Taller ladies with very long femurs - Does Squatting Ever Get Easier?

[freestylewrestler]

@faithfulsteward7 I'll start by seconding what many people have already said: squat shoes or plates under your heels will likely help. The body mechanics of a squat mean that if you're not getting any knee over toe, you'll have to lean way forward to keep your balance. Elevating your heels (as with squat shoes or plates) as well as working on ankle mobility will mean not having to lean forward so much.

Play around with stance. You may find a wider stance more comfortable. Or a narrower one. If you're like me and squatting in parallel induces a "stuck" or "jammed" feeling in your hips, then toe out (external rotation through the legs) will be your friend. You might only need a little bit of toe out, or a lot. Or you might just be more comfortable in parallel to begin with. This part you can do with just your bodyweight in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

A game changer for me, which I haven't seen anyone else really mention yet, is bar position! Very generally, the less upright your torso is, the lower the bar needs to be on your back to maintain optimum bar path (straight up and down over the centre of your foot). Switching from high bar to low bar made a world of difference for me. I went from niggling knee pains and my back fatiguing before anything else to... not that. Another thing to look into and play around with.

Learning to brace correctly will help look after your back.

Dr Aaron Horschig of Squat University over on youtube is a treasure trove of knowledge, and his videos may answer questions you didn't even know you had.

 

[naate]

@freestylewrestler I second the recommendation to check out Squat University. They have a good deal of videos that go into different squat techniques for differently shaped people.

 

[dynamitex]

@faithfulsteward7 Here's a great video that really shows you the mechanics of different body types and squats.

 

[berighteous]

@dynamitex It is a great video...and gets right to the information, thanks for sharing!

 

[dynamitex]

@berighteous I don't even squat and I have this video saved and refer back to it often.

 

[isoter]

@faithfulsteward7 I have long femurs. Squat shoes helped. Pointing my toes slightly outwards helped. Not giving a shit what my knees are doing helped. And low bar squatting helped.

I will forever be jealous of my short legged friends though; they finish their squat by the time I’ve made it to the hole it seems lol

 

[dawn16]

@faithfulsteward7 Starting to squat you may want to put a lift under your shoes (if you use them) to go deeper so the ankles arent a limiting factor. Also you may need to lean your trunk more.

 

[brother135]

@faithfulsteward7 You’re going to need to widen your stance and toe out significantly. And don’t worry about your knees translating forward. It’s only a concern if you have certain knee injuries/conditions.

Also, front rack may be easier on your back because in order to get depth with long femurs, your back isn’t going to stay upright.

Check out Barbell physio on IG. He breaks down the biomechanics with different femur lengths and total heights

 

[velvety777]

@brother135 Agree with the last two, but even at longer femur lengths everyone has a different stance. Wide with toes out may not be best for her

 

[dmm]

@faithfulsteward7 i have long femurs, squat shoes made all the difference. i backed off in weight to rebuild my way back up and my squats went from parallel at best to ATG.

 

[meritfromgrace]

@dmm Do you mean like Converse and Nike?

 

[dmm]

@meritfromgrace NOPE I mean squat shoes with a heel. Adidas, Tyr, Rogue, etc. You can google Olympic lifting shoes, just make sure the heel is raised. Flat won't help you squat with your long legs (but is good for deadlifts and general lifting).

 

[khozaq]

@meritfromgrace Weightlifting shoes like Nike Romaleos or Reebok Legacy Lifters. The raised heel helps a lot!

 

[meritfromgrace]

@khozaq Can you please link i am not from US,will look something similar here

 

[velvety777]

@meritfromgrace Heeled lifting shoes, with a flat sole, are the best

 

[stephcastro10]

@faithfulsteward7 i have long femurs

get squat shoes

do a lot of core work - i like ab rollouts, stir the pot with fit ball . hollow holds. pallof press with cable , weighted dead bugs

do a lot of abductor work - copen hagen planks and the abductor machine etc.

keep squatting but add in other stuff that feels more natural like step up or or leg press or hip thrusts or rdl’s etc

 

[zyguy]

@faithfulsteward7 In addition to what others have said about your trainer’s spurious advice about form, the (excellent, woman’s-anatomy-focused) trainer who taught me proper form for squats and Olympic lifts was fanatic about increasing ankle dorsiflexion and calf strength and mobility, because "ass to grass" does not happen without it and injury does.

 

[steve1225]

@faithfulsteward7 I am a short lady with long femurs AND a long torso (my lower legs are short - I have chimp proportions lol) and the only way I can squat without leaning WAY forward and putting a lot of pressure on my lower back is with my heels elevated with squat shoes or on plates. But even then, its ALWAYS awkward. I've worked with several trainers too so I don't think I'm squatting incorrectly, I'm just not built well for squats. On the other hand, I'm really well suited for deadlifts because I also have long arms.

Anyway, squats don't feel good and never got easier, so I've been incorporating more lunges, Goblet squats, and other exercises instead of my nemesis, barbell back squats.

 

[dirtman]

@faithfulsteward7 I was in this situation. Worked with a coach and PT to try a number of different things. Elevating my heels made a world of a difference. Then, as I got good range and comfortable with the movement, focusing on making sure to fully extend hips and engage core at the top (dealing with anterior pelvic tilt and protecting my back) was the next step. Now I’m adding weight and feeling good. Good luck!

 

[brokcityjohn]

@faithfulsteward7 I laughed reading this because at 180cm I immediately knew what you were referring to lol. I’ll say this — I don’t do ass to grass squats, mostly for the benefit of my knees. But the handful of times I did do them when training with my bf I had to go very wide on my stance.

For parallel squats a few things that have helped:

• Lifting toes up while squatting. I definitely encourages me to set my stance back a bit so my knees don’t go past toes.

• Assistance bar. When working to deep sqauts or take a deep squat I often squat near a bar — for me something like a stair rail or the edge of a counter or table works just fine. The idea isn’t to put much pressure on the support or rely on it, but for me it provides a sense of balance that helps me squat deeper.

• Yes, lean forward. Ngl, I am often rocking a 30* angle between my abdomen and my core. I do think this can hurt your back long term if you also don’t strengthen your core. But I also tend to do a lot of reps. So on the occasions I feel back pain that may be why.