Can't Squat past parallel: what is the issue? advice?

[Jei]

I know this has probably been addressed a lot, but the fact is I can't really get past parallel while maintaining any sort of rigidity in my back. I think I'm getting a little better through squat stretching and squatting, but not at a quick rate.

Every time I squat I feel an intense tightness in my lower back, right about my glutes, at what feels like the tailbone. I can get about 90% (where like the bottom of my thigh is at same height to the knee with only a slight amount of wink, but if I do go past parallel my back looks like a complete letter C.

I've been a total computer jockey my entire life, so I imagine that's the source of the problem, but I'm trying to correct it. Also, I am known for having really bad posture, kind of hunch-back like, which again I've been trying to improve. I also know I can't "sit back on my shins" kind of Japanese style or 3rd world squat like most people seem to be able to do.

I know it isn't a matter of pushing out my knees, since I can push them out super far in a squat stretch, almost past being in line with my feet, and I still can't hit any kind of depth. Everytime I go down I just get "stuck" at a point right above my knees.

So I have two questions:

1) Is it just tight hamstrings? Weak lower back? some combination? What should I do? I've read about foam rolling and mobility stuff, but I'm not sure what to target.

2) What should I do about my squat in the meantime? Keep trying to do linear progression with my 90% squat? Should I keep it light until my form is perfect (I've kept my work sets at 50kg so far even though I think I could do more)? Should I just go ahead and let myself squat with horrible technique as long as I get parallel?

Thank you for reading my long post.

[Hoppa]

I taught this computer jockey how to squat. He had really tight hamstrings, couldnt even touch his toes. Spent an hour fixing him and he finally was able to do it. He's 5'8 120lbs, practically skin and bones. So, i always have the tendency to assume that its the form, before i assume anything else.

So, record yourself squatting, then post it here.

[Tom Campitelli]

Video please.

[jheald1]

I taught this computer jockey how to squat. He had really tight hamstrings, couldnt even touch his toes. Spent an hour fixing him and he finally was able to do it. He's 5'8 120lbs, practically skin and bones. So, i always have the tendency to assume that its the form, before i assume anything else.

So, record yourself squatting, then post it here.

I wasn't able to touch my toes when I started squatting, but that didn't present a problem. Of course, Jei's hamstrings sound tighter than mine.

If you can get into a full squat without the bar, then you should be able to squat completely with the weight on (pretty sure about that...), so it probably is form.

I wouldn't continue to squat with bad form (not complete squats). You could, but you're just reinforcing whatever you're doing wrong.

[Jei]

I took some video of myself, and I will try to edit and post it on youtube as soon as I can.

I can't really squat parallel without weight either. I can't get into a full squat stretch as shown in the book. I have some video of that too. FYI it isn't pretty. I try to do squat to stands, but my back looks almost parallel to the floor, but not my thighs.

My back is really rounded much of the time anyway. Even when I deadlift my back looks rounded when I think it feels straight. I ordered a foam roller so that will help things.

Right now at the gym I'm just kind of 90% partial squatting. I'm just going as low as I can with as straight a back as I can. I'm not increasing the weight at all right now. I'm hoping this will help stretch me out. I also do about 10-15 minutes of squat stretches and other mobility things I've seen on the net so hopefully that will help me too. I feel like I'm doing better than I was before.

Video on the way.. hopefully by tonight.

[Jei]

Firstly, sorry about the K-pop in the background of these vids. I go to a gym in Korea, and this shit is blaring 24/7 there.

Secondly, I appreciate any advice you can give me. I'm a bit older (late 20's) and lived my life completely unhealthily until a couple of years ago (I was about 317 lbs about 2 years ago, now about 205). I'm really trying to get myself into a strong and fit condition, but these problems I'm having with my form feel like a big wall preventing me from progressing. So thank you for any help.

Anyways:

*edit* I just read the tips about posting videos of squats. I think I several mistakes in videoing this. I have a workout tomorrow, and I will try to make quality better videos then.

First is a video of me trying to warm-up before the squat, doing bodyweight squats and squat stretches. I'm basically trying to go as low as I can. I don't think I could go parallel without falling on my ass. When I do the squat stretch, my ass is fully in the air, and I can't bring it lower. Its like I just get stuck.


Next is me with just the bar. This is actually from about maybe a week or so ago. I post it because this video seems to be about the lowest I've been able to go. Still not lower than parallel


This is a more recent video from about the same angle.


This is from the same workout as the previous, only from another angle.



Plus, if you notice the squat rack is about half a foot shorter than it needs to be, so I always have to lower or bend myself back into the thing. I would switch gyms, but I swear this is probably the best gym in my area so I'm trying to make due.

[Corrie]

Tight hamstrings don't really prevent you from getting to parallel. Your hamstring is stretching as you go down but it's also contracting as the knee angle closes so it's not actually stretching much.

Juding by your videos a good start would be to shove your knees out more and to lean forwards a bit more. You have to get your femurs out of the way so you can sink down.

[StrongLiftMyBalls]

Wow. I was reading this thread like "hey I lose shit loads of tightness as I reach parallel", "hey I cant touch my toes either or sit in asian squat"

Then i saw you trying to do a BW squat...

Yeah im more flexible than you. I mean shit, are you made of steel poles?

[Mr_Rogers]

This MWod really helped my hips:

[Jei]

Wow. I was reading this thread like "hey I lose shit loads of tightness as I reach parallel", "hey I cant touch my toes either or sit in asian squat"

Then i saw you trying to do a BW squat...

Yeah im more flexible than you. I mean shit, are you made of steel poles?

I don't know but it's fucking frustrating. The crazy shit is that I'm probably a lot better at BW squats then I used to be about a year ago.

But It's like as soon as I get close to parallel, I feel this incredible tightness in my lower back - the muscles on the right and left of my spine just above my butt. When I do squat stretches, I basically just try to stretch my back out as much as I can, but then I still can't get any lower.

I can get to a "asian squat" by holding onto something, but usually

1) I feel like I'm about to fall over as soon as I lose grip on whatever I am holding.

2) My back is crooked like a goddamn question mark.

3) My knees feel like they are about to burst

This MWod really helped my hips:

I've seen that video before, and I think my "best" squat video (from above) was after I did a set of those. I will try this MoD again tomorrow before I squat and hopefully when I take video again, I can show some improvement.