5 Reasons Why You Can’t Squat Deep

If you’re struggling, these are the likely stumbling blocks and how to get past them:

Drop it like it’s squat

The deep squat (also called resting squat, sitting squat, Slav squat, Asian squat, and more) is a natural resting position that most Western adults lose due to lack of regular use, leading to reduced mobility in associated areas too. And because of how the body works in terms of musculoskeletal system and fascia, “associated areas” ends up being pretty much the whole body.

So, with that in mind, here are the 5 things, and what to do about them:

• Ankle mobility: this becomes a problem when limited ankle dorsiflexion stops your shin from moving forward, causing your heel to lift and your weight to shift forwards
  • ankle test: stand about 10cm from a wall, and move your knee forwards while keeping your heel flat; if your knee can touch the wall without your heel lifting, your ankle dorsiflexion is sufficient; if not, then work is needed on it
  • ankle fix: do elevated heel raises, by lowering your body from a step and rising onto your toes (and repeat), to build strength and mobility through full range
• Knee flexion: insufficient knee bend beyond 120° stops depth early, usually due to tight quads, joint stiffness, or prior injury
  • knee fix: do the “couch stretch” by elevating your back foot, putting your back knee down, squeezing your glutes, and driving your hip forwards, to restore knee and hip mobility
• Hip mobility, general: limited hip flexion or tight adductors prevent your pelvis from dropping between your thighs, often causing lower back rounding or hip compression
  • hip fix (CARs): do controlled articular rotations (CARs) by lifting your knee, rotating it out, and moving it through a full circular range, to train active control
  • hip fix (sumo squat): hold a weight, take a wide stance with toes turned out, sink deep, and push your knees outwards to build strength and mobility at the end of your range of motion
• Hip external rotation: weak or tight external rotators cause your knees to collapse inwards, and your squat to feel unstable
  • stance adjustment: turn your toes outwards until your knees track naturally over your feet, to match your individual hip structure
  • external rotation fix: do side-lying banded clamshells, by opening your top knee while keeping your feet together, to strengthen your glutes
• Thoracic mobility: a stiff upper back causes your chest to collapse forwards, even if your lower body mobility is sufficient
  • thoracic fix (foam roller): extend your upper back over a foam roller, segment by segment, to improve extension
  • thoracic fix (counterbalance squat): hold a light weight in front of your chest while squatting, to keep your center of mass forwards and maintain an upright torso

For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

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Take care!