I studied and instructed classical ballet for 20 years of my life. I’m 64, winning over chronic illness……I will NOT allow that thing to ruin my life. I’m finally getting back into doing some exercises I used to do. I’m doing a beginner form of barre exercises. A deep squat feels SO GOOD! Rising from a squat will take practice and using a door frame for stability is what I’ve chosen. I know I have some muscle atrophy, but I also have muscle memory! I’ll continue practicing and building back my strength. Thank you for creating and posting this video! Much love to you and your family in oneness🙏🏻❤️🕊
That is awesome an inspiring to me. I am 66 & it seems to me at age 60 I started noticing a huge decline in many things. Unfortunately I had a very bad automobile accident in 2015 that caused many issues for several years after. That auto accident completely changed my life. I did a lot of physical rehabilitation & mental. Then I started hearing there's only so much that you can rehab before you learn to live with certain things. This is why I appreciate your comment about you're just not going to allow it. My biggest difficulty is wondering how I lived such an intense life & then all of a sudden I was living a whole new life alone & with a completely different financial bracket. At this point & for the last 3 years I simply don't want to do the things that are necessary to function in life other than take a shower brush my teeth pee poop eat drive to the store get what I need figure out my money deal with a sleep disorder & try to figure out which adult child is irritated with me on a phone call. Lol side note as a side job with my main higher paying careers I taught aerobics, step classes you name it licensed for 10 years. In 1996 I gave up that license & completely focused on my family & very little on myself. I switched careers at 50 which required me to be in shape so I did well at that time with it but then back to behind a computer. Now I'm really free & don't understand why I'm not out there at least walking but I'm particularly interested in your beginner barre because when I was 17 I entered into college as a dance student along with all the other classes that we dislike. I was not able to continue because at the time I had a lot of pain in my knees & it was diagnosed as chondromalacia. You basically just live with the pain & take aspirin all the time or you consider surgery or you do physical rehab. This would have been the mid 70s. As my life went on by the 80s I was cycling on road & off road & it wasn't bothering me. So I think many of these things that we go through in our body do in fact change the same way as we do naturally & should. I kept promising myself I was going to get my money right & at least get back into some fun dancing from ballroom to ballet it didn't matter to me it's in my blood. But I have not pursued anything. The other thing I found so helpful in my rehab was water so I always gravitate towards a pool. The waves at the beach for a while we're not the best for me to be moving in. Long story but I noted your age right away and the beg beginning bar exercise. What are you doing currently & was this a video that you were watching that you can share? How do you install a barre or do you go somewhere?
I've recovered from a THR. She 65 I'm doing weight training with a professional trainer. I also do animal movements that improves everything else I do. Check out Strengthside Fitness! ❤
Love your reply! As an ex professional dancer and ballet teacher for over 40 years, I know that our work ethic wouldn’t allow us to give up. I am 69 and still teach, take Pilates, play pickleball competitively and take tango classes ❤ Use it or lose it and an Asian squat is still easy for me but I do suspect that some people’s hip sockets who are very shallow with extreme natural rotation have trouble with it. I have witnessed this and they are still young!
I am Asian so I deep squat everyday without thinking about it, and not a problem for me at 70. It's just a natural move I do everyday at my yard and in kitchen, or when fixing things on the floor
It's because it's a healthy movement for the knees - it strengthens the muscles and tendons around the knees. When these things are pulled at, they get strengthened
You may be interested in the Isochain. If the commercial one is too expensive search 'DIY Isochain' and a video will show how to make one. I guarantee you that nothing else will make you stronger period. Greatest thing I ever discovered. I do squats with it too.
You might want to change the title. If I hadn't watched the video I would have thought it was warning against deep squats. I'm glad I watched! Otherwise great video:)
I used to suffer from excruciating hip pain. Ever since training my body to eventually do asian squats, and now successfully practicing this method, my hip pain is gone! I'm all for training my body with mobility exercises that will last all my life. When you're old, you should be able to get yourself back up if you fall (unless of course you had a stroke, heart attack or some other serious event).
I have a physical job that requires me to either squat or kneel a lot- and on concrete I've rather squat. so I watched your "How to Asian Squat" about a year ago. Only took a month to perfect it, and it's been soooo helpful. Also good because I have coordination problems that make high impact exercises difficult to do safely.
I had a full hip replacement in November 2021. I can do a deep "potty squatty" squat again now and I must say, it is so comfortable...stretches out my back, hip, and quad muscles. I garden in a squat, clean stuff on the floor in a squat, and just do it because it's a great stretch in the morning. I'm almost 65....I love your response to the "not safe" mantra!
I went into this squat, without thinking, when I gardened the other day. Is it because I leaned further forward than I did when simply trying it as an exercise (when I found I was in danger of toppling backwards)?
@Jenny O'Donnell how did it feel? Did you experience pain or difficulty standing? It feels like a good stretch to me and my knees feel limber. Listen to your body!👍😊
Glad you are able to do the squat again, I also like to garden in squat position, and also do other things, you reminded me - I often clean up a bit of floor space this way too. After doggy has eaten the floor is a little messy, so I get down and clean up the floor around her bowls twice a day in the squat position. Partner cannot squat and regards himself as superior to me, to not have to squat and clean. I know im better off to be ok to easily do this quick easy clean up every day.
Ohhhhh! That explains a lot! I can squat so easily and then am in pain from how easily my hips splay out to the sides. And I couldn’t get up and down into the squat without hands. Your alignment method fixed it! And the knees slightly inward helped me get up and down without hands. Thank you for straightening this out for me!
Young man,i do this exercise since 4 weeks.Follow your words.And now: i can walk normal after 20 years pain in back,hip and feet.I am 68 and lucky and thankfull.Be blessed everyday, you do a wonderful Work.💚☮️🙏🍀And Abo
I’m 64 and have been doing the Asian squat for a couple of years. I have stronger ankles, hips and thighs because of it. I can squat up and down with ease. The stretch feels amazing and relieves a lot of muscle tightness.
I first saw one of your videos re "Asian Squat" a few months ago and realized that I've been doing that all my life despite my European origin. At 78 I still squat whenever I need to pick up something from the floor or when cleaning out the litter boxes for 3 resident cats or when playing with my grandsons at floor level. Your videos are great and reinforce my belief that moving and doing despite infirmities is extremely important. Thanks!
I came across your video last night. I wondered why it was uncomfortable to do a wide squat! I have been overweight for most of my life and had significant knee injuries starting at 12 years old. No rehab, just a lifetime excuse removing me from PE. By my 30s I had several more knee injuries and multiple surgeries. One such surgery was to reconstruct my ACL, which I tore at 12yo. I slipped on a spill in a department store and hurt my back 17 years ago a week post one of my many knee surgeries. Chronic back pain developed, even though I was more active than ever! So, this morning, I did 2 sets of 20 external rotation you demonstrated. Something popped in my back during my first set! BACK PAIN ALLEVIATED!!! Able to deep squat but weight was forward. Able to punch ground like you! I bad been doing stretches, chiropractic, injections, and exercises for YEARS to alleviate this pain, and one little hip rotation on the yoga block relieved the impingement Doing this exercise for life!!! I can't wait to see how my gait, balance, strength, and flexibility improve! Thank you for posting🙏
Thank you for sharing how you went from chronic stiffness and pain to working those muscles that allow you to free yourself from it. Great real life story. Take care of your body it well take care of you. I'm sixty six and working my hips allows me to play better golf and I walk the course. Keep stretching and exercising those hips, hip flexors.
Thank you so much young man. I really mean it. I am an old man no as in my mind seventies. All my life I have exercised doing this and that. Then after I was in the hospital for over a year , I decided to just give up on exercising. Then About two months ago or something I found it real hard to get around and running short of breath even when I was at the Supermarket. Now I am getting back into exercising especially the legs and I find myself being able to get around a little bit easier. I really never paid a whole lot of attention to doing squats only leg curls, leg extensions and calf raises and of course jogging. Though I am an old man, moving around like old man and feeling like a real old man really sucks. Big time. Once again it's never too late to learn anything Once again young man, I truly sincerely thank you so very, very much for helping me and advising me how to do things right Have Blessed Evening. Adios.
I am UK Anglo-Saxon, and I had a bilateral hip replacement in 2017 at age 60. I now have two ceramic titanium hips. I can now achieve a deep squat, considered a no-go by the surgeon; the exercises you demonstrated were similar to the physiotherapy I had to do to recover after the op.
I just wanted to say, I don't particularly have issues with movements or muscles that your videos are aimed at. However, as a relatively high performance athlete, i find your videos extremely useful. Always help remind me about the less obvious muscles or ranges of motion, etc. You've definitely helped me continue training hard without injury. Such valuable info for literally all levels of movement. Thank you!
i notice, especially as I age, that as I train one type of motion, move, technique a million times over and over for a sport or hobby or whatever, I become more efficient in that movement... but in doing so, I notice that the same thing that causes that "efficiency" (being able to relax other muscles, CNS efficiency, etc.) also ends up causing imbalance problems that later cause more things like tendonopathy or whatever that causes pain and disfunction.
Yes. Even an athlete can learn something from this video. "The less obvious muscles or ranges of motion". Working these muscles is also benefitting my movements and well being.
Glad I found your channel! I'm turning 55 this year and am about as unfit as I've ever been due to various circumstances in recent years. But my goal is to reverse that situation. My knees seem to be my biggest issue with deep squatting atm but my hip flexors definitely need help too. When I travelled o/s a lot in my late 20s & early 30s I was definitely able to deep squat to use the loo in countries that didn't have western loos, no problem. To make matters worse, now my job has me seated virtually all day long so I have some work ahead of me. I look forward to exploring more of your videos. I really enjoyed this one - you're both informative and funny. Good combo! Thanks
I suffered serious knee problems until I started doing deep squats. Literally within a few weeks, deep squats got rid of all my knee pains. Something months of physio and "safe" resistance training didn't fix.
Got it yeah my left knee started hurting and it started to scare me. I love doing squats at the gym and now it's on hold and I was like thinking am I screwed forever now. So I'll do that and cycling and hopefully I'll manage to get back in shape. I think he's right it's because of our age and The limited motion we do in Western societies.
I found this surprisingly easy. I've been overweight in my younger years (I'm not anymore). And, at 57, I just found out I'm doing squats right; I always went for comfort and ease and wondered why they looked different than those on the instructional videos. Thanks!
I traveled for a year in Asia, 30 years ago and had to learn to squat (pit toilets were still common across Asia then). I got really good at this squat, felt healthier because of it. Now I am adding this in as a basic exercise to strengthen my knees and legs (I'm a skier and have had some knee challenges). Already feeling better about being able to it again! Great video!
@@Br1cht Ooh, that's great to know. I had knee arthroscopic surgery 15 year's ago and was told I should never squat in a deep pose however the information on this has changed dramatically (I work at an orthopedic hospital) so, it's now recommended to work on squats, splits and lunges for optimal mobility health.
Wow! Squatting like this feels better. I was always taught to externally rotate like you said and point the toes outward. Doing the way you demonstrated gave me more control and felt less awkward 😊 Thanks. I’m going to include this in my daily exercise regimen
You made this subject entertaining and understandable. These tiny exercises drive me crazy, yet you made me want to do them because of your persuasive teaching. I get more caring vibes from you than from my doctors, thank you! It's also hilarious that you proved most doctors are literally full of shit-because they don't know shit about deep squatting.
Good stuff. Thanks. The more I improved at this the more I realized the myth of spreading the knees with elbows. Amazing how many provide false information.
Used to be able to Asian squat years ago. After viewing the first video on this position, decided to work on doing so, again. Have watched a number of your other videos and, at 67, have decided to incorporate those other exercises into my exercise routine. Thanks a lot. Happy to have run across your channel.
Thank you. When I was giving birth to my second son, my body instinctively wanted to squat. The nurse and doctor kept pushing me on my back. My son was born breech with his heel and butt birthing first. He was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck three times. He weighed 8#4 oz, 19.5" long. I only weighed 130#. I believe that had I been able to squat, the process would have been much easier for him and me. He's 50 years old now. Here's to proper squats.
I believe Egyptians used to "kneel" in order to give birth, using special blocks that they rested their knees on. Very possible it was a deep squat sort of position.
I'm so sorry this happened to you. I'm sure your body was right and I'm sorry your attendants were not supportive. I was exactly the same, by instinct doing really deep sumo style squats which I think accelerated labour. (Gravity - baby's head - dilation...) Lying on my back felt terribly wrong. I was extremely lucky to have midwives who let me follow my instincts, and both births were fast and problem-free. let's hear it for squats!
@@jessicafalstein yup. I learned this from Mid-wife Nurse Practitioners. The typical hospital way of birthing is all about convenience for doctors and hospitals, and OBs in the past were typically men who did not know or really care about the patient’s experience.
Thank you for the Inspiration and Information❣️I made achieving the Asian Squat a Goal for myself.I had an accident where I broke up my ankle.Ive just been reminded of my goal once more and I'm on it!❣️♨️💯🙏🙂
I’m 73 female western women. Always have been squatting without thinking it would be helpful later in my life. Today it is 😊. I’m happy a did it natural 😊
Very informative. Reading the title, at first, I thought you were going to say deep squatting was bad, so I'm glad I'm not ruining my body by trying to do so
So happy for your videos! Several of my Volleyball mates do this a lot when waiting to rotate in and I want to do the same. It’s such a great Quad stretch, so useful in so many daily moves!
Well, this exercise is definitely getting added to my workout. I can do a deep squat, always have been able to. However, your video has made me realise that my legs are externally rotated to a fair degree, so this exercise will help correct that. Many thanks!
I am 79 and recently started to do squats. Have done a lot of partial squat exercises through the years but encouraged by your video to progress to full squats
Great video. I love coaching my clients on doing the deep squat. One of the biggest problems preventing people from doing deep squats is stiff ankle joints especially those with high arches.
That's me. And it's really holding me back since my estrogen and thus collagen pretty much jumped ship over the last year. I want to get on track now at 51 because I feel like my muscle mass and flexibility over the next few years will basically determine my quality of life for my final decades. And I have no idea how to achieve this with joints that are now constantly rebelling. So I'm on RUclips looking for clues 😅
As a former dancer regular squats are a huge challenge because I worked for years on externally rotating my hips. Now that I’m in my 40’s most of my injuries are rooted on that capability. PF tightness, weaker knees, early arthritis on my hips and ankles, plus Lower back pain. Internal rotation is painful and almost impossible but the days I make myself do it, it’s like magic. It’s been 3 years and I achieved squats finally, and thanks to your great information I have a new exercise ❤
I have persistent hip joint pain and mri doesn’t show anything because I keep getting them when I’m not having a flair up. I wonder if it’d from dancing and running track.
Very interesting. I have osteoarthritis in my right hip; I wonder if it's from a similar cause, learning later in life to do the full lotus posture for zazen. It was heavenly and very comfortable, and to finally get there in my late 60s I did lots of "hip openers". But after a couple of years of sitting lotus every day for 40 mins, and sometimes twice, it apparently backfired. So now I cannot do the "butterfly" or even half lotus any more. At first I was very depressed, as walking was painful. But now I can do these deep squats, and I can climb stairs. To meditate I sit seiza, and thankfully that has become comfortable and does NOT over stretch my hip. With collagen and other supplement, the pain has almost gone away, so I can walk 40minutes which was not the case before. Doubt if I will ever be able to run, ski, or do karate kicks again, but that's not bad. PS I got over lower back pain by cutting out sugar and white flour....apparently my gut was inflamed and that pulled on my muscles.
"Spirare Fitness" I am no expert but I guess knees can get immobile due to improper exercise or no exercise or maybe it just comes with older age to name a few things, but such conditions may be helped with the right strengthening and flexibility exercises. But I think that if knee pain and immobility is due to arthritis, then doing painful exercises is not the answer. It would probably make the condition worse . Trying to strengthen certain muscles will damage cartilage and bones in the process. I have had to learn to tell doctors that I will not accept physical therapy as it has only made the condition worse in the past.
any intense physical activity that you do regularly from a young age is going to cause similar problems. when you're growing, your body is much more pliable. and so you can create "perfect athletes" whose bodies are essentially designed for their given sport. but evidence shows that this almost always leads to issues later in life, and it would be much safer for kids and teenagers to stay active with casual sports instead of intense focused training, and we should only really start taking part in intense sporting activities like dance, martial arts, rugby, etc after our bodies have mostly stopped growing. this is part of the reason why athletes tend to have short careers, even though the human body is fully capable of maintaining peak performance well into your 40s with proper management.
Very true. I'm 58 and have Fibromyalgia and old neck and back issues. I do yoga to stretch. When I'm in a shop I squart down to read the items on bottom shelf. Can tell it surprises people but it's so easy instead of doubling over.
I spent many months in South Korea making annual trips for martial arts training for about 15 years. The Asian squat was a resting position, work position, eating position. 25 years ago, all you could find were squat toilets (except at the hotels, I slept on the floor of the dojang so I used the squat toilet). Thanks to your channel I managed to find exercises to rehabilitate my knee after an injury. Other channels had strengthening exercises but on your channel I was able to strengthen the stabilizers with simple movements first. They weren't even knee specific exercises, just the concept was an uh huh moment for me. A two year chronic injury was fixed in just 2-3 months, thanks.
Have horrible knee pain and am a bit overweight. Recently returned from visiting my partners family in Vietnam where they all deep squat to hangout on the living room floor, eat street food, just about everything and I was so awkward and in pain all the time so I did a little research and just yesterday have started doing assisted deep squats (with a wall). I'm going to keep doing it daily until I can support myself. Love this video. 😂 poop squat
I'm 57 been working on and succeeding at increasing mobility, flexibility and range of motion through PNF Stretching and yoga for the last 2 years. I am a competitive tennis player and coach. I also play badminton and golf weekly, so improving athletic performance is highly desirable. I can feel some hip impingement during the PNF sessions and I am close to succeeding for the Asian squat, but not 100% there yet. I watched a number of videos on achieving this deep squat, but your explanation is particularly good and practical. I was amused to see a bunch of things in the background that I also own - the Thera Cane, kettleballs, foam roller, and Chirp wheel. I also have about 8 of the yoga blocks, so I will be able to start the exercises you recommended tonight! If this works, I will sub and refer others!
I'm young, but have lived a very sedentary lifestyle for years. I find myself struggling with hip and hamstring mobility alot, so I've been trying to teach myself how to deep squat. I never really understood why I struggled so much, but now that you pointed out the external rotation it makes a lot of sense.
For me, the most difficult part has to do with my ankles. Depending on how active I am, my ankle flexibility varies. I’ve been able to just sit, even with a loaded bar on my back, but this morning I have to be actively engaged throughout the range of motion so my ankles don’t project me forward.
I recently started working on my deep squat. I'm well over 60 and it is one of the things that is very hard for me to do. I've been practicing for a few weeks now but Im never sure whether or not I should point my knees out or inward so I do both, lol. Thanks so much for breaking this down. Helps sooo much!🌺
This young man makes great sense. I am subscribing now. Yep, been practicing squats and I am getting better, I am able to squat quite easily on a hill side. Found out one day, 😅
As a physical therapist, I approve of this message 🎉. I help my patients work into a deep squat safety. We did it as toddlers and children- we only stop doing it as adults because we stop playing.
I first watched one of your videos about squatting about a month ago, and I've been doing it every day since. My ankles and thighs have gotten so much stronger and I can hold the squat much longer than I used to be able to.
I lived in China for 6 years teaching English in the University Of China in different cities. This was one of my first culture experience. How to squat over a 6 inch hole in the floor, and stand up again without having a problem in the back of your pants. Then not touching the walls or anything when returning to a standing position. I am amazed . I never heard an old person complain about their knees for back. Everything always came out OK..Operations were always a success.. Once you get accustomed to it.
Can you share how you managed the pants situation? As someone who grew up in the U.S., I have not yet mastered squatting to poo while keeping the pants ON.
@@Uprighthealth I am American. I don't know if being Cherokee makes a difference. However, squatting like you must do in China has never been a problem. When you squat, you must move your knees apart far enough, and foot position, then lean forwards far enough to keep your balance. Practice this with the thinking that when you go to a countryside park ,with the W C sign on the outside, remember there is no TP supplied anywhere, and Don't Touch the walls. Others have been there before you.
@@Uprighthealth I am 73, and had to remember how lazy I had become with the Western throne. I have always deep squatted when I need to be closer to the ground. Bending over or one knee on the ground method always caused pain in a knee after a short time. After walking everywhere in China helped strengthen every thin from the belly button down. As I followed children and old ladies up 45* stairs above the 5th floor at almost a race speed. No elevators below the 5th floor. It made the squat more understand able. Even with a crushed disc in my lower back, it is still a most comfortable position than many others where bending at the waist is required.
I had to squat in Puerto Rico when 5-7 years old. Forgot to squat when I came back to US, but still able to achieve squatting at 66yrs. I guess muscle memory had some to do with it.
For some reason, for me the primal or Asian squat has been a preferred position to work in. I'm a tailor, seamstress and artist and I love to work on the floor. I feel very uncomfortable sitting in a chair for too long. I alternate between sort of working in a child's pose, and a deep squat. I genuinely rest in that squat regularly, and I was very worried when I saw the title of your video, cause I thought there's no way deep squats are bad for you! If they are I don't know how I'll be able to deal with that!
I like your video, and have always found the deep squat to be very comfortable to do. Instead of standing I might prefer to sit, and the deep squat does come in handy to use while waiting for a time, or doing something on the ground. But some people treat it as if it is unusual to sit this way and want to know if you are ok or need help to get up. Probably been doing it since being a child, and feels normal and fine to easily change from standing to squatting and back. Sometims I am gardening, or potting in this position to fill pots with the dirt and plants, rather than bending over the top of plants in one position for the while. I think the squat positiin is better.
I was a roofer for 20 years. Spent so much time squatting at my job ,that now i get uncomfortable standing for long. But when I squat my lower back loosens up immediately. Makes me think standing is actually bad for your back
@@bacicinvatteneaca or maybe could it be that your body is telling you it wants to move? Any position that i hold fold too long makes me uncomfortable. Even if it’s said to be a good or healthy position. Someone tried to sell me a mattress once, and one of the selling points was that is was so comfortable and wholesome that it prevented you from moving in your sleep. I did not get how that was a selling point.
Registered Massage Therapist and Registered Acupuncturist here. I always tell paitents: the more you cannot do it, the more you NEED todo it. I teach them modified versoins, using the help of a wall/door/sofa until they feel comfortable to do it without help - some of them are over 70 years old. Love your videos btw. 👍👍
I'm a massage therapist & personal trainer , those stretches are done during a massage session if anyone was against it they fear loosing their clients ; I also had to implament squating or elevating my feet to do #2 and my negative " emotions " fall out much easier less pushing .
Massage Therapist here 👋 I love deep squats, and would never discourage someone from aiming to get into a deep squat (as long as they are able to do it without pain or dysfunction) 👍
Hi 👋 Great video and explanation! I'm going to watch all of your others. I recently learned of the benefits of deep squatting and in only a few days I already notice a difference in my mobility and pain issues. I wish I knew about this years ago! Now, I've got my husband trying them as well. I'm excited for us both to continue incorporating deep squats into our journey towards improved health. Thank you! 😀
I fell 5 stories, 29 of my vertebrae are fused with rods. As my son says I'm stiff as a rock. Your videos are slowly limbering me up. I'm still at the funny amican squat but I'm working to get better. Thank you for doing these teaching me how to do without getting hurt.
I'm a white dude and I always thought the Western squat philosophy was wacked. I know myself when I do a deep squat to stretch, it feels amazing and releases a lot of stress. Thanks for the vid and the exercises 🙂
Thank you! I now have a use for my yoga blocks that I purchased years ago, but never used! I have one side that's maybe weaker than the other so this should help me with getting my squats deeper without any discomfort hopefully!
As a Western living caucasian whitey, I fully back what Upright Health is saying.😄 I’m a landscape gardener (all day touching the ground, weeding, often in the Asian squat position) and like camping where the squat comes in handy when using a hole in the ground for a toilet. I also practice yoga. “Use it or lose it” is a term a physical therapist told me, meaning if you don’t use your full range of movement you won’t have full range of movement. The more you make life’s actions “easier” for you, the less actions you do, and the more sedentary you become.
Hello there, I have been always done squats and At 71 I still am very comfortable in that position. I am Native American and my grandma has always done squats and feel comfortable in that position. Keep doing what you do❣️
I’m in my 40’s and have been sitting like this almost daily since I was a child. It’s one of my favorite position because it’s so natural for me and therefore so comfortable. I don’t intend on stopping now 🤷🏻♀️
I couldn’t even squat in high school! At 54, it’s become my goal. I’ll add these exercises… they look painful but I’m now convinced how necessary they are- thanks! Your humor is great too! 💩
wow!!!! I was able to squat for the first time in years with my heels down! Thank you so much!!!!!! This has been a major goal for me. Warmest regards Jennie
Can't thank you enough for telling the truth about deep squatting!!! Although I do squats every day, I have not done a deep squat since I was a baby. It's not that I don't know better - because I remember my grandmother would stop and deep squat to relieve herself in the woods on the farm. Plus, when I was in Asia I was reminded again of deep squatting. My laziness over the years - I'm 78 years young - has cost me the ability to deep squat. So, beginning today I shall/will do these exercises. And thank you again for dispelling this bogus information.
I'm still working on managing to get into a deep squat without turning out legs/feet, so I will give this exercise a try - thank you! (And I always have to wonder about experts who think they know more than human history, lol - humans have been doing deep squats since they became human, so I would think it's a motion our bodies are literally made to do.)
i think you need to half squat well, like a few hundred squat a session, before you start to do deep squat. some people hips are very weak to start out instantly on deep squat. i start out on half squat it look like a horse stand o martial art for a year a so before i start to do deep squat. I can do like a few hundred deep squat a session at ease now.
@@lizblake4802 Neat! My hips swing wide whether doing a squat or doing butterflies (my knees fall to the floor with those). I can still deep squat with my feet straight and close together but my knees end up in front of my armpits and I have to keep my arms out in front of me to keep from falling backwards. Guess I just need to work on that and then I can squat any which way I want.
Great video! I love the explanation of the importance of hip internal rotation for deep squatting. The mistakes I've been making with improper external rotation are all becoming clear over the last few days! Love the exerise too.
I love these videos that show these exercises. I will be doing this from now on. Last year, I started eating healthier and working out to lose weight to avoid diabetes and get stronger because of my sedentary office work lifestyle. I also tried yoga and general stretching for hips, knee and ankle fluidity of motion. When you start getting old and you don't exercise regularly, your body gets stiff and it always hurts in the mornings. Well, yoga is not for me; the movements are too static for me. But I love general stretching and cardio exercises to stay limber. I feel like sitting this way is a form of stretching. I also like strengthening my core and lower body. This form of squatting helps so much with getting low and cleaning the floor, reaching into low cabinets for pots and pans, and for not embarrassing myself when I have to pick up things of the ground in public, lol. I feel younger. 😊
Ive been working on the deep squat for a few months now. Keep hurting my lower back in life, so ive learned about hip mobility. Im so tight i think im years away from being able to do it without holding on to something. Havent worked on internal rotation much. Thanks for the advice and excellent video
ive always sat in deep squatted positions with lifted ankles and was taught squats with feet spread a part. ive found it difficult, even painful in my hips, to fold to the point of a grounded deep squat, but this vid def explained the muscles i need to work to mitigate that. thanks!
I'm going to try this for sure. I've been trying to increase my overall health at 220 pounds and full squats have been very difficult for me due to the hips not wanting to go down all the way. I do feel like I get stuck!!!
I started primal squat about a year ago and was curious so one weekend we were off-roading in the mountains, pulled over and did my business. Yep, totally natural and much easier than sitting on a toilet.
It wasn't until 3 minutes into the video that I realized your title was not referring to YOUR perspective. LOL. Thank god. I was trying to figure out why you thought deep squats were not safe. I thank baby Jesus that you aren't. Keep up the good work!
I used to think my knee pain was just a sign of getting old. Your videos got me moving and I rarely have knee pain, and I’m getting pretty good at squatting! ❤❤❤
I love love loved this...tried the exercise and totally get how it will help. My biggest concern is bad ankle and calf mobility. Do you have a video for that?
Am 73 and been doing squats for decades, I discovered doing yoga. I never thought of them in the potty poopy way … but how some native peoples can squat all day. For me staying flexible is critical as my body is aging!
Thank you for your video. I just watched a video showing why you should put elastic around your knees when you squat to force your hip into external rotation! I learned in yoga that the femur internally rotates as we hip hinge. These fitness "experts" haven't gotten the memo!
Hello and thanks for the excellent info. I’ll be incorporating this exercise into my routine to improve my deep squats and control the current dominating external rotation. Oh, and thanks for the laughs too!
I am soooo happy your video showed up in my feed! It is funny, informative, useful, concise and succinct! Thank you for not taking a million years to get to the point! I am 52 and I found out I have some mild disk degeneration which is affecting my alignment. So, thank you for this. My hips feel awfully tight and the exercise you show using the yoga block is one I have never seen but am eager to try. Thanks again!!!
Whenever I try this movement (and I tryed it a lot over a lot of time) I always always either fall backward, round my back like crazy or my hips start to cramp. When I look in the mirror while doing this I see my femurs around a 20 to 30 degree angle to the ground. However if I take a wide stance with my feet it feels completly comfortable and natural to me. This was suggested to me by someone that told me my femurs are relativly long. So I have given up on asian squats for good. If I need to get down I might look like a fool with my feet wider apart, but at least I dont feel like trying to push my bones into each other.
Altho getting and staying down in a full deep squat comes super easy for me, lately I find the act of standing back up tends to tweak either my right hip flexor or upper thigh muscle. I also regularly deal w/ the sensation that my left leg is longer, even tho they've been checked and are the same length. The ground always feels higher under my left foot, and various muscles around the right side of my hip are easily tweaked.
I learned how to do this while working in China in my 50’s. You see people killing time in a long line by squatting and playin on their phone, or chatting. They can stay in this position indefinitely bc they’ve been doing it since childhood. I even saw elderly men and women in their 90’s doing it without effort. At first, I needed to hold on to a piece of furniture for support and struggled to stand up without support. But my progress progressed rather quickly and now I do it effortlessly every day. I even squat this deeply at the gym using the smith machine or free weights. It has strengthened and developed my hips, thighs, and butt tremendously and made my range of motion more fluent. Stick with it - it will happen!
omg, I can do the Asian squat! I've been doing those leg exercises because they help my bowed legs straighten a bit *gulp* but I thought I'd never be able to do the squat properly! My muscles have gotten strength now, thank you so much!
As a man who has always been squatting by nature, I find it a little amusing that adult humans have to re- learn this basic natural human stance. At almost 52 I still have zero problem staying squatted for a long time, or getting into and out of the position. I do realize I'm a little unusual here in Norway, where people are really stiff 😆
I am a 74 year old female doing among others few dumbbells exercises. I love your videos , you are always so explicit and this particular exercise is so good. My question is can I do these two exercises as warm up or after my dumbbells workout? Thank you so much
It took me 3x day for two weeks to get all the way down and another. two weeks to get all the way upright on my feet without grabbing something for support,now I got it for 3 minutes or 4-5 reps quickly, thanks a lot! by the way,I'm 67 y.o.
I think everyone can benefit from doing at least a few squats a day, at minimum. Don't even need weight, it noticeably makes you more mobile either way, and even if it doesn't build much muscle it still keeps what you've got strong.
Matt- I have been watching your videos a long time and wanted to let you know your advice and presentation is so great. Your deep squat/poop video today had me laughing! Its hard I'm sure, to share technical info and make people laugh, but you and the bony sidekick do lighten things up.
My sticking spots are now my knees. It was amazing how much more fluid my movements were after this! Can you put all your asian squat exercises in one routine? I'd like to work them into my routine without having to fish between videos (more likely I get distracted)
Thank you very much! I am inspired to get two deep squat toilets for my wife and I. I have also been thinking about dumping all the couches and chairs. Oops, but you have a love seat, so I will think harder about that. We do somatic movements on the floor. Yesterday, we did yard work that was demanding on the arms, shoulders, back, hips, spine and ankles. These deep squats seem like the ticket to getting over the pain. Thank you very much! Keep on teaching!
I studied and instructed classical ballet for 20 years of my life. I’m 64, winning over chronic illness……I will NOT allow that thing to ruin my life. I’m finally getting back into doing some exercises I used to do. I’m doing a beginner form of barre exercises. A deep squat feels SO GOOD! Rising from a squat will take practice and using a door frame for stability is what I’ve chosen. I know I have some muscle atrophy, but I also have muscle memory! I’ll continue practicing and building back my strength. Thank you for creating and posting this video! Much love to you and your family in oneness🙏🏻❤️🕊
That is awesome an inspiring to me. I am 66 & it seems to me at age 60 I started noticing a huge decline in many things. Unfortunately I had a very bad automobile accident in 2015 that caused many issues for several years after. That auto accident completely changed my life. I did a lot of physical rehabilitation & mental. Then I started hearing there's only so much that you can rehab before you learn to live with certain things. This is why I appreciate your comment about you're just not going to allow it. My biggest difficulty is wondering how I lived such an intense life & then all of a sudden I was living a whole new life alone & with a completely different financial bracket. At this point & for the last 3 years I simply don't want to do the things that are necessary to function in life other than take a shower brush my teeth pee poop eat drive to the store get what I need figure out my money deal with a sleep disorder & try to figure out which adult child is irritated with me on a phone call. Lol side note as a side job with my main higher paying careers I taught aerobics, step classes you name it licensed for 10 years. In 1996 I gave up that license & completely focused on my family & very little on myself. I switched careers at 50 which required me to be in shape so I did well at that time with it but then back to behind a computer. Now I'm really free & don't understand why I'm not out there at least walking but I'm particularly interested in your beginner barre because when I was 17 I entered into college as a dance student along with all the other classes that we dislike. I was not able to continue because at the time I had a lot of pain in my knees & it was diagnosed as chondromalacia. You basically just live with the pain & take aspirin all the time or you consider surgery or you do physical rehab. This would have been the mid 70s. As my life went on by the 80s
I was cycling on road & off road & it wasn't bothering me. So I think many of these things that we go through in our body do in fact change the same way as we do naturally & should. I kept promising myself I was going to get my money right & at least get back into some fun dancing from ballroom to ballet it didn't matter to me it's in my blood. But I have not pursued anything. The other thing I found so helpful in my rehab was water so I always gravitate towards a pool. The waves at the beach for a while we're not the best for me to be moving in. Long story but I noted your age right away and the beg beginning bar exercise. What are you doing currently & was this a video that you were watching that you can share? How do you install a barre or do you go somewhere?
What if both one's meniscus are ruptured?
Shane Dorian, big wave legend said nothing humbled him like practicing classic ballet.
I've recovered from a THR. She 65 I'm doing weight training with a professional trainer. I also do animal movements that improves everything else I do. Check out Strengthside Fitness! ❤
Love your reply! As an ex professional dancer and ballet teacher for over 40 years, I know that our work ethic wouldn’t allow us to give up. I am 69 and still teach, take Pilates, play pickleball competitively and take tango classes ❤ Use it or lose it and an Asian squat is still easy for me but I do suspect that some people’s hip sockets who are very shallow with extreme natural rotation have trouble with it. I have witnessed this and they are still young!
I am Asian so I deep squat everyday without thinking about it, and not a problem for me at 70. It's just a natural move I do everyday at my yard and in kitchen, or when fixing things on the floor
Same
Me asian but i can no longer deep squat 🙃
It's because it's a healthy movement for the knees - it strengthens the muscles and tendons around the knees. When these things are pulled at, they get strengthened
@@lollsazz more importantly is the fluid in the knee gets a chance to circulate for healing.
Same here. It feels so good on my hips. I couldn’t NOT do it!
I've been working on this for 6 months. I can do it! Now I'm practicing squat and hold for 60 seconds! I'm feeling stronger at 66 years old.
Now practice getting up from your squat without using arms or hands.
You may be interested in the Isochain. If the commercial one is too expensive search 'DIY Isochain' and a video will show how to make one. I guarantee you that nothing else will make you stronger period. Greatest thing I ever discovered. I do squats with it too.
@@lynette599 😂😂😂 that is a *killer* combo
Heck yeah Dena! Keep at it
We’re you having pain in the hips when you started trying to squat?
Great video. I'm 72 years young and am learning that hip flexibility helps nearly everything I do. Thanks so much. You are a good instructor.
Yes, the hips might be the most important body part to keep strong and healthy.
You might want to change the title. If I hadn't watched the video I would have thought it was warning against deep squats. I'm glad I watched! Otherwise great video:)
That's how he got you (and me and 1.5 million other people) to click the video.
That's the point of the title.
Same
Its called click bait old man
I confused as he didn’t even address safety.
I used to suffer from excruciating hip pain. Ever since training my body to eventually do asian squats, and now successfully practicing this method, my hip pain is gone! I'm all for training my body with mobility exercises that will last all my life. When you're old, you should be able to get yourself back up if you fall (unless of course you had a stroke, heart attack or some other serious event).
I have a physical job that requires me to either squat or kneel a lot- and on concrete I've rather squat.
so I watched your "How to Asian Squat" about a year ago. Only took a month to perfect it, and it's been soooo helpful.
Also good because I have coordination problems that make high impact exercises difficult to do safely.
I had a full hip replacement in November 2021. I can do a deep "potty squatty" squat again now and I must say, it is so comfortable...stretches out my back, hip, and quad muscles. I garden in a squat, clean stuff on the floor in a squat, and just do it because it's a great stretch in the morning. I'm almost 65....I love your response to the "not safe" mantra!
I went into this squat, without thinking, when I gardened the other day. Is it because I leaned further forward than I did when simply trying it as an exercise (when I found I was in danger of toppling backwards)?
@Jenny O'Donnell how did it feel? Did you experience pain or difficulty standing? It feels like a good stretch to me and my knees feel limber. Listen to your body!👍😊
Wow.
@@jennyodonnell1346
Go slow. Agree don’t compare just listen to your body and what feels right and best for you. ✌️
Glad you are able to do the squat again, I also like to garden in squat position, and also do other things, you reminded me - I often clean up a bit of floor space this way too. After doggy has eaten the floor is a little messy, so I get down and clean up the floor around her bowls twice a day in the squat position. Partner cannot squat and regards himself as superior to me, to not have to squat and clean. I know im better off to be ok to easily do this quick easy clean up every day.
Ohhhhh! That explains a lot! I can squat so easily and then am in pain from how easily my hips splay out to the sides. And I couldn’t get up and down into the squat without hands. Your alignment method fixed it! And the knees slightly inward helped me get up and down without hands. Thank you for straightening this out for me!
Happy to help! Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
Young man,i do this exercise since 4 weeks.Follow your words.And now: i can walk normal after 20 years pain in back,hip and feet.I am 68 and lucky and thankfull.Be blessed everyday, you do a wonderful Work.💚☮️🙏🍀And Abo
I’m 64 and have been doing the Asian squat for a couple of years. I have stronger ankles, hips and thighs because of it. I can squat up and down with ease. The stretch feels amazing and relieves a lot of muscle tightness.
I first saw one of your videos re "Asian Squat" a few months ago and realized that I've been doing that all my life despite my European origin. At 78 I still squat whenever I need to pick up something from the floor or when cleaning out the litter boxes for 3 resident cats or when playing with my grandsons at floor level. Your videos are great and reinforce my belief that moving and doing despite infirmities is extremely important. Thanks!
Yeah I've naturally been doing it and prob weird looks from some people but it's so comfortable
I came across your video last night. I wondered why it was uncomfortable to do a wide squat! I have been overweight for most of my life and had significant knee injuries starting at 12 years old. No rehab, just a lifetime excuse removing me from PE.
By my 30s I had several more knee injuries and multiple surgeries. One such surgery was to reconstruct my ACL, which I tore at 12yo.
I slipped on a spill in a department store and hurt my back 17 years ago a week post one of my many knee surgeries. Chronic back pain developed, even though I was more active than ever!
So, this morning, I did 2 sets of 20 external rotation you demonstrated. Something popped in my back during my first set! BACK PAIN ALLEVIATED!!! Able to deep squat but weight was forward. Able to punch ground like you!
I bad been doing stretches, chiropractic, injections, and exercises for YEARS to alleviate this pain, and one little hip rotation on the yoga block relieved the impingement
Doing this exercise for life!!!
I can't wait to see how my gait, balance, strength, and flexibility improve!
Thank you for posting🙏
Thank you for sharing how you went from chronic stiffness and pain to working those muscles that allow you to free yourself from it. Great real life story. Take care of your body it well take care of you. I'm sixty six and working my hips allows me to play better golf and I walk the course. Keep stretching and exercising those hips, hip flexors.
Thank you so much young man. I really mean it. I am an old man no as in my mind seventies. All my life I have exercised doing this and that. Then after I was in the hospital for over a year , I decided to just give up on exercising. Then About two months ago or something I found it real hard to get around and running short of breath even when I was at the Supermarket. Now I am getting back into exercising especially the legs and I find myself being able to get around a little bit easier. I really never paid a whole lot of attention to doing squats only leg curls, leg extensions and calf raises and of course jogging. Though I am an old man, moving around like old man and feeling like a real old man really sucks. Big time. Once again it's never too late to learn anything Once again young man, I truly sincerely thank you so very, very much for helping me and advising me how to do things right Have Blessed Evening. Adios.
I am UK Anglo-Saxon, and I had a bilateral hip replacement in 2017 at age 60. I now have two ceramic titanium hips. I can now achieve a deep squat, considered a no-go by the surgeon; the exercises you demonstrated were similar to the physiotherapy I had to do to recover after the op.
@@navigator100group2 why are you anglo-saxon
I just wanted to say, I don't particularly have issues with movements or muscles that your videos are aimed at. However, as a relatively high performance athlete, i find your videos extremely useful. Always help remind me about the less obvious muscles or ranges of motion, etc. You've definitely helped me continue training hard without injury. Such valuable info for literally all levels of movement. Thank you!
i notice, especially as I age, that as I train one type of motion, move, technique a million times over and over for a sport or hobby or whatever, I become more efficient in that movement...
but in doing so, I notice that the same thing that causes that "efficiency" (being able to relax other muscles, CNS efficiency, etc.) also ends up causing imbalance problems that later cause more things like tendonopathy or whatever that causes pain and disfunction.
Being efficient in one thing shouldn’t be an issue but not having movement variability probably is
Yes. Even an athlete can learn something from this video. "The less obvious muscles or ranges of motion". Working these muscles is also benefitting my movements and well being.
Glad I found your channel! I'm turning 55 this year and am about as unfit as I've ever been due to various circumstances in recent years. But my goal is to reverse that situation. My knees seem to be my biggest issue with deep squatting atm but my hip flexors definitely need help too. When I travelled o/s a lot in my late 20s & early 30s I was definitely able to deep squat to use the loo in countries that didn't have western loos, no problem. To make matters worse, now my job has me seated virtually all day long so I have some work ahead of me. I look forward to exploring more of your videos. I really enjoyed this one - you're both informative and funny. Good combo! Thanks
I suffered serious knee problems until I started doing deep squats. Literally within a few weeks, deep squats got rid of all my knee pains. Something months of physio and "safe" resistance training didn't fix.
Got it yeah my left knee started hurting and it started to scare me. I love doing squats at the gym and now it's on hold and I was like thinking am I screwed forever now. So I'll do that and cycling and hopefully I'll manage to get back in shape. I think he's right it's because of our age and The limited motion we do in Western societies.
Yep. Rotational shoulder exercises are another demonised movement that people really should be doing; responsibly, of course.
Oh that is encouraging, thank you!
Wow, that’s interesting!
Thanks for this comment! I always thought it would make my knees worse.
I found this surprisingly easy. I've been overweight in my younger years (I'm not anymore). And, at 57, I just found out I'm doing squats right; I always went for comfort and ease and wondered why they looked different than those on the instructional videos. Thanks!
I traveled for a year in Asia, 30 years ago and had to learn to squat (pit toilets were still common across Asia then). I got really good at this squat, felt healthier because of it. Now I am adding this in as a basic exercise to strengthen my knees and legs (I'm a skier and have had some knee challenges). Already feeling better about being able to it again! Great video!
I'm 65 and I've recently begun working on this pose to improve my mobility. This exercise is going to be a game changer...
Thanks so much.
This guy saved me from a hip surgury so stay with him.
@@Br1cht Ooh, that's great to know. I had knee arthroscopic surgery 15 year's ago and was told I should never squat in a deep pose however the information on this has changed dramatically (I work at an orthopedic hospital) so, it's now recommended to work on squats, splits and lunges for optimal mobility health.
That's when taki mika started
At 65. She was gaining weight
Now at 92, she's doing splits 😊
@@kathleenking47
Yes she’s good but we don’t know if she any health issues like knee or hip replacement that would make it much harder. ✌️
@@jmc8076 you think. She got them before? She's 92..I think NATO could be one of her secrets
The stuff lowers my bp
Wow! Squatting like this feels better. I was always taught to externally rotate like you said and point the toes outward. Doing the way you demonstrated gave me more control and felt less awkward 😊 Thanks. I’m going to include this in my daily exercise regimen
You made this subject entertaining and understandable. These tiny exercises drive me crazy, yet you made me want to do them because of your persuasive teaching. I get more caring vibes from you than from my doctors, thank you! It's also hilarious that you proved most doctors are literally full of shit-because they don't know shit about deep squatting.
love your videos...I'm woman of 73 and love including the squat in my daily routines.
Good stuff. Thanks. The more I improved at this the more I realized the myth of spreading the knees with elbows. Amazing how many provide false information.
Used to be able to Asian squat years ago. After viewing the first video on this position, decided to work on doing so, again. Have watched a number of your other videos and, at 67, have decided to incorporate those other exercises into my exercise routine. Thanks a lot. Happy to have run across your channel.
Thank you. When I was giving birth to my second son, my body instinctively wanted to squat. The nurse and doctor kept pushing me on my back. My son was born breech with his heel and butt birthing first. He was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck three times. He weighed 8#4 oz, 19.5" long. I only weighed 130#. I believe that had I been able to squat, the process would have been much easier for him and me. He's 50 years old now. Here's to proper squats.
I believe Egyptians used to "kneel" in order to give birth, using special blocks that they rested their knees on. Very possible it was a deep squat sort of position.
also, what about gravity? a woman on her back is easier for drs, not women.
I'm so sorry this happened to you. I'm sure your body was right and I'm sorry your attendants were not supportive. I was exactly the same, by instinct doing really deep sumo style squats which I think accelerated labour. (Gravity - baby's head - dilation...) Lying on my back felt terribly wrong. I was extremely lucky to have midwives who let me follow my instincts, and both births were fast and problem-free. let's hear it for squats!
I heard that in developing countries, where they just use their instincts, they squat on the ground when giving birth.
@@jessicafalstein yup. I learned this from Mid-wife Nurse Practitioners. The typical hospital way of birthing is all about convenience for doctors and hospitals, and OBs in the past were typically men who did not know or really care about the patient’s experience.
Thank you for the Inspiration and Information❣️I made achieving the Asian Squat a Goal for myself.I had an accident where I broke up my ankle.Ive just been reminded of my goal once more and I'm on it!❣️♨️💯🙏🙂
I’m 73 female western women. Always have been squatting without thinking it would be helpful later in my life. Today it is 😊. I’m happy a did it natural 😊
Very informative. Reading the title, at first, I thought you were going to say deep squatting was bad, so I'm glad I'm not ruining my body by trying to do so
So happy for your videos! Several of my Volleyball mates do this a lot when waiting to rotate in and I want to do the same. It’s such a great Quad stretch, so useful in so many daily moves!
I love your energy, humor, honesty, down-to-earth, informative videos, Matt!!!!
Well, this exercise is definitely getting added to my workout. I can do a deep squat, always have been able to. However, your video has made me realise that my legs are externally rotated to a fair degree, so this exercise will help correct that. Many thanks!
I am 79 and recently started to do squats. Have done a lot of partial squat exercises through the years but encouraged by your video to progress to full squats
Great video. I love coaching my clients on doing the deep squat. One of the biggest problems preventing people from doing deep squats is stiff ankle joints especially those with high arches.
That's me. And it's really holding me back since my estrogen and thus collagen pretty much jumped ship over the last year. I want to get on track now at 51 because I feel like my muscle mass and flexibility over the next few years will basically determine my quality of life for my final decades. And I have no idea how to achieve this with joints that are now constantly rebelling. So I'm on RUclips looking for clues 😅
As a former dancer regular squats are a huge challenge because I worked for years on externally rotating my hips. Now that I’m in my 40’s most of my injuries are rooted on that capability. PF tightness, weaker knees, early arthritis on my hips and ankles, plus Lower back pain. Internal rotation is painful and almost impossible but the days I make myself do it, it’s like magic. It’s been 3 years and I achieved squats finally, and thanks to your great information I have a new exercise ❤
I have persistent hip joint pain and mri doesn’t show anything because I keep getting them when I’m not having a flair up. I wonder if it’d from dancing and running track.
Very interesting. I have osteoarthritis in my right hip; I wonder if it's from a similar cause, learning later in life to do the full lotus posture for zazen. It was heavenly and very comfortable, and to finally get there in my late 60s I did lots of "hip openers". But
after a couple of years of sitting lotus every day for 40 mins, and sometimes twice, it apparently backfired. So now I cannot do the "butterfly" or even half lotus any more. At first I was very depressed, as walking was painful. But now I can do these deep squats, and I can climb stairs. To meditate I sit seiza, and thankfully that has become comfortable and does NOT over stretch my hip. With collagen and other supplement, the pain has almost gone away, so I can walk 40minutes which was not the case before. Doubt if I will ever be able to run, ski, or do karate kicks again, but that's not bad. PS I got over lower back pain by cutting out sugar and white flour....apparently my gut was inflamed and that pulled on my muscles.
"Spirare Fitness" I am no expert but I guess knees can get immobile due to improper exercise or no exercise or maybe it just comes with older age to name a few things, but such conditions may be helped with the right strengthening and flexibility exercises. But I think that if knee pain and immobility is due to arthritis, then doing painful exercises is not the answer. It would probably make the condition worse . Trying to strengthen certain muscles will damage cartilage and bones in the process. I have had to learn to tell doctors that I will not accept physical therapy as it has only made the condition worse in the past.
any intense physical activity that you do regularly from a young age is going to cause similar problems. when you're growing, your body is much more pliable. and so you can create "perfect athletes" whose bodies are essentially designed for their given sport. but evidence shows that this almost always leads to issues later in life, and it would be much safer for kids and teenagers to stay active with casual sports instead of intense focused training, and we should only really start taking part in intense sporting activities like dance, martial arts, rugby, etc after our bodies have mostly stopped growing. this is part of the reason why athletes tend to have short careers, even though the human body is fully capable of maintaining peak performance well into your 40s with proper management.
This is my story as well. Here's to unlocking new abilities.
Very true. I'm 58 and have Fibromyalgia and old neck and back issues. I do yoga to stretch. When I'm in a shop I squart down to read the items on bottom shelf. Can tell it surprises people but it's so easy instead of doubling over.
I spent many months in South Korea making annual trips for martial arts training for about 15 years. The Asian squat was a resting position, work position, eating position. 25 years ago, all you could find were squat toilets (except at the hotels, I slept on the floor of the dojang so I used the squat toilet).
Thanks to your channel I managed to find exercises to rehabilitate my knee after an injury. Other channels had strengthening exercises but on your channel I was able to strengthen the stabilizers with simple movements first. They weren't even knee specific exercises, just the concept was an uh huh moment for me. A two year chronic injury was fixed in just 2-3 months, thanks.
Have horrible knee pain and am a bit overweight.
Recently returned from visiting my partners family in Vietnam where they all deep squat to hangout on the living room floor, eat street food, just about everything and I was so awkward and in pain all the time so I did a little research and just yesterday have started doing assisted deep squats (with a wall). I'm going to keep doing it daily until I can support myself.
Love this video.
😂 poop squat
Stay strong my man and keep it going!
I'm 57 been working on and succeeding at increasing mobility, flexibility and range of motion through PNF Stretching and yoga for the last 2 years. I am a competitive tennis player and coach. I also play badminton and golf weekly, so improving athletic performance is highly desirable. I can feel some hip impingement during the PNF sessions and I am close to succeeding for the Asian squat, but not 100% there yet.
I watched a number of videos on achieving this deep squat, but your explanation is particularly good and practical. I was amused to see a bunch of things in the background that I also own - the Thera Cane, kettleballs, foam roller, and Chirp wheel. I also have about 8 of the yoga blocks, so I will be able to start the exercises you recommended tonight!
If this works, I will sub and refer others!
I'm young, but have lived a very sedentary lifestyle for years. I find myself struggling with hip and hamstring mobility alot, so I've been trying to teach myself how to deep squat. I never really understood why I struggled so much, but now that you pointed out the external rotation it makes a lot of sense.
So glad he explained that!!
For me, the most difficult part has to do with my ankles. Depending on how active I am, my ankle flexibility varies. I’ve been able to just sit, even with a loaded bar on my back, but this morning I have to be actively engaged throughout the range of motion so my ankles don’t project me forward.
I recently started working on my deep squat. I'm well over 60 and it is one of the things that is very hard for me to do. I've been practicing for a few weeks now but Im never sure whether or not I should point my knees out or inward so I do both, lol. Thanks so much for breaking this down. Helps sooo much!🌺
This young man makes great sense.
I am subscribing now. Yep, been practicing squats and I am getting better, I am able to squat quite easily on a hill side.
Found out one day, 😅
As a physical therapist, I approve of this message 🎉. I help my patients work into a deep squat safety. We did it as toddlers and children- we only stop doing it as adults because we stop playing.
I first watched one of your videos about squatting about a month ago, and I've been doing it every day since. My ankles and thighs have gotten so much stronger and I can hold the squat much longer than I used to be able to.
I lived in China for 6 years teaching English in the University Of China in different cities. This was one of my
first culture experience. How to squat over a 6 inch hole in the floor, and stand up again without having a problem in the back of your pants. Then not touching the walls or anything when returning to a standing position. I am amazed . I never heard an old person complain about their knees for back. Everything always came out OK..Operations were always a success.. Once you get accustomed to it.
Can you share how you managed the pants situation? As someone who grew up in the U.S., I have not yet mastered squatting to poo while keeping the pants ON.
@@Uprighthealth I am American. I don't know if being Cherokee makes a difference. However, squatting like you must do in China has never been a problem. When you squat, you must move your knees apart far enough, and foot position, then lean forwards far enough to keep your balance. Practice this with the thinking that when you go to a countryside park ,with the W C sign on the outside, remember there is no TP supplied anywhere, and Don't Touch the walls. Others have been there before you.
@@Uprighthealth I am 73, and had to remember how lazy I had become with the Western throne. I have always deep squatted when I need to be closer to the ground. Bending over or one knee on the ground method always caused pain in a knee after a short time. After walking everywhere in China helped strengthen every thin from the belly button down. As I followed children and old ladies up 45* stairs above the 5th floor at almost a race speed. No elevators below the 5th floor. It made the squat more understand able. Even with a crushed disc in my lower back, it is still a most comfortable position than many others where bending at the waist is required.
They have toilets in some North African countries too.
I had to squat in Puerto Rico when 5-7 years old. Forgot to squat when I came back to US, but still able to achieve squatting at 66yrs. I guess muscle memory had some to do with it.
Great video! This exercise is a game changer. My squat is getting better - just need more ankle mobility and it will be a comfortable way to sit.
I am impressed with the clarity of your teaching.
Thanks so much for uploading this video! It's not only useful but also very funny. ; )
Keep up the good job and have a nice weekend!
For some reason, for me the primal or Asian squat has been a preferred position to work in. I'm a tailor, seamstress and artist and I love to work on the floor. I feel very uncomfortable sitting in a chair for too long. I alternate between sort of working in a child's pose, and a deep squat. I genuinely rest in that squat regularly, and I was very worried when I saw the title of your video, cause I thought there's no way deep squats are bad for you! If they are I don't know how I'll be able to deal with that!
Same
I like your video, and have always found the deep squat to be very comfortable to do. Instead of standing I might prefer to sit, and the deep squat does come in handy to use while waiting for a time, or doing something on the ground. But some people treat it as if it is unusual to sit this way and want to know if you are ok or need help to get up. Probably been doing it since being a child, and feels normal and fine to easily change from standing to squatting and back. Sometims I am gardening, or potting in this position to fill pots with the dirt and plants, rather than bending over the top of plants in one position for the while. I think the squat positiin is better.
I was a roofer for 20 years. Spent so much time squatting at my job ,that now i get uncomfortable standing for long. But when I squat my lower back loosens up immediately. Makes me think standing is actually bad for your back
The sitting so long is very bad I find😮
Standing is good if your back is doing its job, sitting is bad unless you focus hard on how you sit
@@bacicinvatteneaca or maybe could it be that your body is telling you it wants to move? Any position that i hold fold too long makes me uncomfortable. Even if it’s said to be a good or healthy position.
Someone tried to sell me a mattress once, and one of the selling points was that is was so comfortable and wholesome that it prevented you from moving in your sleep. I did not get how that was a selling point.
Deep Squat = Human Rest Position
Probably the best static position for the human body
Try laying on your back .... I found this to be the best resting position.
@@PACHOUSEFITNESSit is however it is a very vulnerable position 😅
@@PACHOUSEFITNESShahaha
Registered Massage Therapist and Registered Acupuncturist here. I always tell paitents: the more you cannot do it, the more you NEED todo it. I teach them modified versoins, using the help of a wall/door/sofa until they feel comfortable to do it without help - some of them are over 70 years old. Love your videos btw. 👍👍
Great practice and will do this weekly. I've done yoga for years and can go down into a squat easily except for my heels that I can't get flat!
I'm a massage therapist & personal trainer , those stretches are done during a massage session if anyone was against it they fear loosing their clients ; I also had to implament squating or elevating my feet to do #2 and my negative " emotions " fall out much easier less pushing .
Massage Therapist here 👋
I love deep squats, and would never discourage someone from aiming to get into a deep squat (as long as they are able to do it without pain or dysfunction) 👍
Hi 👋
Great video and explanation! I'm going to watch all of your others. I recently learned of the benefits of deep squatting and in only a few days I already notice a difference in my mobility and pain issues. I wish I knew about this years ago! Now, I've got my husband trying them as well. I'm excited for us both to continue incorporating deep squats into our journey towards improved health. Thank you! 😀
I fell 5 stories, 29 of my vertebrae are fused with rods. As my son says I'm stiff as a rock. Your videos are slowly limbering me up. I'm still at the funny amican squat but I'm working to get better. Thank you for doing these teaching me how to do without getting hurt.
I'm a white dude and I always thought the Western squat philosophy was wacked. I know myself when I do a deep squat to stretch, it feels amazing and releases a lot of stress. Thanks for the vid and the exercises 🙂
Thank you! I now have a use for my yoga blocks that I purchased years ago, but never used! I have one side that's maybe weaker than the other so this should help me with getting my squats deeper without any discomfort hopefully!
As a Western living caucasian whitey, I fully back what Upright Health is saying.😄
I’m a landscape gardener (all day touching the ground, weeding, often in the Asian squat position) and like camping where the squat comes in handy when using a hole in the ground for a toilet. I also practice yoga.
“Use it or lose it” is a term a physical therapist told me, meaning if you don’t use your full range of movement you won’t have full range of movement.
The more you make life’s actions “easier” for you, the less actions you do, and the more sedentary you become.
Hello there,
I have been always done squats and At 71 I still am very comfortable in that position. I am Native American and my grandma has always done squats and feel comfortable in that position. Keep doing what you do❣️
Thank for the video. I’ve always struggled with side-lying leg lifts or clamshells to strengthen adductors. This modification makes a big difference.
I’m in my 40’s and have been sitting like this almost daily since I was a child. It’s one of my favorite position because it’s so natural for me and therefore so comfortable. I don’t intend on stopping now 🤷🏻♀️
Interesting. May I ask if you are on the spectrum? I'm only asking because I saw a young lady with autism who always got into that position.
@@tlwest21 no I’m not but I’m sure many people from all walks of life find this to be a comfortable position
@@RioGirl16 I'm a tile setter and been sitting like this for 20 years 6-8 hours a day without knowing until now that is a "thing" 🙂
I couldn’t even squat in high school! At 54, it’s become my goal. I’ll add these exercises… they look painful but I’m now convinced how necessary they are- thanks! Your humor is great too! 💩
wow!!!! I was able to squat for the first time in years with my heels down! Thank you so much!!!!!! This has been a major goal for me.
Warmest regards Jennie
Can't thank you enough for telling the truth about deep squatting!!! Although I do squats every day, I have not done a deep squat since I was a baby. It's not that I don't know better - because I remember my grandmother would stop and deep squat to relieve herself in the woods on the farm. Plus, when I was in Asia I was reminded again of deep squatting. My laziness over the years - I'm 78 years young - has cost me the ability to deep squat. So, beginning today I shall/will do these exercises. And thank you again for dispelling this bogus information.
I'm still working on managing to get into a deep squat without turning out legs/feet, so I will give this exercise a try - thank you! (And I always have to wonder about experts who think they know more than human history, lol - humans have been doing deep squats since they became human, so I would think it's a motion our bodies are literally made to do.)
@@lizblake4802 I did not know that - thanks for sharing!
i think you need to half squat well, like a few hundred squat a session, before you start to do deep squat. some people hips are very weak to start out instantly on deep squat. i start out on half squat it look like a horse stand o martial art for a year a so before i start to do deep squat. I can do like a few hundred deep squat a session at ease now.
@@lizblake4802 Neat! My hips swing wide whether doing a squat or doing butterflies (my knees fall to the floor with those). I can still deep squat with my feet straight and close together but my knees end up in front of my armpits and I have to keep my arms out in front of me to keep from falling backwards. Guess I just need to work on that and then I can squat any which way I want.
I HAVE to turn my feet out or my gut gets squashed and makes it hard to breathe.
Love your teaching style! No hype--- to the point, specific, lighthearted, and fun. thx!
Great video! I love the explanation of the importance of hip internal rotation for deep squatting. The mistakes I've been making with improper external rotation are all becoming clear over the last few days! Love the exerise too.
Glad it was helpful!
I love these videos that show these exercises. I will be doing this from now on. Last year, I started eating healthier and working out to lose weight to avoid diabetes and get stronger because of my sedentary office work lifestyle. I also tried yoga and general stretching for hips, knee and ankle fluidity of motion. When you start getting old and you don't exercise regularly, your body gets stiff and it always hurts in the mornings. Well, yoga is not for me; the movements are too static for me. But I love general stretching and cardio exercises to stay limber. I feel like sitting this way is a form of stretching. I also like strengthening my core and lower body. This form of squatting helps so much with getting low and cleaning the floor, reaching into low cabinets for pots and pans, and for not embarrassing myself when I have to pick up things of the ground in public, lol. I feel younger. 😊
Ive been working on the deep squat for a few months now. Keep hurting my lower back in life, so ive learned about hip mobility. Im so tight i think im years away from being able to do it without holding on to something. Havent worked on internal rotation much. Thanks for the advice and excellent video
ive always sat in deep squatted positions with lifted ankles and was taught squats with feet spread a part. ive found it difficult, even painful in my hips, to fold to the point of a grounded deep squat, but this vid def explained the muscles i need to work to mitigate that. thanks!
I'm going to try this for sure. I've been trying to increase my overall health at 220 pounds and full squats have been very difficult for me due to the hips not wanting to go down all the way. I do feel like I get stuck!!!
I started primal squat about a year ago and was curious so one weekend we were off-roading in the mountains, pulled over and did my business. Yep, totally natural and much easier than sitting on a toilet.
It wasn't until 3 minutes into the video that I realized your title was not referring to YOUR perspective. LOL. Thank god. I was trying to figure out why you thought deep squats were not safe. I thank baby Jesus that you aren't. Keep up the good work!
I used to think my knee pain was just a sign of getting old. Your videos got me moving and I rarely have knee pain, and I’m getting pretty good at squatting!
❤❤❤
I love love loved this...tried the exercise and totally get how it will help. My biggest concern is bad ankle and calf mobility. Do you have a video for that?
I really appreciate the muscular and skeletal diagrams. Makes it a lot easier to understand the motions being discussed.
Am 73 and been doing squats for decades, I discovered doing yoga. I never thought of them in the potty poopy way … but how some native peoples can squat all day. For me staying flexible is critical as my body is aging!
Thank you for your video. I just watched a video showing why you should put elastic around your knees when you squat to force your hip into external rotation! I learned in yoga that the femur internally rotates as we hip hinge. These fitness "experts" haven't gotten the memo!
Hello and thanks for the excellent info. I’ll be incorporating this exercise into my routine to improve my deep squats and control the current dominating external rotation. Oh, and thanks for the laughs too!
I am soooo happy your video showed up in my feed! It is funny, informative, useful, concise and succinct! Thank you for not taking a million years to get to the point! I am 52 and I found out I have some mild disk degeneration which is affecting my alignment. So, thank you for this. My hips feel awfully tight and the exercise you show using the yoga block is one I have never seen but am eager to try. Thanks again!!!
Whenever I try this movement (and I tryed it a lot over a lot of time) I always always either fall backward, round my back like crazy or my hips start to cramp. When I look in the mirror while doing this I see my femurs around a 20 to 30 degree angle to the ground. However if I take a wide stance with my feet it feels completly comfortable and natural to me. This was suggested to me by someone that told me my femurs are relativly long. So I have given up on asian squats for good. If I need to get down I might look like a fool with my feet wider apart, but at least I dont feel like trying to push my bones into each other.
Altho getting and staying down in a full deep squat comes super easy for me, lately I find the act of standing back up tends to tweak either my right hip flexor or upper thigh muscle. I also regularly deal w/ the sensation that my left leg is longer, even tho they've been checked and are the same length. The ground always feels higher under my left foot, and various muscles around the right side of my hip are easily tweaked.
Health MATTers! Best teacher ever! Great way of explaining exercises, very accurate, likeable and convincing! And a good guy anyway.
I learned how to do this while working in China in my 50’s. You see people killing time in a long line by squatting and playin on their phone, or chatting. They can stay in this position indefinitely bc they’ve been doing it since childhood. I even saw elderly men and women in their 90’s doing it without effort. At first, I needed to hold on to a piece of furniture for support and struggled to stand up without support. But my progress progressed rather quickly and now I do it effortlessly every day. I even squat this deeply at the gym using the smith machine or free weights. It has strengthened and developed my hips, thighs, and butt tremendously and made my range of motion more fluent. Stick with it - it will happen!
omg, I can do the Asian squat! I've been doing those leg exercises because they help my bowed legs straighten a bit *gulp* but I thought I'd never be able to do the squat properly! My muscles have gotten strength now, thank you so much!
Love the humor and content. Keep it up!
As a man who has always been squatting by nature, I find it a little amusing that adult humans have to re- learn this basic natural human stance. At almost 52 I still have zero problem staying squatted for a long time, or getting into and out of the position. I do realize I'm a little unusual here in Norway, where people are really stiff 😆
Super video and info. I've always had problems deep squatting and I will work on your exercises. Thank you so much!
I am a 74 year old female doing among others few dumbbells exercises. I love your videos , you are always so explicit and this particular exercise is so good. My question is can I do these two exercises as warm up or after my dumbbells workout? Thank you so much
It took me 3x day for two weeks to get all the way down and another. two weeks to get all the way upright on my feet without grabbing something for support,now I got it for 3 minutes or 4-5 reps quickly, thanks a lot! by the way,I'm 67 y.o.
NICE
I think everyone can benefit from doing at least a few squats a day, at minimum. Don't even need weight, it noticeably makes you more mobile either way, and even if it doesn't build much muscle it still keeps what you've got strong.
Matt- I have been watching your videos a long time and wanted to let you know your advice and presentation is so great. Your deep squat/poop video today had me laughing! Its hard I'm sure, to share technical info and make people laugh, but you and the bony sidekick do lighten things up.
My sticking spots are now my knees. It was amazing how much more fluid my movements were after this! Can you put all your asian squat exercises in one routine? I'd like to work them into my routine without having to fish between videos (more likely I get distracted)
Thank you very much! I am inspired to get two deep squat toilets for my wife and I. I have also been thinking about dumping all the couches and chairs. Oops, but you have a love seat, so I will think harder about that. We do somatic movements on the floor. Yesterday, we did yard work that was demanding on the arms, shoulders, back, hips, spine and ankles. These deep squats seem like the ticket to getting over the pain. Thank you very much! Keep on teaching!
A yoga teacher who had spent years in India shared her theory that because Indian women were constantly squatting, they needed fewer hip replacements.