Can you elaborate on this?
Sure! I hadn’t made progress on squats in years. Had a 1RM of 160, like, 3 years ago? Or maybe 4. Then it was stagnant from there.
I sort of accepted it. I never considered myself much of a technician when it comes to lifting, and still don’t really. After all, at that point I knew deadlift was much more my lift than squat. I am short but long-limbed. I also hammered posterior chain accessories for years, GHRs and especially heavy RDLs, which engrained hinging very well.
I chalked up my ugly looking squats to my anatomy. I tried tons of things to fix my good morning squats: front squats, single leg work, different intensities, and lots of core work. But nothing helped, and last year people on this forum pointed out how ugly my squats looked. 
I started thinking maybe it wasn’t 100% because of my build, and maybe I was squatting “wrong” the whole time.
I don’t think “wrong” is the right word here because different things work for different people, who might have different goals. But I kid you not I was making zero progress and never felt that squats gave me much of a leg workout. The latter made sense though because I was turning the squat into a hinge, breaking first at the hips. Looked absolutely folded over.
I watched a lot of Juggernaut Training’s videos on squatting, which helped and encouraged me to try hip belt squats since my legs were/are my weak link. Those and letting my knees travel forward weren’t magic, but those helped me practice squatting between my legs – the cue that ultimately makes a difference.
Dan John makes a great remark in his article on goblet squatting:
The legs are not stuck like stilts under the torso. Rather, the torso is slung between the legs. As you go down, leaning back with arms straight, you’ll discover one of the true keys of lifting: you squat between your legs. You don’t fold and unfold like an accordion; you sink between your legs.
I don’t know how this turned into a novel. Essentially, I was 100% hinging and never using my quads. I still fall into bad habits and probably always will at higher intensities. Yet I’ve managed a little progress, more than the past years combined, by simply correcting my movement pattern.
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Awesome, thanks for this.
Similarly, back squats are absolutely not my lift. I can DL much heavier than back squat; and never felt squats “working”.
Which is why I’m super into front squats.
But in a few weeks @dagill2 is embarking on a 12-week mission to build the squat and I think I may join. I’m scared to, but that’s probably a good reason to do it! I’ll think about the technique and watch some vids, maybe in 15 weeks I won’t be ashamed to squat in public lol!
You think your squat dead ratio is off?
My squat was 40kg less than my deadlift… my 1rm DL was only 122.5kg 
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I should caution you to take everything I say with a grain of salt.
Before the pandemic I was a member at a serious powerlifting gym, whose owner told me that the discrepancy between my back squat and deadlift seemed normal to him. I’m not trying to achieve some optimal balance between the two; that my squat would not move was my issue.
It’s funny because I’m actually itching to get back to front squats. They’re awesome. I haven’t done them in forever. I think I’m going to focus on them after I finish my current program. Front squats never fixed the problem for me because I could still cheat the movement with my back strength. They were actually catching up to my back squats. But it will be interesting to see how they go since “fixing” my squat pattern.
Think I’ll be doing this too later this summer. 
I’m eager to read how you both progress.
Let me know if you want me to share some of the videos that have helped along the way. But don’t be ashamed to squat in public. I don’t know what kind of gym you attend, but if it’s similar to, like, 95% of gyms out there, seeing anyone else squatting heavy is rare.
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Coffinworm C3W1D2
3x3 jumps
Bench
35x7
55x4
77.5x5
87.5x5
100x5
87.5x5
100x3
110x1
115x1 PR
100 band pull aparts
SA BB Row
+50x15
+40x16
SA KB Press top half of shellx16,13
1x33 kneeling ab wheel rollouts
Didn’t feel great going into this considering I had DOMS all over, doing 50 dips yesterday did me no favors, and I slept poorly. It’s the first time I benched 110 since making it my 1RM in December 2019.
It moved quickly today.
Then I gave 115 a go. Yes, my butt comes off the bench, but I’m not a powerlifter, so I don’t care. I’m counting it.
So, it took me 1.5 years to add 5 pounds to my bench 
but considering my fatigue and that this is very close to a BW bench, I’m pleased.
I’m going hiking later today. I’m excited but also a little worried about it.
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PR party!!! Congratulations!
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Thanks! If only you could share some of your squat strength with me. 
I’m always impressed by that in your log.
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Barely comes off, there is still shorts material on the bench at the very least. Definitely counts, nice PR. Send me some of your drugs.
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Oh man, if I had to use drugs to get to this point I’d really feel sorry for myself 
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Yeah your butt barely gets off it counts! I don’t know what cues you’re using, but pushing through the toes, not the heels, helps the butt being kept on the bench.
Not to be harsh or anything because I think you’re a strong amazing woman, but your squat double still looks ugly to me
Been there, done that, I can blame my long legs as much as I want, it didn’t change the fact that my technique wasn’t great and that I was folding like an accordion.
Indeed we can see some progress though, you’re squatting more downright
I’ll definitely keep working on the leg drive. Thanks!
Hahaha, not harsh at all. I appreciate that. I think part of it is the SSB, but yes, I think I’ll always look a little folded over. Before I neglected my squat altogether hoping it would fix itself, then I became maybe too fixated on it, and now I’m at a point where I know where I went wrong, try actively fixing it little by little, and embrace being a deadlifter. It is what it is.
Join the club. Also enjoying the positivity in your log lately, things seem on the up for you.
Yeah, I get nervous when I see the good morning thing happening with the squats. More out of injury concerns then any kind of form nazi BS. Wish there was some magical cue you could focus on to instantly fix it.
It’s really not as bad as it was before, honestly. The squatting between the legs cue has helped. I’ve never felt any pain from any type of squat (or squat morning). I don’t know. My movement pattern was so weird for over 3 years that I imagine it’ll take longer than 6-8 months to significantly change things. I have no quads, lol
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That is a good point, and it has gotten a bit better.
Cue I used back in the day was to imagine that the ends of the bar absolutely HAD to follow a perfectly perpendicular line on both the way down and the way back up. Worked pretty well, and to this day I get mad at myself if I sense a significant deviation from that perfect line.
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Thanks, but it’s definitely a work in progress. I had to swallow my pride and start from scratch on the squats. Several years ago I was so proud I put more weight on the bar, right up until the soul crushing comments of… that was a great GOOD MORNING! It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but it was what I needed to hear.
I wish Power Puff, KPsnap, ouroboros, and Brute Fury were still on the forum. They were all very helpful.
I am thinking that maybe in 5 years I will finally get it right.
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I’ve browsed logs from really strong women who used to frequent the forums. Wish they stuck around. But your log is still insightful
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Went for a ~5 mile hike. Nothing special, though it was nice to get away. It unfortunately rained quite a bit when the forecast said otherwise. I was with my male friend, and our relationship is sorta awkward, but hanging out with someone I don’t see at work every day was refreshing.
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I needed to blow off some steam this morning. It was nice to relax the past couple of days though.
50 band pull aparts
50 25kg goblet squats in 4:54
Standing ab wheel progression 15,12
~15 minute run in the rain
The goblet squats are good. I don’t think I’ve done them since I did Krypteia a long time ago. I’m glad I got the KB.
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Coffinworm C3W1D3
Pullups
+10x7x3
+0x28 total
Press
35x6
47.5x5
55x5
60x5
55x5
60x5
67.5x0
40x21
75 band pull aparts
40 pushups
Decided to be conservative with the TM by not increasing it this cycle, and I still failed. Ha. The pull ups also sucked. A total 180 from my previous bench day, even though I was more fatigued going into that… though today is unsurprising because I haven’t slept well lately and, well, still suck at pressing. A frustrating past couple of days and this spurred me to just rep out 40 pounds. Not my finest moment.
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