How to Squat for Your Body Type

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This is a deep dive into the different limb proportions featured in some of the best squatters in the world. It is well known that femur and tibia length relative to the torso can influence the mechanics of a squat and here we dig into those different proportions to establish when lifters are best suited for high bar, low bar, wide stance or narrow stance squats.

0:00 Intro
0:35 Basics of Leverage
1:10 Moment Arm
3:30 Fulcrum and Lever Arm
5:50 Longer Femur
7:22 Short Femur
11:15 My Squat Over the Years
13:00 Why I Changed to Wide Stance
14:30 Visual Representation of Leverages
16:45 Idalberto Aranda
17:25 Andrey Malanichev
18:42 Ray Williams
19:20 Dan Bell
20:20 Dan Green
21:06 David Douglas
22:00 John Haack
22:50 Lasha

[AlexanderBromley]

BaseStrengthAI is more reliable than a coach, cheaper than an Excel template!👇👇👇

Bromley Merch from Barbell Apparel only available HERE! 👇👇👇

[martin]

I've been training for about 10 years. Every rep of squats, of every set, of every workout, feels like I'm squatting for the first time. It has never felt right.

[derekelliott]

This is one of the greatest breakdowns of squatting mechanics I've ever come across. Thanks for the great synopsis.

[scraps]

This helps me understand why I enjoy squatting even though I have long legs. I have to work at making myself shorter; wide stance, low bar, head up. It's not just an exercise. It's a project.

[pdub]

I'm a long femur lifter myself. Can't tell you how good it feels when knowledgeable lifters such as youself - cover this topic. When I'm at the gym I often find myself explaining to people who tell me to "siMpLY rEMaiN uPriGHT iN My SqUAt" that biomechanics are a thing..

[SLouiss]

I appreciate that visual representation of leverages.

[TitanFM]

Very helpful video. I'm a tall, heavy, long legged guy and have always had a squat that is disproportionately worse than my dl and bench. The visual explanation at 14:30 was so helpful for wrapping my head around the leverages in a way that descriptions or charts never could. And being a similar build to Lasha it was great to learn about him and a breakdown of how he works around his advantages and disadvantages. Great stuff, lots to take away from this thank you!

[menpcxd]

I am definitely a shorter femur person. I have noticed i have always squatted more upright than many people. It makes sense watching your video.

[PrinceSamurai]

Great breakdown! I needed this badly. Thought my stance was always too wide, but now I know why it is so comfortable for me and won’t shy away from it. I got that Dan Green stance.

[hunterthorsen]

As a structural engineer this video makes me so happy. Lots of moments and talk of archimedes!

[ArenaStrength]

I've re-watched this multiple times since you posted it. Great information. Keep up the good work Bromley!

[Hooberschmit]

There was a super neat study review on Stronger By Science by sir gnuckols that talked about how the quad-load tends to the be same between medium and high load squatting, and then the glutes get recruited more and more as you get closer to max loads. This fits really well into what you see with people squat morning at higher loads :D

[nisoldi]

Your videos have been so great for someone who is new to powerlifting. I am constantly working on form and improving and being optimal / realistic.

[AliSAhmad]

Bro I’ve been sharing your shit with everyone. I love the knowledge dumps you give. 100k here we come!

[kirby]

Love the cameo from Idalberto! One of my fav lifters ever. Guy moves at lightning speed even at 250kg it’s insane.

[VegetaPrinceOfSaiyans]

Someone needs to make a formula that calculates for your limb and torso length, hip and shoulder width, and internal/external angles of rotation, and determines which stance and grip would be most optimal for your squat, bench, and deadlift.

[bobb]

Outstanding video. I’ve been a competitive Olympic lifter for 53 years. I learned a lot from this video. Hip and ankle mobility are key for an upright squat position. Good hamstring flexibility is key for a good setup in the snatch. Tight hamstrings force a lifter to round their back to reach the bar.

[scott-hrhd]

Big factor isn’t femur length. It’s hip displacement and how the socket is in the hip. Faber test both seated and laying down. If the foot tilts in vs out on both then toe out stance. If both legs tilt out easier than in the toes straight stance. If you get a mix between in and out between seated and laying down then you are somewhere in between.

[jakubbaran]

There are at least two more variables, weight, both yours and on the bar, and distance between you and the weight. This is why it easier to squat upright with plate, dumbell in goblet position or even hammer because you have counter balance. So equation will be leverages plus balance i.e. center of mass of whole system.

[hlamp]

This explain a lot! Not only do I have short femurs, but, I have a long torso. I defaulted to highbar squat because it was “comfortable”.

As a result, my deadlifts are absolutely abysmal because of under developed hip hinging muscles. So I purposely switched to recently to stimulate the hamstrings and hipflexors, and it’s like starting as a beginner again because it’s hitting all these muscle groups I never used.