Why Some People Are Better Built For Squatting

Summary

The video script delves into why certain body types may excel at squatting due to factors like bone length ratios and center of gravity. It emphasizes the importance of squatting for overall strength and functionality, offering modifications and exercises like seated good mornings to improve adductor Magnus flexibility and ankle mobility. The script also addresses common issues like the 'buttwink' and provides tips to maintain proper spinal alignment during deep squats, ensuring that everyone can benefit from this fundamental exercise.

Takeaways

• 🏋️ Squatting is a versatile exercise beneficial for strength, sports performance, and maintaining functionality as we age, suitable for nearly everyone with various modifications available.
• 🧍‍♂️ The ability to squat effectively is often influenced by an individual's body structure, particularly the length of the femur and the center of gravity during the squat.
• 🦿 The length of the femur affects the degree of hip hinging required to maintain balance during a squat, with a longer femur necessitating more hinging and a shorter femur allowing a more upright posture.
• 🔄 Dorsal flexion at the ankle is important for squat depth, and variations in this joint's flexibility can impact the squat posture and depth an individual can achieve.
• 🏋️‍♀️ The muscles involved in squatting, such as the hamstrings, gluteus maximus, and adductor magnus, must have adequate length and strength to maintain proper form and avoid injury.
• 🚫 The 'butt wink' or posterior pelvic tilt is a common issue when squatting too deep without proper muscle length and can be mitigated with proper form and mobility exercises.
• 💊 Maximus' testosterone protocol, sponsored in the video, is highlighted as a potential solution for those struggling to build muscle, by naturally increasing testosterone levels under medical supervision.
• 🤸‍♂️ Exercises like the seated good morning can help strengthen and increase the range of motion in the adductor magnus, which is often the limiting factor in deep squats.
• 👣 Elevating the heels during a squat can help maintain an upright torso and deeper squat depth, by reducing the flexion required at the hip.
• 🛑 Wider stance and slight external hip rotation can alleviate tissue approximation issues, allowing for deeper squats without compromising spinal alignment.
• 🔄 Improving hip and ankle mobility are long-term solutions to increase squat range of motion and depth, which can translate to better squat form and performance.
• 🌟 Regardless of bone length, individuals can achieve effective squats with proper training, mobility work, and adherence to correct form and technique.

Q & A

Why might some people be better built for squatting than others?

Some people may be better built for squatting due to their body's center of gravity and the length of their femur compared to their tibia, which affects how much they need to hinge at the hips to maintain balance during a squat.

What is the importance of maintaining the center of gravity while squatting?

Maintaining the center of gravity is crucial to avoid falling over and to ensure proper form and balance throughout the squat movement.

How does the length of the femur affect squatting posture?

A longer femur requires more hinging at the hips and a more forward-leaning torso to maintain the center of gravity, while a shorter femur allows for a more upright posture during a squat.

What muscles are primarily responsible for maintaining spinal position during a squat?

The extensor muscles of the spine, along with the hip muscles such as the hamstrings, glutes, and adductor Magnus, are responsible for maintaining proper spinal position during a squat.

What is the term for when the top of the foot comes closer to the shin bone during squatting?

This is called dorsal flexion, which occurs at the ankle joint in the bottom position of a squat.

Why is the adductor Magnus muscle important in the context of squatting?

The adductor Magnus is important because it actively lengthens during the squat's lowering phase, and its attachment to the pelvis can affect the pelvis's position and potentially cause a posterior pelvic tilt if it reaches its length limit.

What is the term used to describe the pelvis tilting underneath the body during a deep squat?

This is often referred to as a posterior pelvic tilt or colloquially as 'buttwink.'

What immediate adjustments can be made to improve squat depth while maintaining proper alignment?

Slightly widening the stance, externally rotating the hips, and elevating the heels can immediately help improve squat depth without compromising spinal alignment.

How can one work on long-term modifications to improve squat range of motion?

Long-term modifications include improving hip mobility, specifically targeting the adductor Magnus muscle, and working on ankle mobility with calf muscles.

What is the role of the Maximus supplement mentioned in the script?

Maximus offers a testosterone protocol that includes encline and pregnanolone to stimulate natural testosterone production and support hormonal health, potentially aiding in muscle growth and strength gains.

What is the significance of full range of motion squats for strength and hypertrophy gains?

Full range of motion squats are more effective for stimulating strength and hypertrophy gains, and they also help maintain mobility, which is beneficial for overall functionality and longevity.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♂️ Squatting Mechanics and Body Types

The first paragraph discusses the varying aptitudes for squatting among individuals, attributed to differences in body structure. It emphasizes the importance of squatting for strength, sports performance, and maintaining functionality with age, suggesting that everyone can benefit from some form of squatting. The paragraph introduces the concept of the center of gravity and its role in squatting, using stick figure illustrations to explain how different body types may require different squatting techniques. It highlights the impact of femur length on the squat posture, with longer femurs necessitating more hip hinging and affecting the spine's position. The importance of muscles like the hamstrings, gluteus maximus, and adductor magnus in maintaining proper squat form is also discussed.

05:01

💪 Muscle Activation and Testosterone's Role in Squatting

This paragraph delves into the biomechanics of squatting, focusing on the active lengthening of muscles like the hamstrings, gluteus maximus, and adductor magnus during the squat's lowering phase. It uses a rubber band analogy to illustrate muscle eccentric contraction. The paragraph also addresses the challenge of building lean muscle mass and introduces a sponsor, Maximus, which offers a testosterone protocol to potentially increase muscle gains. The protocol involves selective estrogen receptor blocking and pregnanolone to boost natural testosterone production, with the aim of enhancing strength and hypertrophy without side effects. The importance of medical supervision for such protocols is highlighted.

10:02

👣 Strategies for Deep Squatting and Postural Alignment

The third paragraph provides practical advice for achieving deeper squats while maintaining proper spinal alignment. It suggests immediate adjustments such as widening the stance and heel elevation to counteract limitations caused by bone structure. The paragraph explains how tissue approximation can restrict squat depth and how slight stance adjustments can alleviate this. It also discusses the 'buttwink' phenomenon, which occurs when the pelvis tilts under during deep squats, potentially compromising spinal posture. The role of the adductor magnus muscle in this limitation is explored, along with the seated good morning exercise as a method to strengthen and improve the range of motion of this muscle.

15:03

🚶‍♂️ Long-Term Modifications for Improved Squatting

The final paragraph offers long-term strategies for enhancing squat performance, including improving hip mobility, particularly of the adductor magnus, and ankle mobility with calf muscles. It emphasizes the importance of continued squat practice regardless of bone length, as individuals with both long and short femurs can achieve effective squats with proper training. The paragraph concludes with encouragement to keep practicing squats and references to additional resources and videos for further learning.

Keywords

💡Squatting

Squatting is a fundamental exercise that involves bending the knees and hips to lower the body towards the ground while maintaining an upright posture. In the video, squatting is the central theme, discussed in terms of body mechanics and how different body types can affect one's ability to squat effectively. The script mentions various squatting techniques and modifications to accommodate different body structures.

💡Center of Gravity

The center of gravity refers to the point at which an object's weight is evenly distributed, and it plays a crucial role in maintaining balance during movements like squatting. The video explains how maintaining one's center of gravity is essential to avoid falling over during a squat and how it differs from person to person based on body proportions.

💡Dorsal Flexion

Dorsal flexion is the movement of the foot that brings the top of the foot closer to the shin bone, which occurs naturally in the bottom position of a squat. The script uses this term to describe the ankle joint's position and its importance in achieving proper squat form.

💡Femur

The femur, or thigh bone, is a long bone in the human body that extends from the hip to the knee. The video discusses the length of the femur in relation to squatting, explaining that a longer femur may require more hinging at the hip to maintain balance during a squat, which can affect the depth and form of the squat.

💡Hip Flexion

Hip flexion is the movement that occurs at the hip joint when the thigh is raised towards the abdomen, which is a key component of the squatting motion. The script explains how the position of the hips in flexion affects the torso's posture during a squat.

💡Eccentric Load

An eccentric load refers to the force experienced by a muscle when it is actively lengthening during a movement, such as the lowering phase of a squat. The video uses this term to describe the increased demand placed on muscles like the hamstrings, glutes, and adductor Magnus when squatting deeper.

💡Adductor Magnus

The adductor Magnus is a muscle in the inner thigh that plays a significant role in hip movement and is highlighted in the video as a potential limiting factor in deep squats. The script explains how the muscle's lengthening can affect the ability to maintain proper spinal alignment during squatting.

💡Posterior Pelvic Tilt

A posterior pelvic tilt, also colloquially referred to as 'buttwink' in the script, is a condition where the pelvis tilts backward during a squat, potentially compromising spinal alignment. The video discusses this as a common issue and offers solutions to maintain proper form.

💡Hip Mobility

Hip mobility refers to the range of motion and flexibility in the hip joint, which is critical for deep squatting. The script suggests that improving hip mobility, particularly in the adductor Magnus muscle, can help individuals achieve a deeper squat without compromising form.

💡Ankle Mobility

Ankle mobility is the range of motion at the ankle joint, which can influence squat depth and form. The video explains how increased ankle mobility, specifically in dorsal flexion, can allow for a more upright torso posture during squats, especially for individuals with longer femurs relative to their tibia.

💡Seated Good Morning

The seated good morning is an exercise mentioned in the script as a way to strengthen the adductor Magnus and improve hip mobility. This exercise is suggested as part of a long-term solution to improve squat depth and form, particularly for individuals who may experience limitations due to muscle length or joint mobility.

Highlights

Different body types may have varying advantages for squatting due to their unique physical attributes.

Squatting is an essential exercise for improving strength, sports performance, and maintaining functionality as we age.

Various squat modifications can accommodate different body types, making it a versatile exercise for everyone.

The center of gravity plays a crucial role in squatting mechanics and varies from person to person.

Ankle and hip joint positions, particularly dorsal flexion, affect squat depth and posture.

Femur length relative to the tibia influences the degree of hip hinging required to maintain balance during a squat.

Individuals with longer femurs may need to hinge more at the hips, affecting squat posture and muscle activation.

Muscles like the hamstrings, glutes, and adductor magnus are critical for controlling the squat's lowering phase.

The adductor magnus muscle is often the limiting factor in squat depth due to its attachment to the pelvis.

Elevating heels can help maintain an upright torso and deeper squat without compromising spinal alignment.

Widen stance and external hip rotation can alleviate tissue approximation and allow for deeper squats.

The 'buttwink' or posterior pelvic tilt can be a sign of muscle length limitations during a deep squat.

Strengthening the adductor magnus through exercises like seated good mornings can improve squat depth and posture.

Ankle mobility and dorsal flexion are interconnected with hip mobility and can affect squatting ability.

Maximus' testosterone protocol is highlighted as a potential solution for those struggling to build muscle mass.

Full range of motion squats are more effective for strength and hypertrophy gains and are beneficial for longevity.

Regardless of bone structure, proper squat technique and modifications can lead to improved performance and muscle gains.

Transcripts

some people are Better Built for

squatting than others but why is this

what is it about one person's body that

may make them better equipped for

squatting than someone else and more

importantly if you're not as well built

for squatting does that mean you

shouldn't do it absolutely not because

squatting is such an amazing exercise

that can greatly improve strength Sports

Performance and help us to maintain

functionality as we age so you could

definitely make the argument that nearly

everyone should do some form of

squatting because there are so many

variations and modifications that we can

apply to make you a great squatter

regardless of your body type so today

because it's obviously very fascinating

we'll answer why certain body types may

be a little bit more advantageous for

squatting than others and again show you

some modifications that you can apply to

your squat to make it work best for you

so let's do

this so why are some people a little bit

Better Built for squatting than others

well we're going to approach this with a

discussion about center of gravity

because all of us have to maintain our

center of gravity while we squat or

we're going to fall over and so to help

us understand what I mean by all this

we're going to use these stick figure

drawings on the Whiteboard and these are

representing the bottom position of say

like a parallel Squat and this line here

is representing the foot and then you

can see the ankle joint here and in the

bottom position of a squat the ankle is

in dorsal flexion now as an FYI our last

squat video we went into more detail

about joint positions and all the

muscles involved in a squat but I'll

review some of the key points here if

you haven't heard of dorsal flexion it's

when the top of the foot comes closer to

the shin bone which this is the shin

bone here represented and that's the

tibia then we have the knee joint that's

inflexion at the bottom of a squat and

the horizontal line is representing the

femur or thigh bone then we have the hip

here the hips position is in flexion as

you can see by me squatting down here

and then we have the Torso represent by

this line the red line down here is

representing a really important muscle

that we'll talk about in just a few

minutes and the red circle is

representing like a weight or a barbell

that we might be squatting and the

dotted line is showing you our center of

gravity or how that weight is going to

be transmitted throughout the body and

this is really important to How You

Might Squat differently than say another

person so let's use me as an example

here if I take this barbell and I

perform a barbell squat notice what

happens to my hip

as I go deeper into the squat position

as I get lower and lower and lower you

can see that I have to hinge more at my

hips and my torso is much less upright

and again this is all about how I have

to move my body to maintain my center of

gravity now if I change the weight

position and move it to the front of my

body I can kind of tweak the center of

gravity in a way and you might notice

with the front squat I might be able to

maintain a little bit more of an upright

posture now I can give you a little bit

more of an extreme example example if I

were to come over to the table here and

hold on to the table you can see I can

pretty much go into a completely deep

Squat and maintain almost a completely

upright posture but you know if I let go

of the table I'm going to fall over

because I couldn't maintain my center of

gravity in that position now this whole

center of gravity thing is greatly

influenced by the length of your bones

like the ratio of the length of the

femur to the tibia but we'll mostly

focus on the length of the femur so if

we look at the length of the femur on

the this particular body this is how

much hinging has to occur at the hip and

therefore the Torso coming forward in

order to maintain one center of gravity

but if we come over to this example this

body has a shorter femur look how much

less hinging at the hip is required and

it allows the body to be in a more

upright position specifically that torso

as opposed to someone with a longer

femur I've seen people in the gym with

beautiful looking squats where they're

squatting all this weight and their

torso is almost completely upright and

admittedly I'm slightly jealous but this

whole idea of having a longer versus a

shorter femur what does this mean from a

muscular perspective if you were to have

a longer femur well let's first look at

the upper portion of the Torso if you

have to hinge further at the hips that's

going to require more work on the

extensor muscles of the spine in order

to maintain the proper spinal position

also if we hinge further at the hips

that's going to require more range of

motion for the actual hip muscles that

are active during the squat we're going

to be putting a greater eccentric load

or greater length requirement on those

muscles that mobilize the hip and just

as a reminder an eccentric load or an

eccentric contraction is when the muscle

is actively lengthening and the muscles

that are actively lengthening or

eccentrically Contracting at the hip

during a squat to control us on that

lowering phase are the hamstrings the

glutes and a muscle called the adductor

Magnus and just to kind of give you a

visual of what's going on there so I'll

use this rubber band to try to show the

active lengthening of the muscle so this

is like the orientation of one of the

hamstring muscles and as you can see I

go down that rubber band is lengthening

kind of showing you how that hamstring

would eccentrically be contracting or

lengthening as they go down the gluteus

maximus would be in this position you

can see how that would lengthen and then

this muscle that not as many people know

about called the adductor Magnus this

one's going to be really important for

our discussion a little bit later this

one also will be actively lengthening

during that lowering phase of the squat

and with all this talk about squatting

it might be getting some of you excited

about the potential to build leg muscles

but sometimes people can actually have

trouble putting on lean muscle mass and

so some men may be curious about their

testosterone levels and that's why I

want to take a second to say thank you

to the sponsor of today's video Maximus

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what they also refer to as their their

EP protocol where e stands for encline

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blocks selective estrogen receptors

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testosterone production within the

testes and pregnanolone is a Cornerstone

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the description below and now let's get

back to squatting but again to drive

this point home the more we have to

hinge at the hip the more active

lengthening or eccentric demand is

placed on those muscles and the more we

have to work to stabilize the spine now

I'm not saying that someone with a

shorter femur doesn't work hard when

they squat I am saying that they have a

biomechanical advantage and generally

they can squat deeper before they start

to get to the length limitations in

those muscles of the hip when you get to

those limitations in the muscle ability

to lengthen any further you'll start to

find it more difficult to maintain that

proper postural alignment of the spine

that you definitely want to keep during

a squat sometimes when people get down

to close to parallel or even deeper into

a squat they'll notice that the pelvis

will almost start to tilt underneath or

what we call a posterior pelvic tilt and

it kind of just rolls underneath the

body slightly they also call this the

buttwink I'm not sure that's the best

name in the world but that's what they

call it so let's use me as an example

here again as I put this barbell on my

back as I get close to parallel you

might notice this subtle tucking under

of my pelvis and you should be able to

see it now and this is because the

pelvis is attached to the sacrum the

lower part of the spine and this will

flatten out my lower back or my lumbar

spine and if I were to really load up

the weight on that barbell when my

pelvis tucked under right there and my

back flattened out a little bit this

could potentially put me in a compromise

situation so how could someone fix this

should you just not do parallel or deep

squats anymore and stop the range of

motion just before you get to the

infamous buttwink I mean you could just

do quarter and half squats for the rest

of your life but you're leaving a lot of

potential benefits on the table if you

don't deep squat now I will say that

quarter squats can have their place in

certain training protocols for example

somebody who's really training for like

a vertical jump they may want to spend

some time training the top end of the

squat that popping of the hips that

occurs during a jump that person might

really load up a barbell with more

weight than they could lift during a

full squat just to train that specific

range on the end of the vertical jump

but even still that person would likely

also include full squats as part of

their routine full range of motion

squats have been shown to be more

effective for stimulating strength and

hypertrophy gains full range of motion

would also obviously help you to

maintain mobility and from an aging and

Longevity standpoint who doesn't want to

just be able to squat all the way down

when they're 70 or 80 and just pop right

back up again so here are some things

that you can do to help you get into a

deep squat while maintaining proper

alignment if you're too narrow in your

stance you can get to this place where

you start to have tissue approximation

where literally your soft tissue and

even some of your bones contact each

other and they stop you from going any

further and you might if you tried to go

any further than that you might end up

like rounding your back or getting in

some compromised position but if you

were to just slightly widen your stance

and you could even externally rotate

your hips a little bit you don't need to

go that far just a little bit of a

subtle external rotation that'll kind of

get that tissue approximation issue

taken care of and will allow you to go

deeper down into a squat but eventually

you still might find that you get to

that point where you've reached the

maximum length of a hip muscle and then

your pelvis might tilt causing you to

lose that alignment in your spine so

what muscles might be the limiting

factors that are causing this tilting of

the pelvis or again that Butt Wink many

people will blame the hamstrings for

this limitation but it's not usually the

hamstrings and this is because your

hamstrings also cross and flex the knee

so as you go down into a squat and I I

use my rubber band as the hamstrings

here yes I will get some lengthening of

the hamstring fibers that are associated

with the hip but I'm also bending or

flexing the knee which will actually

give length back to the hamstrings just

as if you were doing like a hamstring

stretch if you were to bend down and

touch your toes as soon as you were to

like bend your knees you would notice

that you no longer really feel that

hamstring stretch anymore the glutitis

Maximus generally isn't the limiting

factor either but the adductor Magnus

muscle that I mentioned earlier often is

the limiting factor the adductor Magnus

has a head or a portion of the muscle

that acts like a hamstring at the hip

but not at the knee because it doesn't

cross the knee and that's what I've

drawn here on the stick figure here this

red lines representing the adductor

Magnus ending before the knee so as one

bends down into a squat position that

adductor Magness I'll try to show you

the orientation here will lengthen and

lengthen and lengthen and stretch and

because of where it's attached to the

pelvis it's the pelvis is going to

eventually turn underneath if you get to

a point where the adductor Magnus can't

lengthen anymore kind of think of it as

I get to a point where I'm lengthening

I'm lengthening the adductor Magnus and

it's like I can't lengthen anymore and

if you push the squad even further

something's got to give in the system

and that's going to tug and pull the

pelvis underneath which can potentially

flat out flatten out the back and you

would lose that that spinal posture

alignment that you want so how could you

fix this well you would want to increase

the length and the strength of your

adductor Magnus and one very effective

way to do this is with an exercise like

the seated good morning a seated good

morning can strengthen the adductor

Magnus but you would also want to try to

go further and further in that range of

motion as part of your progression and

the more Mobility you get in this muscle

that could potentially translate to

increased range of motion in the squat

without That Butt Wink and the

flattening out of the back another thing

that you could do immediately to get

into a deeper squat presumably while

you're still working on your adductor

Magnus and hip mobility is to elevate

your heels for example if I move back

and get onto this slant board right here

and just elevate my heels you'll notice

that the elevation of my heels allows me

to maintain a more upright torso without

compromising my spine and going into a

deeper squat

now why is that well I said a little bit

earlier I talked a little bit earlier

about this ratio of the fur to The Tib

and we mostly talked about the femur

here but we haven't talked a ton about

the ankle joint and if somebody had a

little bit more range of motion at their

ankle joint and they could get a little

bit more dorsal flexion hinging a little

bit more at their ankle this is a

connected system and so if you get

changes in movements here it's going to

affect things Upstream so a little bit

more dorsal flexion at the ankle could

allow me to have a little bit less

flexion of the hip and be a little bit

more upright in my posture or with my

torso and so this could be helpful for

also getting into deeper squatting but

no matter what if you have a longer

femur in proportion to your tibia that

extra range of motion is going to have

to come from somewhere either at the hip

muscles or the ankle muscles or a

combination of the two so to review all

the key takeaways here if you're trying

to increase the range of motion of the

squat SP while maintaining proper spinal

alignment the immediate changes you

could make is slightly widen your stance

and you could also elevate your heels

for more of the long-term modifications

working to improve hip mobility at the

adductor Magnus as well as your ankle

Mobility with your calf musles but

hopefully that gives you some really

cool info on what the different

requirements are for squatting with

different bone lengths and I do want to

say that I've seen people with long

femurs still squat a ton of weight so

don't let that discourage you there are

people who are fairly tall and have long

femur who work really hard and have

amazing squats people with short femur

can clearly have some amazing squats too

so keep up the squatting everyone and if

you want to check out some of our

previous squatting videos we'll link

that here we'll also link a video on

strength versus hypertrophy thanks for

supporting the channel and we'll see you

in the next video