Question on squat depth limiters

[Slowertwitch]

I have difficulty achieving adequate squat depth with the barbell, but not when I just squat down with my arms/shoulders forward.

If I just hold a plate or DB in front and squat, I can easily drop down until my hamstrings almost touch my calves with no restrictions. Weight centered mid-foot, chest up and full lumbar extension.

But once I have a barbell on my back with arms and shoulders behind me, it's like all the slack has been taken out - I can barely achieve parallel.

Is that common, and what causes it? Is it possible that tightness in the upper back and shoulders can somehow limit squat depth by creating posterior tension?

More importantly, for the coaches - have you encountered trainees with this problem, and what did they do to cure it?

[Michael Wolf]

You may not be leaning forward far enough when you have the bar on your back. If you have your arms out in front of you, or a plate or a dumbbell, that forward weight counteracts your too-upright torso and allows you to squat all the way down, no problem. Otherwise, you generally won't squat further down into a position your body realizes it won't be able to maintain balance in/get back up from. I remember not understanding this back in 2005 when I started working full time as a personal trainer, and wondering why I couldn't squat. Because the image I had in my head was a smith machine squat, which of course cannot be achieved by a free-standing human being. When I learned and realized that no, you need to lean over when you squat to maintain balance, suddenly I no longer had that problem.

Try learning over/sitting back more as you descend.

It's also not terribly uncommon for people to need a little weight on the bar to help shove them down in the proper position. I always feel my empty bar sets are worst, in terms of technique, and it gets better and easier to achieve good form as my warm-ups get heavier, and then as I get to working weight, I must once again really focus to keep good technique. I've observed this in many, many people who I coach as well.

[Adam Skillin]

It's also not terribly uncommon for people to need a little weight on the bar to help shove them down in the proper position. I always feel my empty bar sets are worst, in terms of technique, and it gets better and easier to achieve good form as my warm-ups get heavier, and then as I get to working weight, I must once again really focus to keep good technique. I've observed this in many, many people who I coach as well.

I agree. The weight pushing you down and the barbell doing a better job approximating the center-of-mass of the lifter barbell system are why I think this is the case, but that's just conjecture on my part.

What's a scientifically proven fact, on the other hand, is that the center-of-mass of the earth-moon system is Michael Wolf.

[Michael Wolf]

I agree. The weight pushing you down and the barbell doing a better job approximating the center-of-mass of the lifter barbell system are why I think this is the case, but that's just conjecture on my part.

That's my thinking as well.

What's a scientifically proven fact, on the other hand, is that the center-of-mass of the earth-moon system is Michael Wolf.

Since it was written on the board at a recent SS Squat Camp, it must be true. And science.