ATG squat

[oso0690]

I'm killing it with these questions! I barely ever to olympic style squats and was just seeing how I do with just the bar. Well when i go down as far as I can, my feet have to turn out 45 degrees or I will fall backwards. That means I lack flexibility right? Should this be a concern, or will it help itself?

 

[bignate73]

hip flexibility to be more specific. it generally won't take care of itself though doing some liiiiight warmups with the bar and getting comfortable sitting down there will loosen you up a bit. but i would say specific glute stretches and maybe some foam rolling will take care of it faster.

 

[al420]

my feet point out on squats - interesting question - I have a lack of flexibility in my Hams, so maye that is it. My hips are also for shit when it come to flexability.

I have found that heavier weights make the plunge to the ground easier - at least for me.

 

[bignate73]

generally pointing your toes out (and not being able to turn them in and squat) leads to tight hips, piriformis etc. don't misinterpret what I'm saying, not saying that people who squat that way are tight, just that those that HAVE TO squat that way, could be tight.

 

[mm107]

i HAVE to sqaut like that in order to get ATG. If i point them straight, im limitied in my range of motion.

 

[oso0690]

I always thought I didn't have tight hips since I usually squat wide powerlifter style. Do those types of squats have any effect on hip flexibility?

mm107, that's the way I am, though I feel they are pointing wayy too far out.

I'm going to start to stretch my hams/glutes/hips then maybe buy a foam roller since I hear these things help a lot

Thanks everyone

 

[Cynical Simian]

The foot angle and stance width that allows people to get deepest can vary a bit, but whatever angle your feet are at, make sure your knees follow your toes.

There are a ton of "how to squat deep"-type articles out there. Just do a search on T-Nation or google for a bunch. You'll see some stretching recommendations - like Nate said, if you've never stretched some of these muscles before, it's not something that a few more warmup sets with the bar will help.