Whether you’re stacking a barbell on your back, putting a kettlebell over your shoulder, or warming up with a weight squat, one question remains constant. What is the appropriate squat depth?
According to Carol Mack, PhD in Physiotherapy, strength and conditioning coaches, it is as important as pushing your weight as your performance, safety and results, so you should be able to get a higher squat depth on your form checklist. Read on to learn why.
Do I need to squat?
Unless you’re a competitive powerlifter whose goal is to squat as much weight as possible, Mac recommends squatting as deep as possible in comfort without sacrificing form. Deep squats help you fire your muscles more efficiently and build strength over a wider range of movement. This is important when training things beyond aesthetics, such as athletic ability and everyday functions.
However, the depth of the squat varies based on several personal factors, such as “whether you have knee, hip, ankle pain and whether you have enough mobility to go deeper.”
What if your knees drift past your toes?
One of the relentless myths about squat depth is not to let your knees pass by your toes. This cue may indicate other forms of mistakes you’re making – not on your hips, etc. – Mac says that when you enter a deeper squat, especially in activities like powerlifting, your knees are more likely to pass your toes.
“Don’t worry about your knees coming forward when it’s past 90 degrees,” she says. “Of course, don’t force it deep if you feel pain or tight places. But if you’re comfortable and listening, it’s okay to lower it.”
One alignment tip she adds is to look down and make sure your knees are along the middle toe rather than spreading outward. (Apply this tip during warm-up. For example, not in PR attempts.)
How can you improve the depth of your squat?
If the depth of the squat is what you’re struggling with, here are some strategies to help you get lower.
1. Focus on the waist
Focusing on your hips can be a game changer, as squat depth isn’t just your quad or glut section.
Instead of dropping your butt straight down, try putting your hips a little (called a hinge) down and then lowering it into the squat, then trying to move your hips back a little. This can help you bend with more hip flexion (aka knees closer to the chest) and improve the depth.
It is also important to ensure that your knees do not cave inward as you approach the bottom of the squat and get up and get up.
“That may require adding hip mobility or strengthening it into your routine to improve squats,” Mac points out. Hip mobility exercises can do more than aid in the depth of your squat. They can sit too much and reduce the strain on the body, improve overall flexibility and increase range of motion.
2. Increases ankle mobility
Mac adds that increasing ankle mobility is also important. This aspect of squats can be ignored, but it plays a big role in helping you get deeper. If you feel your ankles lift off the ground during a squat, it is a sign you need to improve your mobility.
Ankle strengthening exercises can provide greater mobility and stability to support squats, no matter how deep you go.
3. Strengthen the core
Finally, don’t forget that squats also include spine, says Mack.
“Some people struggle to get their trunks upright as they get deeper into the squat,” she says. “This can throw out alignment across the squat movement. It can happen for a number of reasons, such as mobility, but the core strength is a big culprit.”
If you tend to round your back when squatting, or feel your upper body collapse while standing up, it usually means you need to integrate more core work into your routine, she suggests.
Fortunately, there are plenty of options for that, and like other mobility and enhanced choices here, it reduces the risk of injury and improves your form for a wide range of movements, including squats.
