@@GreyGrim The answer for me was to widen my stance, point my toes out, and push my knees out (wider than my toes). This will "shorten" your femur, at least from the side view.
What rarely gets mentioned is that the body is 3 dimensional. In terms of the side view, you can "shorten" your femurs by pointing your toes out and pushing your knees out. This was the key for me. Wider stance (shoulder width or wider) can help too. With my heels slightly wider than shoulder width, feet pointed out a little less than 45 degrees, and knees out a little wider than my toes, I can finally deep squat with my torso upright, heels down, and thighs touching my calves. I thought for a couple of years that it was my ankle flexibility, but my ankles were fine. It was just bad cues about pointing my feet forward and keeping a narrow stance.
@@r.y3987 No, I don't raise my heels, but there's nothing wrong with that. Elevated heels tends to put more emphasis on the quads, which may be what you're going for. By adjusting my stance like I described, I'm able to get all the way down while keeping my heels down on the ground. Usually high bar but I can make either one work by playing with the stance.
@@whitemakesright2177 Some people need to understand that bar position in a squat isn’t solely determined by how wide the stance is. So did I at one point.
Wow that device helps A LOT for visualization. I can't help but wonder what else can I understand better if teachers taught me lessons with this type of demonstration rather than seeing pictures printed on books
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!! I just looked at my body again in the mirror and this one video has healed me from the years of self doubt, self hate, confusion, and down-talk I’ve been hearing from everyone about my squats. My squats aren’t perfect, BUT the STOP LEANING FORWARD!! and the SIT FCKING UPRIGHT and WHY CANT YOU GO DOWN MORE shouts at me can finally end. No matter how much I’ve tried to place all of my weight to the back of my feet and stay upright while going all the way down felt impossible, and this is finally helping me understand why
And i really dont like them, does not fit my frame. i do lowbar squats, im 6"3 and at the bottom of my squat my my ass is withing 8 inches off the ground
It also just makes the squats less effective for what you do them for. If some of the lifting falls onto your back then you're just not getting the leg workout you want. But I'm still trying to improve my technique and mobility. Mobile ankles and hips can generally help even with long femurs, afaik.
@GWW-sb3hq a valid one for my personal situation and reasoning. My quad muscles have grown more since i've been doing leg extensions. Fit the method with the end result
This is the case in so many sports... coaches and trainers DO NOT understand or know that different people have different physiologies for different reasons and that you need to train them based on the build of their actual body
But the guy promoting the video also says in his book that no matter what everyone should be able to perform a pistol squat atg and also bodyweight squat with toes pointing of not somethings wrong
@jjw4600 I can get into atf position without any weights with alot of knee pain. Because of my long femurs and flat feet I use a low bar position with mid wide stance and toes pointed out. It's not possible to squat atg in this position I encourage you to try. After many years of practice I can squat below parallel but not quite atg
try smith machine squats. I think it might be better since you can align your back with the bar and put your legs out as far as you want since having the bar in place behind you means you wont fall back
Had to do a duck walk to enter the army at MEPS , couldn't do it no matter how hard I tired. I am 6'4" and squats kill me. I managed to do it through tears and some of the worst pain I've ever had from an exercise. Doctor ridiculed me for not being able to do it saying I was the most out of shape recruit he had ever seen, and that he would not want to be in a fox hole with someone like me, he didn't like my tattoos and piercings. I had the highest PT score (just better than 300) in my platoon and the second fastest solo fit to win time. Me and the guy that beat me, both beat the the previous record.
Here’s a link to that whole video incase any one is interested. ruclips.net/video/Av3LO2GwpAk/видео.html It’s less than 6 minutes long but it has a bit more info that can be pretty useful.
Thank you for posting this. The video is 7 years old! It's weird how it was never recommended to me, given my interests. RUclips will recommend a million fake natty fitness influencers but not real good stuff like this.
this also perfectly explains why the ankle dorsiflexion (and sometimes mobility for the hip muscles) is always hammered home in most squat form videos. If you have to go lower safely, you can likely gain much MUCH more ROM out of your ankles. And in the event that you've maxed out your available mobility for your ankles, you may just get what you need from working on the hips. and if you maxed both out, dont sweat it! you're literally BOTTOMING OUT YOUR ROM. No guide book, no coach, no bro at the gym can ask for more than that. And you can confidently proclaim that you can squat your weights through every possible degree of motion, and thats a massive accomplishment!!
Arnold talks about this in one of the many shorts on his lifting history. He focused on front squats so the weight forced his body to stay upright instead of back squats which are easier but force your body to lean.
Finally an explanation!!!! I'm 5'10" and I've tried to go deep, but I lean forward and my knees extend out in front of my toes. Even with a heel elevation, I go slightly lower but not much more. This explanation with the demonstration and visual make so much sense!
Same. 5'10" but I have a 35" inseam. I can do leg presses all day but standing my squat is ridiculous. It seems like all girls will do is squats and hip thrusts. They never understand you get big thighs when you get a bigger butt. Unless you get your butt injected.
I have incredibly long femurs and a noticeable short torso. I still squat atg but not for my heavy weight workout. Due to this I instead do heavy lunges. Today I’ll be doing 8 sets of walking or alternating lunges with 140 or so lbs on my back. Powerlifting might not be for me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t lift heavy one way or another
Great outlook Justin gotta do what works for you. No matter what body type we have we can all squat, some more efficiently than others but we squat nonetheless
I have long femur but i don't have trouble squatting, I just switched to goblet squats instead of weighted back squats. Plus, whenevrr I'm doing the weighted bck squats, i just elevate my heels with plates. It feels better with jt
Same here, i tried to increase my ankle mobility as much as a i possibly can. But in the end raising my heels and doing front loaded squats feel far more comfortable
This is a great illustration of something I see many lifters talk about. Something I wish more people talked about was what makes good proportions and bad proportions as percentages of lengths. Maybe some have actually good proportions but have weak points in hip and knee flexion but do not take the steps to correct it because they think it's a proportion issue instead.
This is exactly what worked for me, too. Wider stance, feet pointed out further, and knees flared out more allowed me to squat ATG with my heels on the floor and torso upright, after years of blaming my proportions and ankle flexibility. In a sense, it "shortens" your femur when looking at you from the side. It's a shame there are so many videos like this which just say "your proportions suck, sorry bro" without offering any workarounds.
@@prakhargautam3715 cannonball squats for sets of 15 can help with that. That or some time at the hack squat machine with a shoulder width, toes forward stance.
I have short torso long femur but I also have long tibia and I’m 5’61/2” . It is difficult for me to back squat and I find squatting to be more glute dominant
I have the same build but can only comfortably squat atg with a super narrow stance. Sub shoulder width. Also don't point toes out much. Do wear oly shoes though.
I wish I could broadcast this exact video to everyone shaming ppl with long femurs for their squat form… it’s exhausting hearing it from folks who don’t understand that anatomy plays such a large role in how a lift looks person to person
I believe widening stance and the angle of the feet make it possible for anybody to squat low enough for most purposes. Long femur might have some effects on the optimum joint angles from the side view but from the frontal pane there will be so much more potential for the adductors to generate force. Also, if your femur is really long it means you can potentially have more muscle mass on your thighs. Blaming long femur is a common excuse for bad form, mobility, lack of understanding of the movement.
I practice weightless squats in between my stretching routine to focus on depth and mobility and it's incredibly difficult to go ATG, even while holding onto something for stability. I have to work extremely hard to even get to parallel, even when squatting high bar with a wide stance, despite my mobility being decent. It doesn't stop me from squatting every leg day but it makes it a lot more difficult
I have long femur and short torso and the key to a comfortable squat is stretching the hell out of your calves and training your tibialis so you have the ankle mobility to safely get your knees way past your toes
Solution for all: *ankle mobility* Ex. Look at all the Olympic weightlifters who squat atg. They all have super flexible ankles.. and hips, shoulders, knees, etc. Ankle mobility allows for knees to extend past the toes but still be stable and strong. Practice form or you'll bust a joint.
Ankle dorsiflexion changes the mechanics of a squat like a LOT. Its not necessarily a bad thing but it kinda is if youre a powerlifter. The “ridiculous ankle mobility” you see from a weightlifter has a lot to do with the shoes they are wearing, which have a very big heel. Ankle mobility is a possible solution, but it isn’t “the solution for all.” If you aren’t limited in ankle dorsiflexion, meaning you have respectable dorsiflexion and can touch your knee to the wall with your foot at least a hand width away from it, then increasing ankle mobility is not the answer for you. If you don’t mind a quad dominant squat which you cant push as much absolute weight in, but would like to squat for quad development, then heel raise, not increased ankle mobility, will probably work for you. If you’re a powerlifter you should actually just find a stance that works for you instead. Get your feet wider, angle your feet outwards, or low bar squat. Youll push more weight doing that instead of trying to force a narrow stance toes forward squat that you see people on tiktok doing when your body isnt designed to squat that way. Theres many ways you can make up for the bad proportions and still hit depth.
Kudos! I'm 61 and figured this out about 20 years ago (and quit trying to squat to parallel) ... but that meant I was frustrated for about 25 years of lifting. I figured it out looking at Pumping Iron and watching Arnold's awkward squats. Drew it up with a pencil and various femur and back lengths.
Depends what you’re doing. For squats shorter femurs and longer torso usually help. But they’re usually a detriment for your deadlift. So there really is no universally agreed upon ideal ratio. There’s no relation to your height either, it’s just proprtions. You can have a 5 foot guy with ‘long’ femurs. And you can have a 7 foot guy with ‘short’ femurs. Rather think about how much of your height you carry in your femurs/torso/tibia and go from there.
If your legs are more than 49% of your total height you have disproportionately long legs. Mine are 54% of my total height so I have long legs, as a result I squat like the guy at the start of the vid
Thanks so much for this explanation, I'm the literate definition of 2nd body type you described and my squat is by far my best lift, always has been easy nice and comfortable to squat, but you nailed the exact feeling of always wondering if I go low enough, I've had that mind problem so much that I used to go too low to the point it takes away the weight while hitting the parallel doesn't even feel like I'm squatting. Also does this have any connection to why when I deadlift my hip starting position is higher?
This is so validating! Everyone always tells me to sit up straight when i squat but i will fall on my ass if i dont lean foward. I have long legs and a very short torso 😂
If you have long femurs, train front squats, goblet squats, Bulgarian DB Split Squats. These exercises will help you build the outer quads necessary for barbell squats. Front squats especially will help you maintain form by keeping your back straight and forward, instead of leaning forward too much.
@@IsaacMorgan98, I'm sure you would be way taller than me and in many cases, it would help to be taller. But you just have to use whatever God gave you. For example, having a low center of gravity greatly increases your agility and having a huge power to weight ratio means it's highly unlikely you'll be beating me in a sprint. Unless you are regularly playing football, soccer, rugby and one of the fastest players in your team?
💯 good illustration. This is why I prefer hack squats and other variants to a traditional barbell squat. It’s also difficult to stabilise the wights with a longer femur
Try holding the weight in front you if you have issues with holding it on your back. It would essentially move that vertical bar in the demonstration forward and allow individuals with long femurs to get a larger range of movement.
Play around with your stance width, angle of your toes, and flare of your knees. Wider stance and toes and knees more flared out was the key for me. My stance now is sort of halfway to a sumo squat, if that makes sense.
this makes SO much sense - long femur, short torso, short tibia and was always confused as to why I looked like a goddamn question mark when I tried to squat in a semi-narrow stance
I can go ATG and actually always do these days, but this video perfectly explains why I almost feel squat day in my mid back more than my legs!! Will need to have a plan with stance width and toe position next leg day to try and alleviate.
I literally always wondered how they have squat toilets in other countries because it literally seems like an impossible thing to do for me. Now I know why!
every proportions are normal man, it's just that some proportion make it difficult to squat, and having longer arms can also make bench press somewhat challenging too, i have got slightly short arms, so bench press is easy for me
@@KewalTailor I think you missed the meaning of my question. Yes, people have different proportions, and that in itself is nornal. But how does one identify that their proportions are their limiting factor and not their flexibility/mobility? It's much easier to take a measurement now than spend months increasing mobility
@@Led.on.RUclips think of proportions as a "cap" or "max" limiter, ALOT of people need mobility exercise to get to thier max that thier proportions will allow.
can someone explain how to measure femur, tibia, etc. and the ratio of femur : tibia, etc. that help classify it as proportionately long/short/average? This is what he's asking, and I'd like to know this too if it could be said in layman terms and straightforward.
![Squat Form For Your Anatomy [Perfect Depth Stance And Width]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/7FF6VLej_bY/mqdefault.jpg)
![Squat Form For Your Anatomy [Perfect Depth Stance And Width]](/img/tr.png)
![The Official Squat Form Checklist [Are You Squatting Wrong?]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Uv_DKDl7EjA/mqdefault.jpg)
This is ridiculously awesome
the answer is have your heels on an incline when squatting, the majority of the time
@@GreyGrim As a person over six feet tall I can confirm that that massively helps
I mean it’s literally a night and day difference lol
@@GreyGrim before someone says something stupid, key word “most of the time”
@@GreyGrim The answer for me was to widen my stance, point my toes out, and push my knees out (wider than my toes). This will "shorten" your femur, at least from the side view.
@@GreyGrimhuge advice to come across thank you.
I love that that model exists
it’s not even accurate
Yea not a good representation
@Dylan Turner I can't see why this wouldn't be accurate, care to explain?
That that
The model doesn’t show or demonstrate where the center of mass is. In fact, it’s being held up by a vertical bar which makes it useless
THANK YOU!!!!!! I’ve always been so frustrated with my squat depth but this perfectly explains my body type!!!!
You can elevate your heels with lifting shoes and get more tibia length
Try pointing your toes out further (45 degrees or more), pushing your knees out further, and widening your stance. This was the key for me.
@@6idangle I’ve found that elevating my heels does help with depth, but then I end up feeling the squat more in my quads…
@@Abby-km6vr thats where youre going to feel the squat the most… Id be kind of shocked if you dont feel it more in your quads.
@@Abby-km6vr yeah…kinda the point of a squat bud
What rarely gets mentioned is that the body is 3 dimensional. In terms of the side view, you can "shorten" your femurs by pointing your toes out and pushing your knees out. This was the key for me. Wider stance (shoulder width or wider) can help too.
With my heels slightly wider than shoulder width, feet pointed out a little less than 45 degrees, and knees out a little wider than my toes, I can finally deep squat with my torso upright, heels down, and thighs touching my calves.
I thought for a couple of years that it was my ankle flexibility, but my ankles were fine. It was just bad cues about pointing my feet forward and keeping a narrow stance.
This is a gold comment, makes perfectly sense and should be pointed out in the video. Thank you, Sir!
@@chrizzlerguitaroni1928 You're welcome, glad I could help!
@@r.y3987 No, I don't raise my heels, but there's nothing wrong with that. Elevated heels tends to put more emphasis on the quads, which may be what you're going for. By adjusting my stance like I described, I'm able to get all the way down while keeping my heels down on the ground.
Usually high bar but I can make either one work by playing with the stance.
Thanks, man!
@@whitemakesright2177 Some people need to understand that bar position in a squat isn’t solely determined by how wide the stance is. So did I at one point.
The guy squatting is Layne Norton by the way. He’s on RUclips as biolayne.
Thanks dude!
The guy explaining the biomechanics? No
@@mauricioescobar2648 No, the guy doing the squat
@@mauricioescobar2648 I did think that for a second too, but he’s talking about the guy squatting
Ohh that's Jason blahas buddy lol
I have long femurs. Widening my stance a bit has helped alot.
elevate your heels
@@masterleon40
someone told me it's cheating and I started crying
@@masterleon40how?
Wow that device helps A LOT for visualization. I can't help but wonder what else can I understand better if teachers taught me lessons with this type of demonstration rather than seeing pictures printed on books
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!! I just looked at my body again in the mirror and this one video has healed me from the years of self doubt, self hate, confusion, and down-talk I’ve been hearing from everyone about my squats. My squats aren’t perfect, BUT the STOP LEANING FORWARD!! and the SIT FCKING UPRIGHT and WHY CANT YOU GO DOWN MORE shouts at me can finally end. No matter how much I’ve tried to place all of my weight to the back of my feet and stay upright while going all the way down felt impossible, and this is finally helping me understand why
As someone who can basically squat right to the floor, this helps explain why some others would struggle with such activities.
I’m a 5’4 with a longer torso and longer femurs, I hateeee squats even tho I’m not tall. Proportions make the difference
Samee
long torso would actually make squatting easier to stay upright.
What's up fam
But there is no reason not to, you can vatiate from front squats to low bar squats to fit your frame
Try widening your stance, pointing your toes out, and pushing your knees out more. That was the key for me.
This is exactly why I switched to front squats! It helps offset my long femurs
And i really dont like them, does not fit my frame. i do lowbar squats, im 6"3 and at the bottom of my squat my my ass is withing 8 inches off the ground
Same boat, do hack squats, those are best for long legged folk
Perfect solution! A+
Same
I superset front/rear and it's fucking hell
I need to send this video to my old football coach lol.
How's your dorsifexion though? Can you get yout foot well past 90⁰ to your shin?
@@BestKCLAnkle mobility is an absolute myth constructed by lifting elitest with short femurs as shown in this video.
THIS! This illustration should be seen by everyone when learning the mechanics of squatting!
It should be sitting in the lobby of all gyms!
long femur camp as well, it's harder to go up in weight because of the additional core and back strength required
Anything above 225 I start doing good mornings instead of squats. Guess I gotta go back to light squats for high reps
It also just makes the squats less effective for what you do them for. If some of the lifting falls onto your back then you're just not getting the leg workout you want.
But I'm still trying to improve my technique and mobility. Mobile ankles and hips can generally help even with long femurs, afaik.
@GWW-sb3hq no I stopped doing squats, doesn't work well for my body type and I'm not that into strength I feel the need to push it
@GWW-sb3hq a valid one for my personal situation and reasoning.
My quad muscles have grown more since i've been doing leg extensions.
Fit the method with the end result
I wonder if this is why my deadlift PR was 100lbs more than my squat.
I find deadlifting with a trap bar to be so much easier than squats. It lets me get lower without having to bend over so much
Deadlift 500, Squat 380. I relate to this on so many levels.
@@Stuke51506 deadlift, 308 bench but squat is a grinding 320, nothing helps anything over 225 is seriously heavy
Same issue here. I'm going to try front squats from now in. It seriously kills my motivation when my squats don't go up like the rest of my lifts.
He really just explained my body and validated my feelings about I think squat form is easy. Long torso club here
This is the case in so many sports... coaches and trainers DO NOT understand or know that different people have different physiologies for different reasons and that you need to train them based on the build of their actual body
So simple! Great visual demonstration!
This is hands down the best explanation I've ever heard. Unfortunately haters will still say it's just an excuse 😒
@Iron Los Fax
But the guy promoting the video also says in his book that no matter what everyone should be able to perform a pistol squat atg and also bodyweight squat with toes pointing of not somethings wrong
@jjw4600 I can get into atf position without any weights with alot of knee pain. Because of my long femurs and flat feet I use a low bar position with mid wide stance and toes pointed out. It's not possible to squat atg in this position I encourage you to try. After many years of practice I can squat below parallel but not quite atg
@jjw4600 this is what I try to emulate in a squat
ruclips.net/user/shortsLaMdRntpVMc?feature=share
Looooooove this. Saved.
This explains why I have a 36 inch vertical, leg press 6 plates and deadlift 450, but I can't even squat 135 for 10 reps without feeling pain
try smith machine squats. I think it might be better since you can align your back with the bar and put your legs out as far as you want since having the bar in place behind you means you wont fall back
Front squats and hack squats for me work...my femur is ridiculously long
Been blessed to be one of the folk who find deep squats pretty comfortsble
Had to do a duck walk to enter the army at MEPS , couldn't do it no matter how hard I tired. I am 6'4" and squats kill me. I managed to do it through tears and some of the worst pain I've ever had from an exercise. Doctor ridiculed me for not being able to do it saying I was the most out of shape recruit he had ever seen, and that he would not want to be in a fox hole with someone like me, he didn't like my tattoos and piercings. I had the highest PT score (just better than 300) in my platoon and the second fastest solo fit to win time. Me and the guy that beat me, both beat the the previous record.
Doctor sounds like a pos. I struggled with the duck walk too. What a dumb requirement
This channel has yet to disappoint me or made me feel like i wasted my time. Gold standard video!
6ft 3 with long legs my squats look so unnatural compared to my mates who are 5ft 9 with longer torso’s and shorter legs
At least you can outrun them using less energy. #longfemurclub
Thank you!!! Tom Purvis is a genius and I have been a fan of his. Great info
Here’s a link to that whole video incase any one is interested. ruclips.net/video/Av3LO2GwpAk/видео.html It’s less than 6 minutes long but it has a bit more info that can be pretty useful.
I've had several people advise me on my squat. But this explains why my torso has to go so low near parallel
Thank you for posting this. The video is 7 years old! It's weird how it was never recommended to me, given my interests. RUclips will recommend a million fake natty fitness influencers but not real good stuff like this.
this also perfectly explains why the ankle dorsiflexion (and sometimes mobility for the hip muscles) is always hammered home in most squat form videos. If you have to go lower safely, you can likely gain much MUCH more ROM out of your ankles. And in the event that you've maxed out your available mobility for your ankles, you may just get what you need from working on the hips.
and if you maxed both out, dont sweat it! you're literally BOTTOMING OUT YOUR ROM. No guide book, no coach, no bro at the gym can ask for more than that. And you can confidently proclaim that you can squat your weights through every possible degree of motion, and thats a massive accomplishment!!
Arnold talks about this in one of the many shorts on his lifting history. He focused on front squats so the weight forced his body to stay upright instead of back squats which are easier but force your body to lean.
Actually the perfect demonstration, props on the props
Thanks Squat Bot!
The trick I use to counter this is to rack the bar a lot lower and then put a bench under it, then lay down on the bench and grab the bar and push up.
Nice trick bro, you should come up with a name for that variation. Bench, push... bench push? Bench... bench press out? Idk
Im 6”4 with GIGANTIC LEGS and short af torso and body
Thank you for explaining my allergy to Squats 😂
Best vid explaining I've seen
Wow, what an absolutely brilliant model! The metal one looked good too
Yea everyone always tells me to go deeper like it's just so easy but when I get down there I risk tipping forward
The comment section is full of "experts" who also happen to be short arses... 😂
Finally an explanation!!!! I'm 5'10" and I've tried to go deep, but I lean forward and my knees extend out in front of my toes. Even with a heel elevation, I go slightly lower but not much more. This explanation with the demonstration and visual make so much sense!
Same. 5'10" but I have a 35" inseam. I can do leg presses all day but standing my squat is ridiculous. It seems like all girls will do is squats and hip thrusts. They never understand you get big thighs when you get a bigger butt. Unless you get your butt injected.
Im like same height with rather long torso, but wide stance helped me a lot. If your knees isnt killing you, you can definitely go lower.
@@krystofcisar469 I'm sorry, I wasn't clear. I can go lower, but I lean forward. I can't go lower without leaning forward.
I have incredibly long femurs and a noticeable short torso. I still squat atg but not for my heavy weight workout. Due to this I instead do heavy lunges. Today I’ll be doing 8 sets of walking or alternating lunges with 140 or so lbs on my back. Powerlifting might not be for me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t lift heavy one way or another
Great outlook Justin gotta do what works for you. No matter what body type we have we can all squat, some more efficiently than others but we squat nonetheless
This explains a fact so well that frustrated me to no end in high school
Do the best with what you got.
You should come up with a workout designed for us, and yes I have always struggled with ANY squat variation since I was 14, that was 20 years ago
This is why i always put a weight under my heels. It emulates what it would be if my lower leg was proportional to my femur
Also try lowbar squat if you haven't already, makes a massive difference for me
Thank you. I hurt my back trying to squat atg for years.
Now I do it for my body and it's amazing.
Keep giving great info and I love your book!
I have long femur but i don't have trouble squatting,
I just switched to goblet squats instead of weighted back squats.
Plus, whenevrr I'm doing the weighted bck squats, i just elevate my heels with plates. It feels better with jt
Same here, i tried to increase my ankle mobility as much as a i possibly can. But in the end raising my heels and doing front loaded squats feel far more comfortable
As someone with a short torso and long femurs, thank you! Those gifted with the perfect squat proportions don't know how lucky they are.
Brilliant!!!!
This is a great illustration of something I see many lifters talk about. Something I wish more people talked about was what makes good proportions and bad proportions as percentages of lengths. Maybe some have actually good proportions but have weak points in hip and knee flexion but do not take the steps to correct it because they think it's a proportion issue instead.
There’s a third dimension here.
Spread your feet apart more and open your hips up.
That’s how I get around it.
This is exactly what worked for me, too. Wider stance, feet pointed out further, and knees flared out more allowed me to squat ATG with my heels on the floor and torso upright, after years of blaming my proportions and ankle flexibility. In a sense, it "shortens" your femur when looking at you from the side.
It's a shame there are so many videos like this which just say "your proportions suck, sorry bro" without offering any workarounds.
I do this as well. It’s the only way I can squat deep without butt wink. The only thing is that it targets my glutes much more than my quads.
@@prakhargautam3715 cannonball squats for sets of 15 can help with that. That or some time at the hack squat machine with a shoulder width, toes forward stance.
Im ticklish at how extremely illustrative this explanation was smile
Which makes sense why a lot of shorter build people dominates certain lifting related competitions.
It's not the height, but the proportions
@@picolete same thing. Shorter people are more proportional on average than taller ones
@@txtrophycub clown
@@Xilladan093 you're sensitive to the topic. My apologies little man
@@txtrophycub he might be short but still outlifts you 🤣
Thank you for explaining the physics behind this!!
I have short torso long femur but I also have long tibia and I’m 5’61/2” . It is difficult for me to back squat and I find squatting to be more glute dominant
wide stance, toes out and get weightlifting shoes with a heel and you will fel the quads more especially in a front squat
I have the same build but can only comfortably squat atg with a super narrow stance. Sub shoulder width. Also don't point toes out much. Do wear oly shoes though.
I wish I could broadcast this exact video to everyone shaming ppl with long femurs for their squat form… it’s exhausting hearing it from folks who don’t understand that anatomy plays such a large role in how a lift looks person to person
Mind blowing
This guy is solving all my personal issues
I believe widening stance and the angle of the feet make it possible for anybody to squat low enough for most purposes. Long femur might have some effects on the optimum joint angles from the side view but from the frontal pane there will be so much more potential for the adductors to generate force. Also, if your femur is really long it means you can potentially have more muscle mass on your thighs.
Blaming long femur is a common excuse for bad form, mobility, lack of understanding of the movement.
I practice weightless squats in between my stretching routine to focus on depth and mobility and it's incredibly difficult to go ATG, even while holding onto something for stability. I have to work extremely hard to even get to parallel, even when squatting high bar with a wide stance, despite my mobility being decent. It doesn't stop me from squatting every leg day but it makes it a lot more difficult
Blaming bad form, mobility, lack of understanding of the movement is a common excuse for lack of understanding of biomechanics.
I have long femur and short torso and the key to a comfortable squat is stretching the hell out of your calves and training your tibialis so you have the ankle mobility to safely get your knees way past your toes
Solution for all: *ankle mobility*
Ex. Look at all the Olympic weightlifters who squat atg. They all have super flexible ankles.. and hips, shoulders, knees, etc.
Ankle mobility allows for knees to extend past the toes but still be stable and strong. Practice form or you'll bust a joint.
There is a limit for ankle mobility, the only way to squat lower for long femur people is lower bar, sumo and or heel elevation
No possible amount of increased ankle mobility will make up for long femurs
Ankle dorsiflexion changes the mechanics of a squat like a LOT. Its not necessarily a bad thing but it kinda is if youre a powerlifter. The “ridiculous ankle mobility” you see from a weightlifter has a lot to do with the shoes they are wearing, which have a very big heel. Ankle mobility is a possible solution, but it isn’t “the solution for all.” If you aren’t limited in ankle dorsiflexion, meaning you have respectable dorsiflexion and can touch your knee to the wall with your foot at least a hand width away from it, then increasing ankle mobility is not the answer for you. If you don’t mind a quad dominant squat which you cant push as much absolute weight in, but would like to squat for quad development, then heel raise, not increased ankle mobility, will probably work for you. If you’re a powerlifter you should actually just find a stance that works for you instead. Get your feet wider, angle your feet outwards, or low bar squat. Youll push more weight doing that instead of trying to force a narrow stance toes forward squat that you see people on tiktok doing when your body isnt designed to squat that way. Theres many ways you can make up for the bad proportions and still hit depth.
Did you even watch the video?
Kudos! I'm 61 and figured this out about 20 years ago (and quit trying to squat to parallel) ... but that meant I was frustrated for about 25 years of lifting. I figured it out looking at Pumping Iron and watching Arnold's awkward squats. Drew it up with a pencil and various femur and back lengths.
I remember Layne defending his squat depth for years back in the early days of RUclips fitness lol
It all makes sense now...
Welcome to deadlift, brother
Thank you this makes me feel much better after so much frustration with my squat form I do not understand why it's so much easier for everyone else
What qualifies as a long femur for a 6ft person, or what is the ideal tibia:femur:torso ratio?
🙌
Depends what you’re doing. For squats shorter femurs and longer torso usually help. But they’re usually a detriment for your deadlift. So there really is no universally agreed upon ideal ratio.
There’s no relation to your height either, it’s just proprtions. You can have a 5 foot guy with ‘long’ femurs. And you can have a 7 foot guy with ‘short’ femurs.
Rather think about how much of your height you carry in your femurs/torso/tibia and go from there.
@@kirby7475 In the context of this video, I was referring to the ideal ratio for a squat
Tibia/Fibula 60:40
would already qualify as an advantage
If your legs are more than 49% of your total height you have disproportionately long legs. Mine are 54% of my total height so I have long legs, as a result I squat like the guy at the start of the vid
Thank you. Someone understands
And yet there's still critics in the comments... 😂
Thanks so much for this explanation, I'm the literate definition of 2nd body type you described and my squat is by far my best lift, always has been easy nice and comfortable to squat, but you nailed the exact feeling of always wondering if I go low enough, I've had that mind problem so much that I used to go too low to the point it takes away the weight while hitting the parallel doesn't even feel like I'm squatting.
Also does this have any connection to why when I deadlift my hip starting position is higher?
This is so validating! Everyone always tells me to sit up straight when i squat but i will fall on my ass if i dont lean foward. I have long legs and a very short torso 😂
Doctor said I have the shortest tibia he’s ever seen 😢 6,2 height
Wow! THAT'S a FINE illustration!
Front squats is what Arnold recommended
If you have long femurs, train front squats, goblet squats, Bulgarian DB Split Squats. These exercises will help you build the outer quads necessary for barbell squats. Front squats especially will help you maintain form by keeping your back straight and forward, instead of leaning forward too much.
I got long femurs but I still can't help but love squatting. Embrace low bar.
Wow this is an amazing demonstration of different anatomy with the squat
As a short guy who has short legs, I’m playing the world’s tiniest violin for the long femur club lol.
That's alright man, my legs are as long as you are tall so when I'm chasing you down you have no hope of out running me 😜
@@IsaacMorgan98, I'm sure you would be way taller than me and in many cases, it would help to be taller. But you just have to use whatever God gave you. For example, having a low center of gravity greatly increases your agility and having a huge power to weight ratio means it's highly unlikely you'll be beating me in a sprint. Unless you are regularly playing football, soccer, rugby and one of the fastest players in your team?
@@diulikadikaday honestly, it ain't all it's cracked up to be being tall, I just get back pain... the world is made for 5'10" haha
💯 good illustration. This is why I prefer hack squats and other variants to a traditional barbell squat. It’s also difficult to stabilise the wights with a longer femur
Does this model assume that the ankle flexion is constant?
love these shorts, keep em comming
Great content!
This explains exactly why I can't squat ass to grass!
Brilliant!
Low bar squatting is much better for people with long femurs. High bar is much better for those with shorter femurs
Yeah took me too long to figure that out.
Try holding the weight in front you if you have issues with holding it on your back. It would essentially move that vertical bar in the demonstration forward and allow individuals with long femurs to get a larger range of movement.
Powerlifters when they get red lighted:
The best video breaking down squatting, that will ever be made.
What I’ve been telling people for years about myself but they didn’t believe me
People want to dismiss everything as excuses. Like me with long back can't do situps for shit because my legs are too short and light.
Play around with your stance width, angle of your toes, and flare of your knees. Wider stance and toes and knees more flared out was the key for me. My stance now is sort of halfway to a sumo squat, if that makes sense.
This is an excellent breakdown good work sir.
My Scottish hips are the problem 🙄
This nigga from Scotland
😂👌
Squatting with long legs short torso has been the bane of my existence.
Deadlift is more up my alley.
So the solution is?
have fun
@@soulslasher7890 just have fun 4Head
Change squats with split squats and deadlifts with romanian deadlifts and never look back
heal elivation
Wedges under your feet. I got mine on Amazon!
WOW! Extremely informative.
Elevate your heels to offset this issue
this makes SO much sense - long femur, short torso, short tibia and was always confused as to why I looked like a goddamn question mark when I tried to squat in a semi-narrow stance
And this is why my deadlift is a hundred pounds higher than my squat
That's normal for most people
I can go ATG and actually always do these days, but this video perfectly explains why I almost feel squat day in my mid back more than my legs!! Will need to have a plan with stance width and toe position next leg day to try and alleviate.
All I see is poor ankle mobility
All I see is ignorance
@@--SPQR-- I could say the same
I literally always wondered how they have squat toilets in other countries because it literally seems like an impossible thing to do for me. Now I know why!
easy fix, go wider
I have a long pecker which touches the floor way before anything
@@maspesasmasperras5554 😂
Gotta love the science explanations. I wear heels to lift and that allows me to go deep in the squat and reduce strain on my back.
Yeah but we love deadlift.
Keeping this short saved up to use everytime someone tells me to go below parallel.
What are "normal" proportions and how to measure?
every proportions are normal man, it's just that some proportion make it difficult to squat, and having longer arms can also make bench press somewhat challenging too, i have got slightly short arms, so bench press is easy for me
@@KewalTailor I think you missed the meaning of my question. Yes, people have different proportions, and that in itself is nornal.
But how does one identify that their proportions are their limiting factor and not their flexibility/mobility? It's much easier to take a measurement now than spend months increasing mobility
@@Led.on.RUclips Great way of phrasing that, I'm also interested in this!
@@Led.on.RUclips think of proportions as a "cap" or "max" limiter, ALOT of people need mobility exercise to get to thier max that thier proportions will allow.
can someone explain how to measure femur, tibia, etc. and the ratio of femur : tibia, etc. that help classify it as proportionately long/short/average? This is what he's asking, and I'd like to know this too if it could be said in layman terms and straightforward.
asian genes ftw