What do I need to stretch in order to go ass to grass on squats?
It’s not that I’m using too much weight or anything like that, i cant do a bodyweight squat ass to grass either. Is there anything specific I can do to go lower?
Loaded stretching. Go as low as you can with proper form and attempt to hold that position. As your leg muscles fatigue they will lengthen and you’ll go lower. You could use an empty barbell or even just your bodyweight. Can be done every day.
Goblet squats. Look for the ubiquitous Dan John Fitcast video on Google Video.
Some fast walking to warm up wouldn’t hurt either.
Do some dynamic warm-up stuff like bodyweight squats and lunges and all that stuff your track coach had you do (not the static stretching).
Goblet squats as the other poster said. I was unable to do ATG also until I started doing goblet squats every day. Now I can do full ATG squats and full snatches with a catch in the rock bottom position.
Don’t forget that article from last month, by Mike Robertson and Geoff someone. That had some good ideas for improving squat depth.
Hey, Just thought I’d give the link (from my Bookmarks) that ninearms mentioned:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6529481301858251744&q=olympic+squat&hl=en
It’s a good one. Good luck sitting on those calves kid.
go little wider have feet point out a bit those two things you should definitely be able to get lower.
just look at this Olympic Lifter with world record in snatch - YouTube pay attention to his feet and how wide he is. Also watch any powerlifter on max squat, pay attention to his wide stance and feet.
Eventually you could be able to bring legs bit closer once you get hang of it though.
If both those don’t work you could always try plates under you feet that helped my flexibility at the start.
Pavel talks in his books and writings about using the hip flexors to PULL yourself down into the full squat (ATG) position, instead of relying on gravity alone. Helped me immensly. Goblet, front, back, one leg, doesn’t matter, always ATG!
The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 24�??26.
Stature and Flexibility Variables as Discriminators of Foot Contact During the Squat Exercise
Andrew C. Fry, Terry J. Housh, Roger A. Hughes, and Thora Eyford
Center for Youth Fitness and Sports Research, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0138
ABSTRACT
A problem for some novice trainees in a strength program is the inability to maintain complete foot contact with the ground during the parallel squat weight training exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine the relative contribution of selected physical characteristics in discriminating between subjects who were able to maintain complete foot contact with the floor during this exercise and those who could not. Fifty males ( age = 21.1 ± 2.67 years) in beginning weight training classes were measured for height (HT), torso length (TL), femur length (FL), mean of right and left ankle dorsi-flexion (AF), and sit and reach flexibility (SR). Each subject performed three parallel squats with a 20 kg barbell across the top of the trapezius, and with feet shoulder-width apart. Those able to maintain complete foot contact with the ground were classified as Group 1 (n = 42) and all others as Group 2 (n = 8). A correlation matrix revealed that none of the five measured variables shared more than 18 percent common zero-order variance. A full-model multiple discriminant analysis correctly classified 94 percent of the subjects. The relative contribution of each variable to the explained variance from the discriminant function included HT (36.0 percent), TL (33.0 percent), SR (9.3 percent), FL (8.8 percent), and AF (6.9 percent).
These data indicate that physical stature and body segment dimensions are more potent discriminators than flexibility measures for the ability to maintain complete foot contact during the parallel squat exercise. Furthermore, tall subjects with relatively short torsos appear to have greater difficulty maintaining foot contact during this exercise than do shorter subjects with relatively long torsos.
Check out the ‘Squat RX’ series on youtube, he mentions several good stretches for increasing ROM in squats.
Something that has helped my squat flexibility and form more than anything else was foam rolling. Before I got my foam roller, I could barely hit parallel with anything more than shoulder width stance. My lower back would round and my butt would tuck under on the bottom. And usually I had to GM the weight up on max singles.
After getting my foam roller, I rolled out my quads/hip flexors, hammies, groin, abductors, glutes and spinal erectors, now I have the deepest most comfortable squats I’ve had in a long time and it eliminated by GMing problem on max singles. I suggest foam rolling 3-4 times a week, maybe as warmup before you squat and just during the evenings before you go to bed.
[quote]bearmd wrote:
Something that has helped my squat flexibility and form more than anything else was foam rolling. Before I got my foam roller, I could barely hit parallel with anything more than shoulder width stance. My lower back would round and my butt would tuck under on the bottom. And usually I had to GM the weight up on max singles.
After getting my foam roller, I rolled out my quads/hip flexors, hammies, groin, abductors, glutes and spinal erectors, now I have the deepest most comfortable squats I’ve had in a long time and it eliminated by GMing problem on max singles. I suggest foam rolling 3-4 times a week, maybe as warmup before you squat and just during the evenings before you go to bed.[/quote]
I train in a commercial gym… am I the only one who would feel like a retard bringing my foam roller (marble green) to the gym and flailing around like a dying whale on it (I’m 280)? I tend to just stick with rolling before bed.
^^Well you should be stretching after lifting so in that case you shouldn’t feel or look weird- just consider it another stretch.
I have seen and corrected this problem in clients numerous times.
Very few people walk in the door with the mobility and or flexibility to do a full ROM squat.
#1- I always have my clients do a thorough dynamic warmup every day. I feel like that helps you move much smoother and increases ROM as well.
#2- Static Stretching. Every person I have ever seen that cannot do a full squat always has tight hamstrings and or glutes, and very occasionally hip flexors (usually the hip flexors are not the main culprit in the lack of ROM). I find that most women have very flexible glutes and usually hip flexors (unless they are runners) but usually tight hamstrings. Not only are men tighter in all of those muscles, but very rarely do I train a guy that will even listen to me telling him to stretch.
Many people do not like static stretching for increasing flexibility because it isnt natural, many people feel it doesnt help with active ROM etc… But I will tell you it is peerless ounce for ounce in improving flexibility, and here is why.
First, I have seen it work. At first I just tried to do dynamic warmups and flexibility did not improve as much as I thought it should. Whenever a client really starts doing hard honest to goodness stretching of the glutes, hip flexors and hamstrings, immediately goes from being able to maybe barely hit near parallel to being able to reach well below parallel, and that is usually in only 1 week.
Second. I dont doubt that dynamics and goblet squats work very well. In fact I always start people on goblets, but per unit time, static stretching is much more effective at increasing ROM in the muscles most responsible for your lack of depth. But lets say for instance you have tight glutes, like I do. I find that you need to spend alot of time doing goblet squats because your glutes are in a position in which they dont really HAVE to stretch past the point they want to. You can just tail tuck prematurely and the glutes are getting a minimal stretch (again, doing a great deal of goblet squats probably does work). If you manipulate your body into a position in which you have direct tension on your glutes, they HAVE to stretch, at first they wont move, but after 4-7 bouts of 20 seconds they will start to loosen up.
The other important point is that I do not static stretch during my leg workout/s, that is a definite no no, really screws up your force development. I always stretch cold at least three times a week making sure I get a really good bout in a day or two after legs, and a day or two before. The difference in ROM is incredible.