People of a certain structure (usually tall and long-legged) may have a more difficult time squatting than those who are shorter and stockier. This is because the squat is all about leverage.
"And the longer your femurs are, the harder it is to perform the back squat with high quality," he adds.
So, we can conclude here that when we're looking at the effect of height on 1 RM back squat, there's not much of an effect. However, this correlation is likely confounded by weight. Our taller people weigh more than our shorter people.
Long legs plus poor ankle mobility makes squatting deep very challenging. To overcome this limitation, focus on improving ankle dorsiflexion – the ability to flex your foot upward towards your shin.
You need good ankle, knee, and hip mobility to achieve deep squats, so stretching can help.
“If we are going for strength, going parallel is deep enough for the strength adaptation we're looking for, and for the central nervous adaptation we'll get from being under heavy load.”
As for squatting, I've found that a switch to the front squat does well to accommodate the long femurs that impair deep range of motion in other variations. Because of the front load, it's easier to “lean against” the weight and use it as a counterbalance to achieve a nice, deep depth.
Zercher Squat
This front-loaded variation is one of the toughest squats in your arsenal. The placement of the bar isn't just for show, either—positioning the weight like that will test your core and mid-back muscles along with the quads, hamstrings, and glutes as you brace and fight to keep your torso upright.
While athletes with short legs (and relatively long torsos) may find squatting easier, the reverse tends to be true for the deadlift. As athletes with long torsos hinge forward during a deadlift, the horizontal distance between their hip joints and shoulders increases.
The video below by Dr. Stuart Mcgill suggests that the hip anatomy of some humans is not designed to allow for a full depth functional squat. Hip angle, shape and alignment vary greatly between humans, dependant on genetic heredity, to the extent that it can alter so called 'normal human movement patterns.
This is a relatively simple process. Stand upright and look at the proportions of your body. Do your legs seem like they're really, really long when you compare them to your torso? If your answer is yes – then your femurs are probably long.
Squatting with a wide stance will help provide a biomechanical advantage for taller athletes by reducing torque about the knee joints. The wider stance allows the athlete to obtain a lower squatting depth than a more traditional, narrower stance.
Tall folks have a greater range of motion and thus have to travel a further distance, resulting in doing more work with the same amount of weight lifted as a smaller guy. More work means they will tire out faster with fewer repetitions completed.
Only 1 Out Of 50 People Go To The Gym, So 0.00012% Of The World's Population Can Squat 405lbs… That's 3 Out Of Every 25,000 People.”
Yes, that is a good weight to squat for your size. You're approaching 2x bodyweight which is generally considered to be a strong squat.
In reality your range of flexibility depends on a number of things, and none of them are height-related. For example, individuals with more elasticity in the structure of their joints will naturally be more bendable.
When discussing good squat depth, the standard measurement is getting the thighs below parallel or the hip crease past the knee joint.
Knee flexion is crucial for achieving a deep squat. Restricted knee movement can prevent the thighs from reaching parallel to the ground or lower, essential for a proper deep squat. Solution: Stretching: Include knee flexion exercises such as quad stretches and lying knee flexion stretches.
In many cases, the front squat is a better choice for most tall lifters. Having the bar front loaded allows you to maintain a more upright torso position and sit deeper into the lift. Unfortunately, back squats can easily become ugly when tall guys try and force themselves to hit depth.
A study by the University of Texas found that performing squats synthesises more testosterone and growth hormone than a similar session on the leg press.