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Thread: Struggling to Help a Gym Buddy with Squat Depth - Advice Needed!

  1. #1

    Default Struggling to Help a Gym Buddy with Squat Depth - Advice Needed!

    • starting strength seminar april 2025
    • starting strength seminar april 2025
    Hey everyone,

    I recently made friends with a guy at my gym, and during a brief conversation, I offered to help him improve his squat form. I’ve helped friends with their squats before, but this is my first time encountering a situation like this.

    First and foremost, I want to address his inability to reach depth below parallel. For now, I’m setting aside other form issues (from the video), such as bar positioning, hand placement, and tightness, to focus solely on squat depth.

    I tried various foot positions—narrow, wide, toes in, toes out—but nothing seemed to work. From observation, I’m sure his long femurs and torso length create unique squat mechanics.

    I’ve attached a video for reference. What adjustments cues would you recommend to help him achieve proper depth?

    Thanks in advance for your insights!

    Squat Abel - YouTube

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2021
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    38

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    Nothing about his build looks strange, he just isn't used to squatting properly. Hips back more, toes out a bit, knees out more. He's going to be bent over more than he wants to.

    If you have the blue book check out p.44 and have him get into the squat position without the bar. Once he's proven he can, bring the bar back in.

  3. #3

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    Thanks, Daltonar! I appreciate the feedback. We’ll definitely try your suggested adjustments—bringing his hips back more, toes out a bit, and knees out more. First, I’ll have him work on getting into the squat position without the bar to see if that helps.

    We’ve already experimented with a few different foot positions, but so far, there has been no significant improvement. I’ll post an update after we test your advice.

    Thanks again for the guidance!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
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    North Texas
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    55,284

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    If you let him squat above parallel, he will squat above parallel. If you stop counting above-parallel reps, he'll figure it out.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2023
    Posts
    69

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    I had a friend I was working with whose squats looked similar. Essentially, he just had no idea how to make his body hit depth. I used the trick of holding a weight plate out in front like Grant shows in this video and it helped immensely. Might be worth a try.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2rSdsrcCIB0

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    South of France
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tank50 View Post
    I used the trick of holding a weight plate out in front like Grant shows in this video and it helped immensely.
    Thanks for linking this, very useful indeed.

    IPB

  7. #7

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    I totally agree. Actually, I was not counting "correct squat reps"; I was counting different angles for the video. I know 100% that these don't count as squats. Please consider that this was 5 minutes after the first time I addressed my friend on his form.

  8. #8

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    Thanks for the video, we will try this!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2021
    Posts
    1,052

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tank50 View Post
    I had a friend I was working with whose squats looked similar. Essentially, he just had no idea how to make his body hit depth. I used the trick of holding a weight plate out in front like Grant shows in this video and it helped immensely. Might be worth a try.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2rSdsrcCIB0
    Thanks for sharing that, Tank - that's a fantastic coaching tool. I generally watch Maj. Broggi's stuff, but had somehow missed that one.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2023
    Posts
    750

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    starting strength coach development program
    Related to the weight plate coaching trick: the bar is in in the wrong place on his back. Notice how he "rolls" it down in his fingers? This is because as he tries to hit depth, the bar is "looking" for midfoot, which is about an inch down his back, at the bottom.

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