Squats and inflexible trainees

[Peter_k]

Many people (myself included) seem to have a problem with lower back rounding, not getting deep enough, etc. It's normally an issue of hamstring flexibility, it seems.

You said in your book that the best stretch for the squat is the squat itself. But I saw something on a CF board where you said to:

"Squat down, put your fingertips under your feet to hold them, flatten your back as much as you can, and then shove your ass up in the air as high as you can. Hold it there and count to 30 slowly. Do this 3 times a week for the rest of your life. It takes about 3 weeks for flexibility to improve dramatically."

I'm just confused about the squatting down part. If I squat down completely (think of a Vietnamese farmer here) and put my fingers under my feet (from the sides) I find it pretty hard to raise my hips more than a little bit, especially if I keep my back straight.

Did you mean more like the half-squat you do to pick up a deadlift?

Boring question, I know. But good hamstring flexibility would make all of our lives so much more fulfilling and productive...

[Mark Rippetoe]

If you find it hard to raise you ass more than a little bit with your fingers under your toes, you are indeed quite inflexible. It might be that you need a more elementary hamstring stretch, many of which can be found in the literature.