How To Improve Your Deep Squat
Mobility tips and tricks for you to help improve your deep squat
Deep squatting is a skill that we develop between crawling and walking. If we continue to deep squat throughout our life we never loose the skill. But for many of us, at some point in our lives we lose this skill and it becomes much harder to get back at an older age. Hopefully that doesn’t stop you from trying, because deep squatting is incredibly important for the life and longevity of your body!
Because this is a blog post and not a one-on-one appointment, I am going to give exercises and stretches for the most common areas that people are restricted and where it is preventing them from doing a deep squat. I recommend trying them all and picking the few that you find most difficult.
Deep squatting requires good mobility in your ankles, knees and hips. Here are some stretches you can do to help improve your deep squat:
Ankles
Gastroc Stretch
Place your forefoot on a half foam roller (or a rolled up towel). Step forward with the opposite foot and keep your back leg straight.
Hold for 90 seconds and repeat on other leg.
Soleus Stretch
With the same forefoot on a half foam roller (or a rolled up towel). Bend your back knee.
Hold for 90 seconds and repeat on other leg.
Release your Feet
Take a half lacrosse ball (a golf ball, tennis ball, etc) and roll out the bottom of your foot. When you find a tender spot hold it there for a few seconds and then find another tender spot.
Repeat on opposite foot.
Ankle Dorsiflexion Mobilization
Kneeling on the floor, shift your front knee forward (tracking over your 2nd or 3rd toe).
Perform 15-20 reps and then repeat on opposite side.
If you are finding that your feet are really restricted, check out the foot flow I created. If you are finding that your ankles are really restricted, check out the ankle mobility flow that I created.
Knees
Knee joint gapping
Take a rolled up towel and place it behind your knees. Sit back on your heels as much as your knees will allow you. If this is still aggravating your knees, add another towel and/or go on your hands and knees and then shift your hips back (see photo ‘ squat on your hands and knees’ below).
Hold for 1-3 minutes.
Tibial Rotation
Sit on the floor with both hands on either side of your knee and your toes pointed upward Keeping your knee pointed straight forward and your heel anchored to the ground, rotate your toes left and right
Repeat 10 times on each leg
Hips and Low Back
Work on your sitting posture
When sitting, you want to make sure to keep a slight arch in your lower back. Check out this blog for different ways to sit in a chair.
Start sitting on the floor more
That’s right! It' sounds easy, but if you are not used to it it can be quite challenging. Start with shorter periods of time and work your way it. It will be a great way to work on your strength and mobility without even thinking about it. Check out this blog for sitting on the floor tips and tricks.
Hip Flexor Stretch
Kneeling on the floor, slightly tuck your pelvis and shift forward until you feel a stretch. For an added stretch put your back foot up on a chair. If you want more exercises for your hips check out my hip flow.
Hold for 90 seconds and repeat on the opposite side.
Thoracic Mobility
Snow Angels
Lying on the floor with a foam roller (or rolled up towel) vertical, anchor your lower ribs and pretend you are doing snow angels with your arms.
Repeat 20-30 reps
Deep Squat Progressions
1. Squat on your hands and knees
Starting on your hands and knees, with your toes tucked, shift your hips back.
Hold for 5-10 seconds and repeat 10 times
2. Door Squat
Hold on to a door handle (railing, heavy desk, etc) and squat down as far as you can.
Hold for 30 seconds up to 5 minutes
3. Heels Elevated
Using a half foam roller, a rolled up towel, a shoe with a heel drop, etc.. squat down into a deep squat and hold.
Hold for 30 seconds up to 5 minutes
4. Deep Squat with a Heavy Weight
Holding on to a heavy weight and then deep squat. This can help to counter balance you, making a deep squat easier.
Hold for 30 seconds up to 5 minutes
For more information check out my Deep Squat Flow on YouTube.
Remember if you can not currently do a deep squat, that’s okay! The more you work on it the easier it will get, trust me! A good goal to aim for is to do a deep squat for a total of 5 minutes per day. This can be done at once or spread out throughout the day. You will notice the improvements in you hips, knees, ankles.