@faithfulsteward7 i would also like to participate in dogpiling your trainer and say knees over toes is normal, expected, and necessary. no knees over toes has got to be the stupidest baseless myth thats still so unfortunately common along with other fitness myths and im so sorry your time was wasted
but the plus side is things can only get better for you from this point on
you can also experiment with different high/low/front bar positioning maybe
@faithfulsteward7 I’m 5’9” with a short torso and long femurs. I can squat basically ass to grass and am in general quite flexible, but I’ll never be able to squat a lot. I weigh 130 and the most I’ve EVER been able to squat is 125 for 6 reps and that’s when I was training a lot.
I can leg press 250 but I’ve just accepted that I’ll never be able to back squat a lot. I haven’t trained in 6 weeks due to surgery but prior to that was doing more front squats and found them better for my frame so that’s something to try
If you can’t squat atg even without weight, then it sounds like a flexibility issue and you should work on stretching.
@faithfulsteward7 I make my legs very wide in the squat, and almost move my knees to the side out of the way so I can get depth. But you have to be careful doing this and make sure your hip is supporting the weight and not your knees. Practice different stances without weight and see what works best for your anatomy!
I'm your height but my femurs aren't as long as yours but they still get in the way. It also sometimes helps to hinge a bit before you descend.
@faithfulsteward7 I’m not tall at 5’4” but have a stupidly tiny torso in comparison with my 33” legs - . I use the smith machine and work on form until it feels right. I do use barbells and dumbbells at times mostly for sumos, deadlifts and RDLs but primarily feel the most balanced for my long leg day routines on the smith. One thing i absolutely recommend especially for us short torso gals is the hyper extension bench if you have access. Killer glute isolation and one place we have an advantage! I also recommend squat university and have definitely found that adjusting whatever works for us/you is best! I mostly find I struggle with the BSSs because of my leg length but I continue to work on it and definitely don’t have an issue with positive glute isolation and growth so I’m rolling with it.
@faithfulsteward7 Is long femurs more than just long legs? I'm just curious, im maybe 5'8/9 (idk) and i definitely have long legs but not disproportionate to my torso i believe, but ive never had any issues with reaching squat depth or ATG, are there other factors? I'm kind of out of the loop with femur talk, or at least i dont understand what i would be if i dont have the issue OP has
@karmel From my reading, femur length is hugely determinative in how far you need your knees to go over your toes and forward leaning. People with a long femur cannot squat properly without a forward lean. Having a feel elevation helps a bit because it elongates the lower leg and compensates for the long femurs slightly.
@faithfulsteward7 I see, i definitely don't have the issue with forward leaning, at least not in a way that makes my squat feel unsafe or etc etc. just interesting to hear as i would have thought id have long femurs possibly but maybe it's also in conjunction with torso and other factors
@karmel Also have long femurs and no I don’t have trouble reaching squat depth or atg especially without weight. It sounds more like a flexibility issue
@karmel I can definitely relate to OP - I have extra long femurs (calves are normal) and a suuuuuper short torso. It makes squatting a balance nightmare! So I think the rest of the proportions matter a lot!
@faithfulsteward7 Knees tracking over toes is fine. It's normal human anatomy, actually. This trainer is not up to date.
I have almost no torso, but all the leg. Squats Re my biggest challenge. I actually perform better on front squats than back squats, I've come to find.
@leadbyexample12 Yes! I can't keep my chest up with back squats. Lol I'm assuming that's just how I'm built. My husband has a long torso and he makes squats look easy.
@combscreek I’ve really been watching to try the safety squat bar for this very reason - front squatting feels a lot better but I hate holding the bar that way.
@rocket3 Definitely. My shoulders and traps are sore from front squats 2 days ago. JBut I felt my legs and ass light up so much more than the back squats I've been doing for a year.
@faithfulsteward7 Kindly show your trainer this photo and maybe share the whole article. It has videos explaining how different body types squat differently.
@faithfulsteward7 It does get better as you get close to a sweet spot. I have to attempt to sit back with my hips even though it still feels pretty uncomfortable. My knees still do track over my toes a bit, but as other people have stated - that’s perfectly fine. Some days that does leave me with some patella pain if I’m a little too far forward, but it’s nothing crazy. It’s not my favorite lift these days, but I squat 300# so there is hope
@faithfulsteward7 Your allowed to, in fact required to, track your knees forward. Watch squatuniversity on instagram he provides visuals of squat mechanics for different anatomies.
. I use the smith machine and work on form until it feels right. I do use barbells and dumbbells at times mostly for sumos, deadlifts and RDLs but primarily feel the most balanced for my long leg day routines on the smith. One thing i absolutely recommend especially for us short torso gals is the hyper extension bench if you have access. Killer glute isolation and one place we have an advantage! I also recommend squat university and have definitely found that adjusting whatever works for us/you is best! I mostly find I struggle with the BSSs because of my leg length but I continue to work on it and definitely don’t have an issue with positive glute isolation and growth so I’m rolling with it.