Hi everyone,
Ok, I don't know if anyone else is having as many problems with squats as me but I am getting sooooo frustrated with them! I've been working on them for several weeks now and I don't seem to getting any better at them. I really can't do them...and I'm pretty fit so I feel like I should be able to master this but my calfs and my hip seem to just 'lock' up when I try to go low. I read the advice on stumptuous.com and have been trying to fix them by following her advice but my form doesn't seem to be getting any better! UGHHH!!!! Does anyone have any advice or have had similar problems with squats? What's helped you? I work on doing them without weight just so I can get the form down but they don't seem to be getting better...sorry for the rant, I'm just getting frustrated and really want to figure these things out!

Melissa

Melissa -- you're talking about BB squats, right? not Smith machine or DB? Can you describe a little bit about what exactly you mean when you say your hips and calves lock up? Is it painful or do you get stuck in the down position and can't get up? Or they just won't go as low as you want (tight muscles)?

I'm sure you'll get lots of good suggestions but I'm not quite sure what you're describing. Squats are tough to learn, no doubt, and I practiced for a long time with a broom handle before I could do them!

Hi Meg -- yeah I'm talking BB squats...I don't get stuck down there, I can get back up but I can't get very low, it doesn't really hurt, I just can't go beyond a certain point...and I feel that in order to even get as low as I can go that I have to lean forward from my hips a lot more than what I see people doing in all the picture examples...I'm sure tight muscles is part of it but I've really been working on them and on stretching out the muscles so I'm just confused as to why I don't feel like I'm making an progress. Thanks for you help!

Melissa

I have this problem too. I can get to the point of my thighs being parallel to the floor but I hinge at the hips too much and it is hard to keep a "chest up" position. I have a problem with my ankle that really limits it's flexibility, it won't bend forward past the 90 degree point. My squats are affected by that but I keep doing them anyway. One way I have improvised is to use my big ball against the wall. I lean on the ball and it rolls up and down the wall as I do my squats. This way I can keep my back up and still work my legs.

Yeah, Geoducky, balls squats are terrific!

About the BB squats, Melissa, here's my thoughts -- but keep in mind that I'm not an expert at all. Perhaps Mel, personal trainer and of Squats, or Dip, who's studying up on all these issues, will poke their heads in and correct me.

I would go as deep as possible but only without sacrificing proper form. In other words, I wouldn't try to go lower by compromising form by leaning too far forward. The keys to squats that I always try to remember are: 1) weight on my heels -- I can lift my toes in the air, 2) stick my butt OUT, not just down -- start the motion with sticking your butt out and the rest of you follows along (I know it feels really weird at first, like you're sticking your butt out at the whole gym ), and 3) look up while you're going down -- helps me stay balanced. If I lean too far forward, I can't keep the bar on my back and lose my balance.

If you think you've got the correct form down, my advice is to go down as far as you can comfortably and then come back up. If it's not parallel, so be it. I have very tight quad muscles and not much flexibility there and don't go really deep either, but it's gotten better with practice. Keep on practicing them, always with your best form, and see if you can go deeper each week. It also helps to stretch your legs between sets.

Thoughts from others?

Meg and Geo - Thanks so much for your advice. I'll have to try ball squats, that sounds like it might help. Meg, you're probably right about not going to far and losing the form...I think I've just got myself convinced that unless I go all the way down I'm not really doing them and cheating...but it's better to do them correctly and go down less than far and wrong. I have very very tight calf muscles and I think that really impeds my squats. So I'll just keep working on them and hopefully with time and practice they will get better. And even not going all the way down I feel it so it's not like I'm getting nothing out of them! Thanks so much!

Melissa

Hi girls

Last night I was thinking about this question and first thing that came to mind was sticking your BUTT out for the whole gym to see... OMG I used to hate that, but now it's second nature. Also looking up, if I look down I loose my balance....

I do very wide-stance squats, I just like it this way, whether it's good or not I'm not sure....

Just my 2 cents...

The of Squats should know more and have a better explanation than me....

Later...

Tonight I'm going to try it sticking my butt out more...I think I somehow got it into my mind that by sticking my butt out I was using bad form. So hopefully that will make it easier. I also think I'm going to try widening my stance.
Thanks guys!

Meg nailed everything I would have suggested

Mel

yep Meg nailed it totally...

always keep in mind that the movement is in the hips not the knees with squats. You should have loads of hip movement and minimal knee movement.

JC

Hi Melissa,

I am a shorty with comparatively wide hippies, heavy muscled (ok and lardy) behind and hams, but short legs. I found that when I followed the "classic" squats I could not get down enough. What works for me is:
Use Meg's advice, but make sure to DO use a bb (light). This makes you HAVE to take some weight into account without overdoing it at the start. Then, when going down, stick your b* out even more and kinda "fold", leaning over some more than you'd see in most pictures (use Krista's advice and pics at stumptuous, just "fold" your upper body a bit more forward, but keep llooking up), KEEPING YOUR BACK STRAIGHT, without your knees "sticking out" over your toes. This way you will be better able to keep your balance. Try to keep the bb balanced so that it's over your ankles. Use a mirror to check yourself, and try to find someone in your gym who reallly knows his/her squats and ask them to help you. Don't point your toes out, feet must be parallel.
Keep trying and you WILL improve with time.

Go girl!

Greekgirl

Hey Greekgirl! Where have you been hiding? You've got great advice!

Come play with us on the LWL weekly thread!