I’ve noticed that whenever I squat I round my lower back as soon as I hit parallel. My ass keeps going out at the start of the movement, but once I start to go to parallel it just goes down and rounds my back over. I’ve been squatting for over 6 months like this and have had no pain in my lower back from it. What can I do to fix this? I’ve looked at the Squat Rx videos and tried some of the suggestions but I’ve seen no progress. Thanks for the help.
Mobility! There was a trainer at a gym I worked at who was having the same problem with a client. Her ankle mobility was severely limited (dorsi flexion-Toes towards knees) her hip and spine flexors (Iliopsoas group, rectus femoris, abdominals) were severely shortened, and her hip rotation and extension was limited. Once we addressed these areas her problems were solved. There are a number of articles on the site that can help with these issues. Or a more comprehensive book called
Use lighter weights, if you round then its too heavy and your trying 2 ego lift.
Definitely ego lifting.
The weight doesnt matter if your body mechanics are off, he would round his back just the same with no weight. OP work on flexibility in hips and ankles, do the doorframe squat and work on keeping a tight arch thru full ROM.
Its a mobility thing,
google: Dan John
–And then look at the Video Fitcast episode 6.
—in the 1st 15 minutes he explains how to squat and how to increase flexibility.
I had a similar problem last year when I would get past parallel. My suggestion is u continue to squat like Dan John says, and also do front squats and overhead squats. Those are more demanding on your flexibility and will “force” your body to adapt.
oh and weight has NOTHING to do with ur lower back rounding. Too much weight on the bar will cause u do 1/4 and 1/8th squats.
btw… what squatting style are u using?
I always did high bar full squats but I’m now switching to front squats for a bit if thats what you mean by squatting style. I will work on flexibility like you guys mentioned. I think my hamstrings aren’t flexible enough because they cramp up a lot. How often should I do stretches?
[quote]colin1168 wrote:
I always did high bar full squats but I’m now switching to front squats for a bit if thats what you mean by squatting style. I will work on flexibility like you guys mentioned. I think my hamstrings aren’t flexible enough because they cramp up a lot. How often should I do stretches?[/quote]
Stretching is a lifetime thing. Start off as frequently as possible until you are squatting without rounding your back (assuming this is the main issue). Then as often as needed for maintenance. Your focus will most likely be with your ankles and hip flexors. Because you are bending your knee, the tension on the hamstring is reduced, if anything they help to pull the pelvis and back backwards. The hip flexors will pull the pelvis and lower back forward, because again you are bending the knee, and the femur is lowering backwards, pulling on the torso bringing it forward.
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
kinein wrote:
Use lighter weights, if you round then its too heavy and your trying 2 ego lift.
What is it with you and ‘ego’ lifting. You said this on another thread, and I have to say I disagree with you there just as I do here, sorry.
You assume far too much. You have no idea how heavy or light the OP is squatting. He does not say.
He is more likely to be lacking mobility surely?
Bushy[/quote]
The verdict is in! I stand corrected.
[quote]chriscarani wrote:
colin1168 wrote:
I always did high bar full squats but I’m now switching to front squats for a bit if thats what you mean by squatting style. I will work on flexibility like you guys mentioned. I think my hamstrings aren’t flexible enough because they cramp up a lot. How often should I do stretches?
Stretching is a lifetime thing. Start off as frequently as possible until you are squatting without rounding your back (assuming this is the main issue). Then as often as needed for maintenance. Your focus will most likely be with your ankles and hip flexors. Because you are bending your knee, the tension on the hamstring is reduced, if anything they help to pull the pelvis and back backwards. The hip flexors will pull the pelvis and lower back forward, because again you are bending the knee, and the femur is lowering backwards, pulling on the torso bringing it forward.
[/quote]
Also try just sitting in the full squat position whenever you can. There’s an article about that here, search for ‘third world squat’.
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
chriscarani wrote:
colin1168 wrote:
I always did high bar full squats but I’m now switching to front squats for a bit if thats what you mean by squatting style. I will work on flexibility like you guys mentioned. I think my hamstrings aren’t flexible enough because they cramp up a lot. How often should I do stretches?
Stretching is a lifetime thing. Start off as frequently as possible until you are squatting without rounding your back (assuming this is the main issue). Then as often as needed for maintenance. Your focus will most likely be with your ankles and hip flexors. Because you are bending your knee, the tension on the hamstring is reduced, if anything they help to pull the pelvis and back backwards. The hip flexors will pull the pelvis and lower back forward, because again you are bending the knee, and the femur is lowering backwards, pulling on the torso bringing it forward.
Um, yeah. Except that the OPs back/pelvis/torso is going backwards during the lift, not forwards.
Do you understand biomechanics? If so, then you should realise that as you squat, the psoas become shortened rendering them almost ineffective during the bottom portion of the squat. It is the rectus femoris, that crosses both the hip and the knee, that might pull the lelvis forward, creating an anterior pevlic tilts. But since the OP has posterior pelvic tilt, this concept is irrelevant in this case.
You said “Because you are bending your knee, the tension on the hamstring is reduced, if anything they help to pull the pelvis and back backwards” and the first part of this statement is certainly correct. However you then contradict your own argument with the second portion of your statement. YES, the hamstrings help to pull the pelvis backwards, and this is precisely the problem encountered by the OP. Therfore he needs to work on lengthening the hams to allow for greater range of saggital motion/flexibility.
Psoas work may be adviseable as part of an all round maintainance program, but in this case is certainly not likely to be the prime cause of the incorrect movment pattern. Instead hamstrings and soleus need to be assesed, lengthened if necessary and their antagonists assessed and strengthened.
I’m sorry if it seems like I am getting into a pissing contest with you. I’m not, I just hate to see inaccurate information that could see the OP wasting time stretching areas that have no direct influence on his problem.
Bushy[/quote]
No problem man, yea this stuff is tricky, but you have it wrong. I have been doing this for ten years. I have a sound understanding of biomechanics and how the body works. Let me try to explain further for you.
This has nothing to do with a “saggital plane”. This is a technical term used to divide the body into left and right, mid-saggital would describe a point in the center of the body, creating two equal left and right sides. More appropriate terms for this purpose would be anterior/posterior flexion/extension.
The psoas group attaches to the femur and lumbar spine, flexing the hip and spine. The rectus femoris attaches to the leg (which is anatomically considered the tibia ans fibula) via pattellar tendon and the pelvis (AIIS). The hamstring group attaches to the leg and pelvis, and extends the hip and flexes the leg.
When you squat down, you start bending the knee, which starts creating tension in the RF. This will pull the pelvis forward.
Again, in this motion, the femur lowers down and back. Because of this motion, the psoas will pull the spine down too, but it pulls it forward.
To demonstrate this, assume a yoga pose called the hero’s pose.
And start praying to the anatomical gods for wisdom. Kidding.
Now try to extend the spine. What is preventing you from straightening the spine? The quads and hip flexors right? Now bend forward and round the back. Where do you feel it? Hips right? If you straightened the legs you would feel it in the hams too. Now what is his problem. Spine moves forward during the squat and he rounds his back. His flexors are too tight!
The psoas shortens as you mentioned and that is exactly my point. Because it shortens it pulls the spine and hips closed, preventing him from keeping his back upright.
Oh and my point about the hams and knee bending was that if his hams WERE to do anything, they would pull the hips back, not forward.
If this has not clicked for you, spend some time with your AP book and really think about it before responding. I have a ton to learn about the body, but trust me on this one.
what about a position where most of the lower back is straight, but just the bottom portion starts to round out?
Thanks for taking the time to respond. This might be my last post for a time. The flu is fading away and I am slowly returning to the real world, and out of my bed, lol.
I see what you are saying, but again this is an incorrect assumption. There is no tension in the hamstrings at this position, whatsoever. The hip extensor tension is coming from the hips (like I mentioned in my first post). Glute max, med, and their IT band attachments. Then the rotatores, (again like I mentioned) piri GS GI etc. At this position those muscles are tight and pulling the pelvis posteriorly. The hamstrings are completely relaxed, they cannot be pulling on anything. What is contributing to this posture is the spine and hip flexors, even up into the pecs and intercostals, abdominals etc. The hamstrings have nothing to do with it.
During hip flexion AND knee flexion hip extensors EXCEPT the hamstrings are in tension rotating the pelvis posteriorly. Again because the femur is moving down and back, the spine must also follow. Do you see it now?