Improving squat depth?

[NewZealandintherain]

Any tips on how I can improve my mobility when doing squats?

I get a real feeling of tightness in my lower back and can’t go any further down. I have been using a wedge under my heels to help but I’d like to work on my mobility, so I don’t need a wedge.

Any tips? Thanks.

Have you tried incorporating some yoga sessions each week (I mean YouTube, not a class)

I find that when I have a tight back it's absolutely bliss doing some downward dogs and child's pos plus other twists and stretches.

You can also work on your deep squat without weights.

I do life weights but only handweights and kettle bells.

*child's pose

I am trying to do this too. I started putting the bench under me and trying to touch the bench with my bum. Have also dropped my weights. I’ve been watching reels on Instagram etc too for tips.

You need to work on mobility outside of your strength training and be consistent with it in the same way you are with your training.

There are lots of factors to consider and some you probably haven’t thought of as being important for deeper/ better squats. For example, ankle flexibility really helps. A good exercise for this is a forward lunge but doing what you’re always told not to do- let your knee come slowly over the front of your font and aim to go forwards and down in a controlled manner. This also opens the opposite hip flexor.

Also need to consider 1) flexibility through your thoracic spine with rotational exercises, 2) just sitting in a full squat for a couple of minutes, using your elbows to push your knees out and trying to get your butt as close to the ground as possible, 3) 90-90 hip rotational drills… and much more!

I am sure you can find actual programs encompassing these exercises online, but it definitely takes time. I also think some people just aren’t going to get as deep as others simply due to their skeletal structure.

Squat University on Youtube! This is literally what the channel is all about. Highly recommend it (do I do the exercises? No I do not. But I know understand my problem ;) ).

Could you book a session with a PT?

Bit of drop your weight to about 50% of your PB, and work on depth at lower weights. "Ass to grass"!

Drop your weights. Practice depth with just the bar and then increase weights as you can.
Hold the lower squat position too, don't drive straight back up

If you're taller with long thighs, a wider stance might help. I've always been hopeless at squats but I heard this recently and it made a lot of sense.

It depends on your physiology as to what's restricting you. You may have poor ankle dorsiflexion, look up the wall test to see whether you are inhibited or not. Most of the reason that westeners can't hold a deep squat is due to lack of ankle mobility.

Also look up the third world squat, and ways to improve it. The frog stretch should help also.

You can always get some squat shoes with a raised heel also if it's difficult to improve your depth through stretching, and don't want to use wedges.

Also you should definitely try to invest in a single physio/osteopath session as you could cause yourself problems by carrying out some of the stretching advice given on youtube. Stretching won't help if you have a genuine impingement and you may do yourself ligament damage by trying to resolve it through stretching.

Agree with getting PT/checking out YouTube to make sure your technique is correct as squats shouldn’t require back flexibility too much

I find doing goblin squats helps which is where you hold a dumbbell weight at chest height with both hands as you do it. Look it up for details.

It encourages good posture and the weight acts as a counterweight which helps me get lower.

Good luck!

I knackered my shoulder a couple of years ago (rotator cuff) and had been doing all the standard therapy exercises for months with no improvement.

I'm also fat, and was creaking getting out of bed, and youtube randomly picked this guy who did something called the Simplistic Mobility Method (Tom Morrison) to show me on youtube, and it fixed me - which sounds hyperbolic, but, it wasn't just stretchy band stuff, he had movements that show where you're at, where you should be, and often allow you to progressively move there/do strengthening under progressive load - and he talks through what and why you're doing each thing.

In the end I've bought his program, but haven't found the time to get into it, I just do a key few of the movements from the free videos and just find my day to day life easier and more stable - including squat all the way down and being comfortable there (albeit not under any weight but my own body weight) I highly recommend it.

Some great advice on this thread already and I agree that it's going to depend on what's restricting you. For example I am hypermobile so ankle mobility was never my issue but I also have long femurs so I have gradually widened my stance which feels much better.

100% agree with suggestions to nail depth at lighter weights first. You can also place a box or bench behind you so that you know you have hit depth when you tap it. I also know I have hit depth when my calves touch my thighs!!

Wow thanks so much everyone!! It’s definitely not a height thing as I’m only 169cm. I’ll have a look at all those suggestions. It’s possibly ankle mobility. I need to stretch more too. I think I’ll book a session with someone to help. I’m fine on goblet squats with up to 30kg dumbbell. But it’s something about the bar on my back. Even then I’m not a super heavy squatter. My max at a shortened but not too bad depth is 60kg (what I weigh) but from about 40kg/50kg I feel this tightness in my lower back.

It sounds like you're leaning too far forwards to compensate for lacking mobility instead of sitting

if there's a safety bar at your gym try that as it will keep you more upright

It may be where you're positioning the barbell on your back too. The best place for high bar back squats (better for encouraging a more upright posture) would be right at the bottom of your traps/top of your shoulders. Think of really pinning your shoulders back to to create tension under the bar.

Do not use a pad on the bar!

As said, goblet squats can be good, and also squatting with an empty bar, and really sit at the bottom of the squat whilst you're "loaded" with the weight, and move about a little bit to open up the hips/release tension in the ankles.I also use lifting shoes as have rubbish ankle mobility and they help when the weight gets heavier, but will always warm up with flat shoes/just socks on and spend a lot of time at the bottom of a squat as above with the barbell on my back, all the way up to around 60% of my top weight.

Good luck!