How To Squat with LONG FEMURS!

[SquatUniversity]

For info on how to improve ankle mobility, check out my YT video series on ankle drills.

For the BEST weightlifting shoe (with a wide toe box) check out the @tyrsport L1 lifter!

Shout out @patli_ for the opening stitched video along with @biolayne & @gurphling for being model athletes.

[johnchristopher]

No one talked about this when i started lifting 20 years ago. They'd just say, you're weak, not flexible, your technique is poor. I've always favored front squat to deal with this.

[blank]

This is all stuff I figured out through trial and error, cool to see I’m on the right path

[SilverSlugs]

I’m 6’0 with particularly long legs and a really short torso (them west African genes lol) and it’s so irritating when people think I lean forward just because I lack mobility or I’m not trying to keep my chest up. When in reality my knees always push far past my toes even in low bar. _Yes_ I’m still using my quads, trust me they take the worst beating in all my squats. _Yes_ my low back is fine because I train it to be resilient and I’m properly braced in my squats anyway. So many long legged people are told to keep forcing their chest up even though after a certain point it’s actually counterproductive, worsens your ability to brace and is a great way to get some aggressive buttwink.

Ironically one of the people who understood this the best was my teammate, a Chinese dude my exact height with completely opposite proportions. Crazy short arms, crazy long torso. Squatting to him was as natural as breathing, but he hates conventional deadlifts which are my favorite lift lol

[vd]

Finally someone talking about segment lengths. I have only a 32 inseam but am 6’4. Have always had trouble being upright. Every gym bro has some stupid comment

[Nikki]

I hope teaching people how to squat for their body becomes commonplace.

[A_mx]

Thank you so much! I am a 6'1" gal and this has been such a struggle. No one has ever talked about the anatomy and mechanics so this is extremely helpful!!

[Yanahh]

I agree, I'm a 5'11 woman with long femurs so I do A LOT of hip mobility work and hip stretches as well as ankle mobility exercises to ensure I can get a deep squat. I can say I have a damn near perfect squat form. It definitely comes down to opening the hips up and ankle mobility.

When I was not doing those, my squat form was horrid- I couldn't even get parallel bc my hips were tight and my ankles were not flexible. It makes a huge difference

[lexyprice]

Thanks! I'm 5'6" and my husband is 6'3". My legs are as long as his are. It's kinda nice when I drive his truck. I don't have to adjust the seat.

[girlofanimation]

I had to explain this to a friend once when they were trying to get me to squat like them with their knees straight forward, chest up. I was far more flexible than they were, but my extremely long legs (proportionally, since I'm a short person) made balancing very difficult in their version, even with my knees way past my ankles.

[johnnykilo]

Slant boards completely changed my squat game.

[willjackson]

Definitely try angling your feet outwards, helps to open up the hips and decrease the front-to-back length of your femurs

[macazootie]

this is content I've been waiting for, since I often think about how this must be true, and why some people can pistol squat with ease barely ever training them, for instance, while some people struggle to achieve one

[doorbox]

ive got fairly long legs for being only 5’9”, and all throughout highschool my teachers ragged on me for not getting deep enough in my squat, but if I went past 90 degrees id tip over. They also wouldnt let me widen my stance. Its good to know that im not a frickin idiot and I was correct in saying that i needed a wider stance.

[Megadeus]

Facts. Every long femur lifter needs a pair of squat wedges, angled lifting shoes or a slant board in their bag. Boy I wish i knew when i started lifting

[Boredmillenial]

Good vid. It's hard to get good advice when you have an atypical body type. Most gym people just tell me "you're doing it wrong" without taking into consideration that it's literally impossible for me to move exactly like they do.

[vcb]

I told my trainer that i couldn't squat like him because of my long legs. He just kept showing me how he squats and told me to raise my chest up. I can't wait to show him this.

[philosophicallyBurnt]

Thank you for your videos! I've been to many physical therapist to figure out why i'm in pain working out and at work. No one could figure it out. I then found your channel and followed the poster tips and exercise. After 10 years of not being able to do squats I can now do weighted squats, deadlifts, snatches and more. It has also improved my physically demanding work performance as I'm no longer in severe pain. THANK YOU!

[FullOfSith]

Dude seriously, opening up the hips helped me so much. Feels so much more balanced and allows me to move more weight.

[urkcin]

Im so glad you created this page. I never realized how much i needed to change in some of my routines until see your posts. Im 6'6 and am all legs, so this one really helped out. Never seemed liked i was doing anything wrong, but tomorrow i will be doing some squats, so ill see if i can implement any of this. Thanks again!