Every time I squat I'm unable to keep a straight torso because my lowerback is always curving.
I've read somewhere that doing squats without going completely down is bad because it puts too much pressure on the knees, so only going as far down as I can keep my back straight is out of the question.
What do? I have shit posture so I'm wondering if it's a flexibility issue, or if maybe my legs are too weak? Sorry for the stupid beginner question.
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Flexibility. You work on this every single day from now on.
In the meantime buy some squat shoes. Will fix your buttwink instantly.
This doesn't mean stop working to improve your form though.
could be in part proportions
But also post above is right
Several reasons to rounding lower back.
>your hamstrings are tight
Tight hamstrings, which are connected to the pelvis will cause this. Going below 90 might be too far for your hamstrings, and as the hamstrings are at full flection, they'll pull your ass down.
>you're squatting on your heels/making sure your knees dont go past your toes
This is a rookie mistake, you should never worry about this as it is probably the most natural thing to occur when squatting properly.
Squat as natural as possible, this prevents damage too. Sit down where you are comfortable.
>Tight achilles/bad ankle mobility
Having bad ankle mobility MIGHT also be the problem as it forces you into a more backward position making you more prone to the rounded back.
Either way, you should stretch calves, achilles etc to get rid of this. Invest in some olympic weightliftingshoes or something. Do-wins are cheap and useable.
>Squat stance
Squatting with too narrow of a stance doesnt let your hips through the bottom of the squat.
Having a shoulderwidth-stance or a little wider usually solves this issue. Point your toes slightly outwards too as it further increases your depth. Make sure you push out your knees when ascending. Having a narrow stance with feet pointing straight forward will force you into a more horizontal position, unless your ankle mobility and such is good
>Tight hips
Tight hips will sometimes cause issues with the bottom position of the squat, as there are ligaments that might contribute to pull your ass downward. Loosening them up also increases depth of squat as mentioned in the squat stance.
>Weak lower back
Bracing is key. If you have a weak lower back, do some heavy pulls (deadlifts or whatever) and practice bracing with your belly/abs.
Even the strongest lifters/weightlifters will collapse and round their back if they do not brace properly and keep everything tight.
I think that covers the most. Sorry for bad english, ask me if you're wondering
Also this. regards
To further prove my point. Stretching is key. I have a comparison image of myself with 4 months of regular stretching apart. I do oly lifting and the first pic is 85kilos, second pic is 105 kilos.
Excuse my intense liftan face. But pay attention to the mobility of my legs/hips, etc in both pictures, and the depth.
>t going completely down is bad because it puts too much pressure on the knees
This is false. A common misconception
Mobility work. Try box squats in the mean time, and slowly lower the height till you reach good depth.
Your back should be angled somewhat....
Personally I think if you're worried about back/knee pain from squats, just don't do any squats.
not op but i've been working on flexiblity daily and added a full body warmup before workouts. for ref I'm about 6'3 and all leg.
how long until i'm no longer 1/4 squatting?
is there too wide a stance (assuming you're in a rack)?
My leg day includes many different workouts (leg press, leg extension, lunges, etc), yet when I tried lowering myself into a deep squat, balancing against a pole. and holding it my legs were fried within 15 sec. I felt an insane tightness just above the knee mainly but the whole leg was shaking. Is this a sign of horrible muscle imbalances/weakness because I have never squatted that low before?
Can normal people actually sit down below parallel (on a bed, chair, w/e), pause, and get up without using hands at all???
I just want to be normal...
read again
Isn't front squat much less demanding on lower body flexibility?
Shit no.
read But yeah, warm up is extremely important when it comes to flexibility. Consider this, waking up i cant touch the ground with straight legs. When im fully warmed up, i can have my palms on the ground beside my heels. Stretching before squats is also cool.
Your shaking might be tight quads, suprisingly many people have this. I have a lanky dude at my oly gym, and after about a month of mobility work shortly before and after each session, he can sit beautifully in a deep squat.
Buy oly shoes too
Hm, I'll try putting something under my heels next time. I wonder if this will stop me from getting 'stuck' trying to reach parallel. My legs just dont budge anymore as much as I try.
ankle mobility (increase dorsal flexion)
hip mobility (beginners should do a pretty neutral stance, but working on wider squats with light ass mother fucking tiny weight is great for them too)
hamstring flexibility (they eccentrically contract when descending, so they need to be able to lengthen to the distance from knees to hips)
quad flexibility (just like above, but together with above can have anterior pelvic tilt)
this. Its honestly pretty fucking hard. Of course, squatting at 50-85% you can get away with bracing and being strong. 90-100% will put shitloads of stress on your rear delts, upper back etc. You need to be flexible basically everywhere lmfao
>your hamstrings are tight
first point could not be more wrong
entire post disregarded
even tight lats will bother you in front squats. But then again, short femur and long tibia will make this alot easier.
your glutes also expand a lot, so having them flexibile with the glute medius is smart too
oh and dont forget the adductors.
Do you get the point yet
oh really? Are you that fucking stupid? Imagine the hamstrings being a rubberband and when your extend it to its full length, it will, when descending under parallell pull your ass down.
Of course, if you mean i disregard proportions, then no i dont, but most people are able to squat deep. I know "tight hamstring" phrase is thrown all around the board but it doesnt make it any less true