Squatting is a great exercise for building lower body strength. It’s considered a fundamental movement in fitness, meaning it’s usually what you learn when you first start strength training.
For many, achieving full range of motion in a squat can be challenging. Full range of motion means bending your knees and lowering your hips until the hips get to the same level as your knees. Or even further if you have that ability.
Often, people are told they have tight hips or ankles that are affecting their ability to squat full range. While that may be true for some, it’s not always the case. We can’t see inside the body to determine exactly what’s going on. Also when people are told this, they’re usually given many stretches or drills to “fix” these tight muscles. But commonly these won’t make a big dent in one’s squat depth.
What has been found to be a quick fix for squat depth is adjusting your center of mass. Many people have a slightly forward-shifted center of mass, meaning they tend to lean forward when standing or walking. This forward lean is often the reason people feel tightness in their hips or ankles when squatting.
To adjust one’s center of mass more to midline, we use heel wedges under the back of your feet, and place weight in front or get your arms in front of you. Goblet squats holding a dumbbell or kettlebell in front are the most common way we do this. Another option is to use the safety bar that has handles which put your arms in front of you. All these adjustments help shift your center of mass back. Which puts you in better alignment to bend your knees and go straight down.
These strategies can allow people to squat more comfortably and deeper, even if it’s their very first time. It’s why we often use a heel elevated, front loaded goblet squat as an intro exercise when people start. It’s a simple way to get someone new to strength training doing full range of motion squats on day 1!
