Squats, the king of all exercises, are easy for some people to do and downright challenging for others. Why is this true? We’re all built a little differently and how your body is designed impacts how you squat. Let’s look at some of the anatomical factors, as well as some functional factors, that affect how you do this exercise.
Femur to Torso Length
How long is your femur, the bone in the upper part of your leg? It matters. If you have a long femur relative to the length of your torso, you have to lean forward more when you squat relative to someone with a short femur and longer torso. In contrast, if you have a long torso, it’s easier to stay upright and keep the barbell in the appropriate position when performing this compound exercise. Having shorter femurs and long torso also makes it easier to descend into a deep squat. In contrast, longer femurs make it harder and you may not be able to go as low into a squat.
Squats are also more challenging if you’re taller. With greater height, you have more distance to descend to get to parallel when you squat. Plus, it’s a little harder to balance when you have more height. Longer femurs combined with greater height makes it even more challenging to do a deep squat.
Is there anything you can do if you have long femurs to stay more upright and descend lower into a squat? According to Bret Contreras, the Glute Guy, elevating your heels by wearing weightlifting shoes can help you stay more upright when you squat.
There are other modifications as well. If you have long femurs, it’s easier to stay straight if you widen your feet and do a wide-stance squat with your knees turned out slightly. Placing the bar higher on your back will also help. If you have long femurs and a short torso, it’s best to skip the narrow-stance squats. You can’t control the length of your legs and torso, but you can compensate to some degree by wearing the right shoes, widening your stance, and placing the barbell higher on your back.
Variations in Hip Anatomy
Another factor that impacts squat biomechanics is the angle at which the femur inserts into the pelvis. Some people have a femur that connects to the pelvis more horizontally or vertically. Normally, the angle is between 40 and 50 degrees. More vertical and more horizontal than this can change the mechanics of how you squat. Your femur may also sit further forward or backward in the hip socket. This can affect where your feet are most comfortable when you squat – wide stance or narrow and also the angle at which you place your feet. Even the shape of the hip socket can affect how you squat. These are all factors you have no control over.
How do you know if you have problems with hip anatomy that make it harder to squat? Fitness trainers and physical therapists sometimes use Craig’s test to look at hip anatomy. Here’s how they do it. You lie face down on your stomach on a mat and bend one of your legs to 90 degrees. The therapist places their hand on their hand and locates the notch of the femur. While holding their hand on the notch, they rotate your lower leg toward and away from the center of your body. Then they try to determine at which degree of rotation the notch of the femur feels most prominent.
If you have ideal hip anatomy for squatting, the femur notch is most prominent when your leg is pointing near vertical, or not more than 10 to 15 degrees away from your body. If the notch is more prominent with your leg further out, you may have an anteverted hip. In other words, the head of your femur is angled forward. A retroverted hip is where the head of the femur angles backward. People who have a retroverted hip tend to have problems going deep into a squat. Craig’s test is a simple, non-invasive test that can detect anatomical hip problems that make it harder to squat.
Mobility Issues
Another reason why you might have problems squatting is lack of ankle or hip mobility. Both can make it hard to do a proper squat or descend to parallel and below. Some people naturally have a small joint capsule. If you’ve had an injury, you may have formed scar tissue that restricts mobility. A sign that you have poor ankle mobility is you tend to lift your heels off the ground when you descend into a squat.
More commonly, a lack of hip mobility restricts squat performance. It’s not surprising that many people have hip mobility issues. If you sit all day, your hip flexors shorten and tighten, and your hips become less flexible. Mobility and flexibility aren’t the same things, but both make it hard to achieve squat depth. If your hip flexors are tight, you likely have poor hip mobility too.
To improve hip mobility, start by easing hip flexor tightness with exercises that stretch the hip flexors. These include kneeling hip flexor stretches and hip flexor lunges. Make sure you’re strengthening the opposing muscles, the hamstring, and glutes. When you have tight hip flexors, the opposing muscles are often weak. Kettlebell swings are another good exercise for improving hip mobility. Also, include goblet squats in your routine. It’s the best squat variation for improving mobility.
What if you have ankle mobility issues? Some ankle mobility problems are due to soft tissue restriction while others stem from the restriction of the joint itself. If you think you have ankles that aren’t mobile enough, get a physical therapy evaluation. A physical therapist can differentiate between the two. It matters because you can improve mobility with foam rolling and stretching if it’s soft tissue restriction but not if it’s a restricted joint. Better to know so you can customize the movements you do to best improve the mobility of your ankles.
The Bottom Line
What this should tell you is not everyone squats the same nor should they. If the king of all exercises is uncomfortable for you, it may be the way your body is constructed, or it could be a lack of mobility. Experiment and see what stance feels best to you. Try using a wide stance and then a narrow stance. Which is more comfortable and which stance lets you squat lower? If you experience pain when you do this lower body exercise, consider getting an evaluation by a sports medicine physician or a physical therapist.
References:
The Glute Guy. “How Femur Length Affects Squat Mechanics”
Squat University. “How Hip Anatomy Affects Squat Mechanics”
Related Articles By Cathe:
5 Common Squat Mistakes You Could Be Making
The Surprising Fitness Benefits of Half Squats
Squat Depth: How Low Should You Go?
Front Squats vs. Back Squats: Does One Have an Advantage Over the Other?
