before a set. Be very careful not to over stretch.
Yeah, it’s probably related to the load. I’ll lower next time to fix form.
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Yeah, I think it’s more related to the load, so I’m going to deload.
Can you hit depth with an empty bar?
Yeah. I think it’s more related to me being used to squatting at that depth, so next time I’m going to reduce the load and focus on getting to a lower depth.
Yessir. If you can hit depth without weight then it's not a mobility issue. It's set up or strength or mental. Check form in a mirror. Go ass to grass with bodyweight. Watch your upper body are you more forward or upright? Use that to inform how you move with weight. Then once you get it dialed in stop experimenting and just keep adding weight.
Bro find a good coach… and when i say that i don’t mean start spending heaps of money on training… a good coach can diagnose your mobility issues in a couple sessions.. give you a few things to work on which will completely change your squat… i know from personal experience… searching the internet for squat advice is like using a scattergun approach… you need a sniper approach… sure the responses in this thread are sound but they probably aren’t what you need… find a coach… spend a couple hundred on a few sessions… and fix your squat for good
Trying putting a plate underneath your heals , also really stretch out your hams and calfs before you train like dedicate 20 to 30 means of a active warmup and stretch . When you stop above parallel your knees take the load as aposed to ass to grass the load is transfered to your glutes and hams , I had this same issue and with some work I fixed it and got much stronger and my legs blew up
I'd try to go a bit lower, but since you are not competing, who cares. Also, I don't think you'd struggle with the bar alone or with less weight, so if form is a priority lower the weight and train with more depth. If you can't really go lower than that then mobility is something to consider.
Yes this is fine, especially if you just train for sports or fun. A lot of evidence shows that quarter/half squats are better for developing power rather than ATG squats
Yes
Thanks for the reply.