Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below Ok, I can teach people how to do squats. I know proper form. But for some reason I can't get a proper squat done for the life of me. Once I go below parallel I feel like my hips want to come out of joint (and that is even with NO weight) . Is it because I am so tall and have extremely long legs? I have a 37 in inseam so I am all legs. I do also have alot of double jointed joints on my body, could it be that my hips are slightly double jointed too? Or is it just because I've never made myself struggle through it and get stronger in the low squat position? Anyone have some pointers? The wider I go it helps, but I am at a loss as to how to do deep squats with proper form.
Trouble with squats
- Thread starter ironbabe
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Aries13
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I just had the same problem and my trainer told me that since I have REALLY BIG hips (lol) I have to just spread my legs a little bit wider than most people....try that maybe??? Im certainly not an expert in this but Im just telling you what my trainer showed me this very morning!!!! Good luck!
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Aries13
Guest
ironbabe said:Hmm, not sure I would qualify as big hips, (bone structure wise), here is a pic of me back before I started training, but I was lean enough to tell that I'm not exactly wide hipped - I'd like them to be a little wider.
I see...hmm...well I got HUGE HIPS and its sucks...most of the time. Anyway, Sassy's answer is most likely better than mine...actually probably is BUT it cant hurt to try....
---u look so cute by the way
If I had to guess (assuming it was just muscle weakness) I would say it feels like the iliacus head of the iliopsoas that feels weak. Hmmm...
http://www.exrx.net/Muscles/Iliopsoas.html
Maybe if I just force through it (without weight of course until I'm sure I won't hurt myself) and get the iliopspas stronger ..... hmmm.....
http://www.exrx.net/Muscles/Iliopsoas.html
Maybe if I just force through it (without weight of course until I'm sure I won't hurt myself) and get the iliopspas stronger ..... hmmm.....
Aries13 said:---u look so cute by the way
Well I ain't so cute right now, but I'm working on it. Actually I hate that pic because that was in my slimfast days and I was 130 lbs at 6ft tall with no muscle at all. I would have looked sick if I were any skinnier and I was still skinny fat.
But thank you for the compliment anyways...
O.k. just a thought.... Maybe once you go past parallel your gluteus and piriformis are overly contracted or even tight to start with so when you get to that point you are putting it into a stretched position. When you first go down you are using the hip flexors as a prime mover and glutes as a synergist. Once you go pass parallel your glutes begin to stretch and start pulling on your greater trochanter. Your deep lateral rotators could also be overly concentric to begin with and you could also be aggravating them.
I'm going off on a limb and saying muscle imbalance and instability in the joint.
So once you hit parallel, you are saying muscles are pulling on the hip joint to make it feel like it is coming out.
The only things that I can think of attaching to the greater trochanter are:
Piriformis, quadratus femoris, gluteus medius and minimus, Superior gemellus, Inferior gemellus, Obturator internus and Obterator externus. Then you also have iliofemoral ligaments in there. I would think though if your hip was double jointed that the ligaments would be loose and you would hear snapping even when you walked.
Lesser trochanter is the psoas but I rarely if ever heard of a psoas weakness.
Here's a piriformis and glute stretch:
http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/piri.2.html
http://www.exrx.net/Stretches/GluteusMaximus/LyingModified.html
I would also watch your feet positioning. Make sure your toes are pointed straight ahead so you are not activating the deep lateral rotators.
You can also test this concept by doing seated hip extensions. If you put a heavy enough load on and when you extend your legs your hips and butt want to come off the seat then your hip flexors (psoas, quads, sartorius, TFL) are overly tight and you need to stretch them more often. Try and do the hip abduction machine and see what happens then. If you feel the same pain in your hip then your gluteus medius is overly concentric and you should work on stretching that muscle along with your piriformis. I would find out what the muscle imbalance is before I would even bother with doing any strength training and possibly injure yourself.
IMO
I'm going off on a limb and saying muscle imbalance and instability in the joint.
So once you hit parallel, you are saying muscles are pulling on the hip joint to make it feel like it is coming out.
The only things that I can think of attaching to the greater trochanter are:
Piriformis, quadratus femoris, gluteus medius and minimus, Superior gemellus, Inferior gemellus, Obturator internus and Obterator externus. Then you also have iliofemoral ligaments in there. I would think though if your hip was double jointed that the ligaments would be loose and you would hear snapping even when you walked.
Lesser trochanter is the psoas but I rarely if ever heard of a psoas weakness.
Here's a piriformis and glute stretch:
http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/piri.2.html
http://www.exrx.net/Stretches/GluteusMaximus/LyingModified.html
I would also watch your feet positioning. Make sure your toes are pointed straight ahead so you are not activating the deep lateral rotators.
You can also test this concept by doing seated hip extensions. If you put a heavy enough load on and when you extend your legs your hips and butt want to come off the seat then your hip flexors (psoas, quads, sartorius, TFL) are overly tight and you need to stretch them more often. Try and do the hip abduction machine and see what happens then. If you feel the same pain in your hip then your gluteus medius is overly concentric and you should work on stretching that muscle along with your piriformis. I would find out what the muscle imbalance is before I would even bother with doing any strength training and possibly injure yourself.
IMO
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2dagym
New member
I'm 5'11" myself with a 35-36" inseam, and when I was doing squats (quit due to bad back), I never felt I could go past parallel either. I didn't feel like my hips were coming out of socket so much, but was so afraid I'd loose control of the whole movement and come crashing forward. My height compromised me form. I've read it many times, that squats are more difficult for taller people.
If you do feel it might have to do with strength, I wonder if you used a leg sled or similar pressing machine, really building up your strength and stamana on it, then after you've master your new level of peformance in that exercise, attempt to master the lower squats???? Keep performing squats while mastering the leg press increases though, but don't try to take them past paralell until you know you built up more strength and stamana from doing the leg press, then when you do go for lower, incorporate Sassy's suggestions regarding the box squats. I know myself, I only go up in weight one exercise per bodypart at a time, and when I master that weight I pick another exercise for that bodypart to go up in, believing that I've built up enough strength from it to make the increase transition in the next one I go up in easier. I works great! Just some random thoughts to consider. Good luck
!
If you do feel it might have to do with strength, I wonder if you used a leg sled or similar pressing machine, really building up your strength and stamana on it, then after you've master your new level of peformance in that exercise, attempt to master the lower squats???? Keep performing squats while mastering the leg press increases though, but don't try to take them past paralell until you know you built up more strength and stamana from doing the leg press, then when you do go for lower, incorporate Sassy's suggestions regarding the box squats. I know myself, I only go up in weight one exercise per bodypart at a time, and when I master that weight I pick another exercise for that bodypart to go up in, believing that I've built up enough strength from it to make the increase transition in the next one I go up in easier. I works great! Just some random thoughts to consider. Good luck
!Ok, so on the abduction machine (speaking from when I was regularly training before) I did feel that same feeling but it got better... I should have tried deep squats again back then and found out if it fixed it. Maybe just working those muscles in a full range of motion was the help.
Come to think of it, (sorry if this is TMI) when I'm on top (straddling) during sex I get the same feeling too, but that went away when I was training my ab and adductors back when I was in shape. I have it again but haven't thought about it much. I am just getting back into things again I guess I should put stretching in as part of my routine. Thanks for the info, I'll check the links out for some good stretches.
Come to think of it, (sorry if this is TMI) when I'm on top (straddling) during sex I get the same feeling too, but that went away when I was training my ab and adductors back when I was in shape. I have it again but haven't thought about it much. I am just getting back into things again I guess I should put stretching in as part of my routine. Thanks for the info, I'll check the links out for some good stretches.
THIS IS IT!!! Now I know why I periodically struggle with sciatica! Thank you so much!
The piriformis syndrome
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The piriformis syndrome is a condition in which the piriformis muscle irritates the sciatic nerve, causing pain in the buttocks and referring pain along the course of the sciatic nerve. This referred pain, called "sciatica", often goes down the back of the thigh and/or into the lower back. Patients generally complain of pain deep in the buttocks, which is made worse by sitting, climbing stairs, or performing squats. The piriformis muscle assists in abducting and laterally rotating the thigh. In other words, while balancing on the left foot, move the right leg directly sideways away from the body and rotate the right leg so that the toes point towards the ceiling. This is the action of the right piriformis muscle.
The piriformis syndrome
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The piriformis syndrome is a condition in which the piriformis muscle irritates the sciatic nerve, causing pain in the buttocks and referring pain along the course of the sciatic nerve. This referred pain, called "sciatica", often goes down the back of the thigh and/or into the lower back. Patients generally complain of pain deep in the buttocks, which is made worse by sitting, climbing stairs, or performing squats. The piriformis muscle assists in abducting and laterally rotating the thigh. In other words, while balancing on the left foot, move the right leg directly sideways away from the body and rotate the right leg so that the toes point towards the ceiling. This is the action of the right piriformis muscle.
I should note - the pain I was talking about before wasn't sciatica, but I see this all as a related issue. I don't have sciatica right now, but there are times in life when I felt completely helpless because of severe sciatica. I think the whole thing is because of the muscles being too tight. I will start stretching today.
That's common complaint of a lot of clients I see. Piriformis is overly tight and since the sciatic nerve passes under the muscle when it becomes in a state of contraction it presses down on the nerve and it sends the tingling and burning sensation down the leg. Easy fix with stretching and even a few neuromuscular massage sessions. To isolate just the piriformis being contracted lay on a flat table and if your feet want to turn to the sides then you also know for sure your piriformis is tight.ironbabe said:
Same thing if you ever feel the tingling running down your arms. A lot of people confuse heart attacks, and carpal tunnel for a pinched nerve. They go into surgery and have similar problems when they come out. I'm not saying every situation but a lot. Same concept this time with the scalenes in the neck and/or the pec minor is overly contracted pressing down on the nerve.
bluehen
Well-known member
ironbabe said:
You could have a couple of things hindering your squats. First are tight calves. Wheen you squat your lower leg and torso should stay parallel. If your calves are tight as you go down your lower leg can't move foward unless your heels come up, or you upper body compensates and leans too far foward. Another is tight hip flexors. If your hip flexors are tight your glutes get de-activated. This will cause an imbalance were your adductors overpower your weak glutes and cause your knees to come together. If this is the case you need to stretch the hip flexors and strenghten the glutes. On the flip side if your glutes are overpowering weak or tight adductors it will cause your toes to rotate out. In this case you will need to stretch out the adductors.
"Another is tight hip flexors. If your hip flexors are tight your glutes get de-activated. This will cause an imbalance were your adductors overpower your weak glutes and cause your knees to come together."
Oh, so that might be why my right knee wants to turn in when I'm coming out of a deep squat?
Well, from all these posts I can see i have something too tight in there in the hip-ish region. I need to just make it a priority to stretch and then I will report back to you guys....
Thanks all
Oh, so that might be why my right knee wants to turn in when I'm coming out of a deep squat?
Well, from all these posts I can see i have something too tight in there in the hip-ish region. I need to just make it a priority to stretch and then I will report back to you guys....
Thanks all
You might want to consider seeing a chiropractor or what are they called (treilin probably knows) a sports medicine physiologist? A body mechanics person. If you have weakness/tightness somewhere something's goofy someplace else.
Okay, one more thing to think about: What kind of shoes are you wearing? I can't squat ATF even with no weight with the wrong shoes on, I've got my "deadlifting shoes" I use -- can't walk a quarter mile in the suckers, but perfect for weights.
Okay, one more thing to think about: What kind of shoes are you wearing? I can't squat ATF even with no weight with the wrong shoes on, I've got my "deadlifting shoes" I use -- can't walk a quarter mile in the suckers, but perfect for weights.
http://www.drbackman.com/piriformis-muscle-stretch.htm
Ok, when doing this stretch it does not "hit" the same place. hmmmm
Neither does this one:
http://www.exrx.net/Stretches/HipFlexors/KneelingHipFlexor.html
I am going to keep stretching (just in case) and doing box squats to strengthen. But I am at the point of thinking that it might just be a genetic issue with my hips. I realized that I failed to mention that quite often my hips "pop." When I was inshape before it stopped. I think I'm just weak again and strengthening all those muscles will help stabilize the joints. Anyone who knows better than I and dissagrees, please let me know. For now I will be taking the advice I have had here and stretching and slowly lowering my squat by using a box.
Ok, when doing this stretch it does not "hit" the same place. hmmmm
Neither does this one:
http://www.exrx.net/Stretches/HipFlexors/KneelingHipFlexor.html
I am going to keep stretching (just in case) and doing box squats to strengthen. But I am at the point of thinking that it might just be a genetic issue with my hips. I realized that I failed to mention that quite often my hips "pop." When I was inshape before it stopped. I think I'm just weak again and strengthening all those muscles will help stabilize the joints. Anyone who knows better than I and dissagrees, please let me know. For now I will be taking the advice I have had here and stretching and slowly lowering my squat by using a box.
bignate73
New member
my suggestion is buy a foam roll and roll out your glutes and piriformis before. i commonly can't get comfortable in a deep squat, I'll foam roll for a couple minutes, and drop right into the bottom of a squat. I almost feel restricted and off balance because of the tightness, after rolling, no more restrictions all the way down.
give it a whirl, its only $15 for a foam roll and you'll use it for tons of stuff. glutes/piriformis, IT band, lower back, mid/lower traps, lats, quads, calves, TFL etc. alot of uses.
you can get all kinds on performbetter.com
they even have a new one made with a pvc pipe inside and foam on the outside for added firmness and longevity.
happy rolling!
give it a whirl, its only $15 for a foam roll and you'll use it for tons of stuff. glutes/piriformis, IT band, lower back, mid/lower traps, lats, quads, calves, TFL etc. alot of uses.
you can get all kinds on performbetter.com
they even have a new one made with a pvc pipe inside and foam on the outside for added firmness and longevity.
happy rolling!
That second stretch targets more your psoas.ironbabe said:
You really have to lean into it.
The first piriformis stretch may not be the best one for you. You can use that one I attached earlier in this thread or you can do that same stretch by standing: Stand on one leg rest the leg to be stretched on a waist high table or bed at a right angle (across the front of you) stretch your arms and reach as far forward as possible focusing on the piriformis. You may need to also start stretching your adductors out. Adductor magnus is also used in squats and that guy may be tight.
Just pick up a yoga video they torque your body all the ways you could think stretching it out.
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