Originally Posted by
Dastardly
This isnt flexibility problems, its WEAKNESS problems. I think a lot of us who are not super athletic were similarly tight when beginning barbell training. His problems are more to do with poor muscle control/weakness.
His knees cave in because his abductors like medial glutes are not working properly. He is coming onto his toes because he cannot keep tension in his hamstrings and calves etc. Even if you are very inflexible, if you have good control of your muscles you just have to squat with the best technique you can and form/depth will just improve.
get him to practice things like extending the back muscles while lying on the floor and keeping full body tension when doing something like a RDL with a broom stick. When he learns how to be tight, just get him to do the lifts with good technique even if it is quarter squats, he will improve. Of course, stretch afterwards, but the muscle control is th emain thing here.
I was the same to an extreme extent (I have dyspraxia) but I managed to teach myself good technique in both low bar and olympic full squats. Its just a matter of hard work. I also could not press an empty barbell when I started.