If done correctly squatting is an incredibly effective exercise for training your entire lower body. The theory goes that the deeper you can squat, the more effective the squat will be. Especially for building size and strength.
Whilst technically speaking this may be true, but how deep you can squat depends not only on what your mobility is like, but also to a large degree on how flexible you are. The truth is that most people don’t have the mobility, or the flexibility, too squat to full depth. Besides that in my opinion you don’t actually need to squat to full depth anyway. As long as you can hit parallel that will work perfectly well.
But what if you can’t even hit parallel?
If you struggle hitting parallel when squatting, aside from having your technique checked over, there are a few areas that you should monitor, and you will need to address any flexibility issues that arise alongside the likely lack of mobility. It’s never a case of simply squatting more. Squatting more without addressing any issues does not equate to developing a stronger squat, it will only eventually equate to an injury.
“I find that tight muscles, ligaments and tendons in and around the ankles and hips are the most prominent limitations for people when it comes to squatting.”
Think about what happens when you squat. If your heels lift off the ground, and you have a tendency to shift your weight forward onto your toes, then the chances are that your ankles are tight. If your knees buckle in as you descend into a squat, or you spend most of your time sat down behind a desk at work, you can rest assured that your hips will be tight - as well as probably lacking a full range of motion.
At the end of the day squatting with good form and technique isn’t as easy as it can often look. It requires a decent level of flexibility, good balance, and a fair amount of body awareness. The squat movement is after all a skill.
There are countless exercises that you could do to improve the effectiveness of your squat. But for the purpose of this post, I’ve stuck to the five stretches that I find help most athletes of any level increase their ability to squat well.
Half Kneeling Achilles Stretch
To help build that strong foundation for squatting it’s important that you try to lengthen the muscles, ligaments and tendons of the foot, ankle and calf. Aim to hold for 30-60 secs on each leg.
Frog Stretch
One of the most beneficial stretches you can do to improve your squats. Perfect as a warm-up. It’ll help with the flexibility of your adductors and hips, as well as help to improve your range of motion. Aim to hold each position for 30-60 secs
Pigeon Pose with Hip Flexor Stretch
This stretch helps to support the mobility and flexibility of the hip joint. A helpful stretch for the glutes and the deeper lying Psoas muscle. Aim to hold each position for 30-60 secs on each leg.
Couch Stretch
If you want to reverse the effects of sitting all day this is a must do, especially before attempting to squat. It’s an awesome stretch to release tension and tightness in the hips and hamstrings. Aim to hold each position for 30-60 secs on each leg.
Runners Stretch with a Twist
This drill provides an awesome deep stretch for the hip flexors, quads, hamstrings, abs and obliques, and with the addition of the twist it will also increase the mobility in your thoracic spine. Aim to complete 5 reps of each movement.
If you are having issues with the fundamentals of squatting start to implement these stretches into your routine, and if you add in the mobility exercises I’ve discussed in a previous post you should start to see an improvement. You should find it easier to squat, and to squat well.