Remarkably good explanation and visuals. I've been squatting 45 years and have long femurs. Yours is the best and concise advice and explanation I've ever seen or heard on the subject of squatting. It's an important issue. I'm surprised this doesn't have ten times more views.
Great video and explanation. 6’2 long femurs here squatting is a struggle to figure out. Seems to always cause some kind of lower back irritation despite belting and mobility exercises.
up until recently, when I bought my first pair of squat shoes, I had no choice but to squat with as wife a stance as humanly possible. My lower back would pay the price via posterior pelvic tilt.
Thank you for this video that gets straight to the point Underdog Strength! Many people beat around the bush and dont explain what we came for right away. Thank you!
I've been squatting wrong all these years. I'm just now learning that the conventional way of squatting does not apply to us tall people with long legs. For the longest time I've been trying to do atg squats without ever being able to go bellow parallel. Well, now I know, lol.
Maybe not necessarily tall people with long legs - I'm short (165cm, about 5'4) and have always struggled and hated to squat because I'd always been fed that bullcrap of narrow stance and "90 degree knee angle" bullshit and I'd always fail because I simply have long femur bones that barely anyone has ever talked about - knowing about this crucial factor now I love to squat because I finally don't feel discriminated! We are all different and can't all apply the same rules for squatting. More power to us! :D
It is not the deep squat that should be a concern, rather whether a person with long femur could activate the quads during the squat, because a wide squat position transfers the weight even further to the posterior musculature making the quads even more inactive than they typically are with tall persons.
Ignore the arrogant comments my friend there are always closed minded individuals who think they have all the right answers. I’ve struggled with squats my whole lifting career and I contributed it to what you discuss here but have never had it exactly expained or shown to me visually. So this proved my theory correct and I will adjust my stance accordingly. Thanks for the info brotha’
I have this problem I definitely wasn't born with the body I want I have long femur bones it's very hard to squat correctly I also have a short torso I've heard that it's hard to get a flat stomach when you have a short torso I definitely don't have good genetics but I'm doing my best to defeat the genes
Hey man, this is one of the greatest explanations and tips I have seen on youtube. Been struggling with the squat for a looong time, until I realised that I need to adjust due to long legs. Really, really great video!!
i'm 6 ft 2 and have longe legs and short torso. When I want to squat deep, my back is almost parallel to the ground which is terrible. This video is very good and helped me, to fix my problem, i try to get more ankle dorsi flection by strechting and i try to open my hip mobility too. and these squat shoes really help... good video bro... :D
my femurs are way longer(proportionally, im 181cm) than most if not everyone that says they have this problem. My elbows still have to go below my knees to get parallel with a wide stance
Thank you for posting this. I have very long femurs and struggle with squats following other techniques. My knees naturally go out with a wider stance.
This is even harder to do when your torso and arm span is shorter according to your height. This puts more pressure on your back even in everyday life things and looks wise.
Generally, especially for smaller lifters, having a narrower grip can help maintain better upper back tightness. It also depends on your grip style. If you use a 'thumbs over the bar' grip (similar to Starting Strength) it can be easier to maintain tightness with a slightly wider grip. If you grip the bar with thumbs around the bar (similar to a bench press), you will have to use a narrower grip to maintain tightness. I recommend using wrist wraps if you use this grip. Does this answer your question?
I'm 168 cm but my legs are 100 cm, does that mean I've long femurs so I should squat wider? Im trying to learn squatting with bw and goblet squat with plates under heels because of the ankle mobility issues. Nice vid btw, keep up the good work!
Good question! As a coach, I generally recommend my clients to squat in a way that feels natural. If you have long femurs, you will naturally tend to squat a bit wider. Find a stance that allows you to squat deep comfortably. Over time, you can make adjustments as your technique improves. goblet squats are a great way to start and as I mentioned in the video, you will benefit from using a squat shoe with a heel. I hope this helps! If you have a video that you'd like me to look at, send it to me at anand@underdogstrength.com or DM me on Instagram @underdog.strength
Excellent Video - thank you for the perspective Lots of different info regarding squats: jungle of info! Long femur and the bio machines are discussed enough !
And if you have not only proportionaly long femur but also not sufficient hip mobility for getting under parallel without significant lumbar flexion ... Forget about deep squat. I recommend trying barbell hack squat and of course conventional deadlifts for the lower body strength and fitness.
It can hurt your back if you don't brace your core correctly. By using squat shoes and a slightly wider stance, you can actually squat a bit more upright. Does this help?
Shorter wing span and torso with long femurs is hell! You can't deadlift or even daily things in life is hard, since your always bending your back and the knee to reach things lower then you. I think I have messed up growth spurt, only my femurs grew and rest of body is same. It looks ridiculous and I have no confidence in my appearance as well
Thank you for this. I am still experimenting with different stances but this information has confirmed what I had already started to implement. Thank you sir!!!
Your video is not only excellent, but is highly relevant to my situation. I suffer from short torso, long legs, so loaded back squats are quite challenging for me, even with squat shoes (Adipowers)! Unloaded, my back squat form is excellent, however. I'm thinking that I should give up loaded back squats and simply do front squats and leg press (on which I am comparatively very strong). What are your thoughts? Is persisting with back squats worth the effort/injury risk for someone like me?
It depends on your goals. If your goal is general hypertrophy and fitness, you can always use exercises that you feel comfortable with. If your goal is to compete in powerlifting, then you have to back squat. If something hurts then you probably shouldn't push it. Do you perform your back squats high-bar or low-bar?
If u want deadlift like guys with short femur, use trapbar. No reason to fuck up your back with normal deadlift. And 1 question: do you know anh sport or everyday activity when long femur is advantage?
Yes Trap Bar (use it with the low handles not the high unless you are super duper genetic freak basketball tall) for dead lifts is great. But we still need to perform barbell squats of course. Underdog's advice is top notch on how to at least utilize the squat, even though we may never be able to exploit it to the fullest extent like the dead lift.
If the goal is to lift the most amount of weight, then yes. With high bar, because of the forward lean, the bar will roll up your neck if it's too heavy. If the goal is general strength/hypertrophy, whichever feels comfortable is the best.
Just to be clear, your leg length is nearly irrelevant. It is the proportions of the joints in your legs that matter. A person with short legs, but a long femur will have a much more difficult time squatting than a person with long leg, but a proportionally shorter femur and longer tibia.
i have a 31 inseam at 5:11.5 height am i ok for squatting? i have really short arms (standup and only touch my pocket and no further with arms straight ) really good for ohp benchpress what inseam would you people consider long past 40 ? 36?
It really depends on the height. It's all relative. Some people might be tall but have relatively shorter legs and a longer torso. Others might be short and have relatively longer femurs. Does this make sense? lol
@@AnandJ hi thanks for comment reply course it makes sense obviously the inseam is the length of the legs right i just want to know what inseam d o you consider long or short
It depends on your goals. High bar will be a bit easier to learn. Low bar can be a bit harder initially because you're essentially making your torso 'shorter', which can be a bit challenging if you already have a shorter torso in relation to your femurs. If your goal is to squat heavy, most people with long femurs will prefer a low bar style because you will have a bit more forward lean than someone with shorter femurs. If you have a significant forward lean with high-bar, the barbell will tend to roll up your neck and make it uncomfortable. With low bar, you can maintain a comfortable shelf even with a forward lean. If your goal is general strength or hypertrophy, you can do great with either high-bar or low-bar. It comes down to personal preference. Does this make sense?
Do you have any problems with quad over activation at the expense of the glutes and hamstrings? And thanks very much for this video sir. I've been trying to solve this nightmare for some time. Hopefully using these shoes + wider stance will work.
I'm glad you liked the video! Squats are going to be quad-dominant and your quads will be the primary mover in any squat variation. The hamstrings and glutes do assist the quads but there is no way around it being a quad exercise. I don't worry about the different muscle groups being activated as long as my form is good. I work on my hamstrings and glutes separately because there are much better exercises for them. Does this help?
@@AnandJ Yes. But as a long legged person, do you have any trouble activating the part of the glutes that connect to the hamstrings(ie lower glutes)? Squats, lunges, hipthrusts, and deadlifts are not activating this area for me. Do you have any recommendations for this?
@@JohnCharlesRome I’ve never had that issue. If you’re doing these exercises with correct form, I wouldn’t worry about the activation. You may want to try some exercise bands or a hip circle for activation
ive tried a thousand stances before i tell you what im about to tell you. it doesnt matter what stance one withlong femur has, what matters is that when he squats concentrically its inevitable that his hips go in and glutes and ham are loaded to finish the movement. look at 3:29 and pause, his knees went slightly in, and so the weight is loaded on his glutes, so now if you have a weak core, LITERALLY you will fall over on top of you. it happens to everyone but especially in people with long femurs, ALL weight at some point depends on your core and lower back because your glutes and hams are already high enough but because the weight is on top of you instead of in the front like the deadlift, now its the point where all the finishing movement depends on your lower back and core. so because i cant keep listening to an indian explaining squats, id rather explain what helps me. if you want to squat good with long femurs, keep your stance close, open up more the angle of your feet and learn to execute properly the hip hinge, but understand that its going to take much longer for you to squat the same in comparison with one who has short femurs long back and long shins. ITS NEVER BEEN ABOUT HEIGHT. its ALWAYS about proportions, so for all you guys who are 1.90 and taller, it doesnt matter how tall you are, measure your bone length, figure out your proportions and adjust accordingly. ALAN THRALL has a great videoo explaining proportions
Thanks for your input! You're correct in saying that it's about proportions and not absolute height. A couple things I'd like to point out: 1. This video is specifically addressing the issue of squat depth. If someone with long femurs is able to squat to depth with a narrow stance, that's great and they should do that. In my experience, most have trouble with this, hence I suggested that they squat a bit wider and/or use squat shoes. 2. The squat you pointed out in the video is a low-bar squat which will be more posterior chain dominant for most people, especially if you have long femurs. This is why people with long-femurs prefer low-bar squats because when the weight gets heavy, their posterior chain will take over. Thanks again for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! -Anand.
Thanks for your input! You're correct in saying that it's about proportions and not absolute height. A couple things I'd like to point out: 1. This video is specifically addressing the issue of squat depth. If someone with long femurs is able to squat to depth with a narrow stance, that's great and they should do that. In my experience, most have trouble with this, hence I suggested that they squat a bit wider and/or use squat shoes. 2. The squat you pointed out in the video is a low-bar squat which will be more posterior chain dominant for most people, especially if you have long femurs. This is why people with long-femurs prefer low-bar squats because when the weight gets heavy, their posterior chain will take over. Thanks again for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! -Anand.
It does to some extent. Your femurs may be long in absolute terms but not in terms of your relative proportions. You may be able to squat more upright if you also have a long torso. It's hard to tell without looking at your squat. Feel free to send me a video of your squat for a form check. You can DM me on Instagram - @underdog.strength or email me at anand@underdogstrength.com with your video.
