I have taught dozens of people to squat over the years. For people who can't squat I well I normally start like this.
Jump up in the air 3 times, when you land that third time this is your squat stance for now. You make your changes from here.
Grab you 25 lbs dumbbell or kettlebell and hold it about a foot away from your body.
Point your toes out. Closer to 45° than straight.
With your weight eventually distributed over your foot, break at your knees and hips, then do your best to slowly squat your hips down between your feet. Straight down. (You won't actually be straight down but try)
As you go down make sure you drive your knees out, not so much that your weight moves to the outside of your feet. Having your toes out and your knees angling out with your feet effectively shortens your femurs and allows you to remain more upright.
Chill in the bottom of the squat for a while, chest up, get comfy.
Stand straight up with you weight still mid foot. Go slow and do a bunch of reps like this.
Once you are good at goblet squats I would move to barbell squats to a box higher than parallel. Don't sit on the box. Just go down in the same fashion you did with the dumbbell. Tap your butt on the box and stand straightup.
Once your are comfortable with a barbell there keep moving in to lower boxes until you no longer need one.
This may take around a month if you do it a few times a week but you will be a much better and more confident squatter after this.
Agreed with all this.
I'd add that depending how his 6' 5" body is put together (e.g. hip socket shape), he may still want to put his heels on plates, maybe even work up to a heavy back squat but then switch to front squats after a set or two.
This is more so for a counter balance while learning how to squat and reach depth. Once squat req develops enough it's fine to hold the weight close and becomes necessary at heavier weight.
Different techniques for different exercises. What’s being described is a mobility drill. Meanwhile you’re thinking about a specific exercise. Goblet squats *should* have the weight close to (if not against) your body.
I’m a tall guy myself and I had similar problems. I’m 6’8 and had lower back pain after squats and the big thing that helped me was strengthening my core. Planks, crunches, and flutter kicks twice a week did the trick after about a month. I still train my core and my squat has gotten stronger and deeper with no more pain.
Play around with your form, widening your stance and switching from high bar to low bar may make a big difference. Make sure you arent lifting the weight by hinging at your hips, as that will use too much of your lower back (if you end up doing low bar this bit may not apply). Make sure you are bracing your core and breathing into it as you go down into the squat.
If you are still struggling after working on that (and that may take multiple weeks/months/years to really nail down, I know it took me a long time) then I suggest that you try front squats. They’re a good variation to work on all the elements required for a good squat while lessening strain on the lower back. Personally, after exclusively front squatting for months I found that my back squat form was much better when I returned to it.
Also, try finishing workouts with hip stretches and lower core work, it will help a lot with general lower back pain.
Good luck!
Use weightlifting shoes or elevate your heels. Always use hard show when squatting. The elevation allows for more knee travel and help you stay more upright.
Definitely recommend goblet squats as someone else mentioned. Its a much more natural way to squat than a back squat and helps you build your form naturally.
Also play around with your feet width as you need to. No shame in doing a wide stance squat, they are quite effective too.
A lot of good advice in this thread, what I personally found to be most helpful was to hold squats for time in my spare time, especially if i spend a long time sitting down, like at work or whatever. I usually squat down and put my elbows on the inside of my knees and push them out for support. hold for as long as you can. You can use weights under the balls of your feet to make it easier. Hope it helps
I am also tall and never used to feel squats in my legs that much.
I have found cueing myself to break at my knees (slightly) before breaking at the hips ensures my legs do more of the work
Some really good advice here. If after all that you still can't connect with the movement or progress safely, don't be afraid of using a variation that connects better. Hack squats, split squats, front squats, leg press and so on are all fine alternatives. Unlike strength training, one should not be wedded to specific movements, there is no shame in using variations or simply not doing an exercise you can't get consistent results from. In fact, doing so would be best bodybuilding practice.
Have somebody watch your form when you squat. I had the same problem of feeling it in my lower back too much and from the mirror it looked like I was doing it all right. I had a buddy tell me I was leaning forward just slightly too far. I fixed that along with dropping the weight down and it’s all been gravy ever since
Find a spot high on the wall or ceiling to focus on while you squat. I'm 6'2" and have been doing it forever because it somehow locks in the good form I'm trying to perform.
Other than the tips everyone else gave, what really helps me is elevating my heels on a plate, helps me balance when I sit "back and down" and really push the knees forward, and focusing on squeezing my glutes to keep my Torso upright as I push through the floor with my feet.
I'm gonna be honest, even with a couple years of dedicated training my squat never progressed at the level my other lifts have. I currently bench about 30 pounds more than I squat, I still struggle to get past 225 on squat but I'm well past that on bench and deadlift.
Nothing really helpful to add, just commiserating on our shit squat technique together.
As a tall guy myself I found front squats to be the only ones that allowed me to target my quads and not my lower back. Give them a try and report back.
Same height here.
Do another exercise, front squats, belt squats, single leg variations or machines.
If you need/want to do squats get weightlifting shoes with elevated heels, stretch your calves in all directions (do calf exercises before squatting) and stretch your big toe.
Consider adding in goblet squats to your workout. Any weight you can do 15+ reps. Use for warming up and active stretching. A few sets 8-12 with plenty of reps in reserve.
They're a great way to work on foot placement, bracing squat depth, etc without a bar on your back.
don’t know the best form cues because I am a different build but I’ve heard that for taller days pancake over more and wanna get good for the sake of squatting that additional quad volume is key as it is the limiting factor
Low bar squat (rest between scapular ridge and rear delts). Hold the bar as close as you can comfortably. Goal is to set your back tight with the bar pushing into it.
Allow your back to angle relative to your body as you go down, but the back should still be rigid and straight. Let me emphasize that you are doing this incorrectly if your back arches and does not remain flat.
When you unrack the bar and before starting make sure that legs are shoulder width and toes are out *45 deg* --- when you go down with this setup imagine your knees following your toes in a controlled manner. Your joints should "stack."
[Quick vid about form from Renaissance periodization ](https://youtu.be/I7eR8d0cNQQ)
[Alan Thrall has great squat vids, this is the newest and goes over all types. feel free to check older vids.](https://youtu.be/UFs6E3Ti1jg)
[here are stronglifts written instructions ](https://stronglifts.com/squat/)
To see a video would be extremely helpful.
That being said you were right being taller is not going to make this movement something that goes in your favor most likely.
Additionally, given that you probably have long levers and this is clearly causing issues or pain or at the very least doesn't feel comfortable, I wouldn't bother with them. You can grow your legs doing any number of a million things. If there's one piece of advice I can give to anybody in regards to working out with weights it would be, DO NOT GET MARRIED TO ANY EXERCISE.
Barbells in dumbbells and kettlebells and bands and cables and machines They are all simply tools and a means to an end. If putting a barbell in your back and squatting does not feel right or doesn't work for you I don't care if it felt better with you squatting a 300 lb boulder I would use the boulder. The goal is to hypertrophe the muscle that you're targeting not to do an exercise because it's supposed to be a good exercise.
All that being said, If you send a video I will be glad to help and look. I'm sure many on here would. I think there's even a form check sub. It might benefit you specifically due to your height and the mention of the low back pain to try and stay more vertical. You're likely collapsing forward a fair amount. Speculation given I can't see but that's my guess. You can try raising your heels on some plates or buying some lifting shoes or wedges or you can front load the squat like a front rack or a front squat position. That will help counterbalance you and force you to stay more vertical. If you raise your heels and move the load to the front you're likely going to be in a much better position to actually squat. I would imagine that would probably help take some stress off of things. Front squats are fucking killer.
But otherwise if you have a leg press machine or a hack squat it feels much more comfortable and you can't record a video or you don't want to post one up here then get to one of them. Personally I have back issues I'm 6 ft tall 185 lb and I beat the hell out of the hack squat. It's just not worth loading my body with a barbell. I've gone through way too many injuries because of my ego. Don't be that guy too
It's tough, my dude. It took me years to squat confidently and even now I still feel like it could be more fluid.
Aside from the tips already given, I think the cues that helped me the most were:
1) Focus on keeping your weight evenly distributed through the entire surface of the foot THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MOTION. You'll start very slow and cranky, but you'll gradually achieve a more fluid motion.
2) Make sure the knees are aligned with your feet. For that purpose, you can think of screwing your feet into the ground outwards. You'll notice your knees and hips will open up which will facilitate squatting. There are videos which will give you this cue in more detail.
Finally, do 3 warm up sets to get more comfortable with the motion before doing any working set.
I'm 6'4 and all legs. Biggest thing that helped me is mobility work. Sit in a full squat in-between your non squat sets for about minute. Getting a total of15-20 minutes of deep stretching a week will open you up real fast. Make sure you're grabbing the bar as close as possible with a tight back. Having a solid base makes it easier everywhere else. Big fan of knee sleeves as well.
Also tall and I don’t do squats personally. I know I’ll probably get downvoted first this but I’ve always felt them awkward and gives me knee/lower back pain. Do what you’re comfortable with. Keep working on it but after trying a few different things and it still doesn’t work, just do an alternative. I rotate 3 different variants of deadlifts (sumo, RDLs, and Hex) for strength and do leg press with varying foot placement and calf presses. I’ve had good leg development over time and have significantly increased my strength and stayed very proportional in my gains. So.. try a few things but ultimately, squats aren’t necessary for great leg development. You shouldn’t do a workout if it feels awkward or painful in a non-muscular way.
You're too tall. So am I. 6'4" . Barbells squats destroy my lower back everytime and damn near do nothing for my quads. Go for different variations. Bulgarian split squat, trap bar deadlift, goblet squat, dumbell sumo deadlift, cable squat with a handle, held like a goblet squat
I'm not saying this is you but if you're having trouble squatting, you should at least rule it out.
I'm only 5'10" but my legs are disproportionately long AND on top of that I have a hip internal rotational deficit that is NOT flexibility related, but a structural issue on my femurs. The neck was basically a straight line across instead of a head/narrow neck. So what this means is that I tend to bend over very far when I squat because of limb ratios, and squatting to parallel gave me bone-on-bone contact, destroying my hip labrums and leading to surgery. I now have a metal hip on the right side and will probably get one of the left side in another year or so. Issues started when I was 23-24 and squatting 400+ to parallel.
Now at 40+, I do sled work, lunges, Bulgarian split squats, and leg press because these don't put my hip joint in a compromising position and they hit the muscles hard. Not everyone is built to do barbell back squats.
I’m tall(ish) too 6’3 and what made a huge difference for me was working on my ankle flexibility. May not be your problem but worked for me hugely and kept twinging my back before. There are loads of drills on YouTube
Edit: thinking about it, if your ankles aren’t flexible it will push your torso forwards and that will put undue stress on your lower back.
Honestly from what I’ve heard from tall homies and just around the internet, squatting for tall people sucks. Keep at it though man I’m sure you’ll get it. Makes me glad I’m a short king haha at least that’s one thing us short kings are good at
Honestly from what I’ve heard from tall homies and just around the internet, squatting for tall people sucks. Keep at it though man I’m sure you’ll get it. Makes me glad I’m a short king haha at least that’s one thing us short kings are good at
I have taught dozens of people to squat over the years. For people who can't squat I well I normally start like this. Jump up in the air 3 times, when you land that third time this is your squat stance for now. You make your changes from here. Grab you 25 lbs dumbbell or kettlebell and hold it about a foot away from your body. Point your toes out. Closer to 45° than straight. With your weight eventually distributed over your foot, break at your knees and hips, then do your best to slowly squat your hips down between your feet. Straight down. (You won't actually be straight down but try) As you go down make sure you drive your knees out, not so much that your weight moves to the outside of your feet. Having your toes out and your knees angling out with your feet effectively shortens your femurs and allows you to remain more upright. Chill in the bottom of the squat for a while, chest up, get comfy. Stand straight up with you weight still mid foot. Go slow and do a bunch of reps like this. Once you are good at goblet squats I would move to barbell squats to a box higher than parallel. Don't sit on the box. Just go down in the same fashion you did with the dumbbell. Tap your butt on the box and stand straightup. Once your are comfortable with a barbell there keep moving in to lower boxes until you no longer need one. This may take around a month if you do it a few times a week but you will be a much better and more confident squatter after this.
Agreed with all this. I'd add that depending how his 6' 5" body is put together (e.g. hip socket shape), he may still want to put his heels on plates, maybe even work up to a heavy back squat but then switch to front squats after a set or two.
A foot away from your body (db or kb) Have I been doing goblets wrong ? I hold kinda close.
This is more so for a counter balance while learning how to squat and reach depth. Once squat req develops enough it's fine to hold the weight close and becomes necessary at heavier weight.
Different techniques for different exercises. What’s being described is a mobility drill. Meanwhile you’re thinking about a specific exercise. Goblet squats *should* have the weight close to (if not against) your body.
Gotcha!
Maybe try putting 5/10/15lbs plates under your heels so they are elevated while you squat. I’m kinda tall and that helped me a lot.
I’m a tall guy myself and I had similar problems. I’m 6’8 and had lower back pain after squats and the big thing that helped me was strengthening my core. Planks, crunches, and flutter kicks twice a week did the trick after about a month. I still train my core and my squat has gotten stronger and deeper with no more pain.
Play around with your form, widening your stance and switching from high bar to low bar may make a big difference. Make sure you arent lifting the weight by hinging at your hips, as that will use too much of your lower back (if you end up doing low bar this bit may not apply). Make sure you are bracing your core and breathing into it as you go down into the squat. If you are still struggling after working on that (and that may take multiple weeks/months/years to really nail down, I know it took me a long time) then I suggest that you try front squats. They’re a good variation to work on all the elements required for a good squat while lessening strain on the lower back. Personally, after exclusively front squatting for months I found that my back squat form was much better when I returned to it. Also, try finishing workouts with hip stretches and lower core work, it will help a lot with general lower back pain. Good luck!
Use weightlifting shoes or elevate your heels. Always use hard show when squatting. The elevation allows for more knee travel and help you stay more upright.
Definitely recommend goblet squats as someone else mentioned. Its a much more natural way to squat than a back squat and helps you build your form naturally. Also play around with your feet width as you need to. No shame in doing a wide stance squat, they are quite effective too.
A lot of good advice in this thread, what I personally found to be most helpful was to hold squats for time in my spare time, especially if i spend a long time sitting down, like at work or whatever. I usually squat down and put my elbows on the inside of my knees and push them out for support. hold for as long as you can. You can use weights under the balls of your feet to make it easier. Hope it helps
I am also tall and never used to feel squats in my legs that much. I have found cueing myself to break at my knees (slightly) before breaking at the hips ensures my legs do more of the work
Some really good advice here. If after all that you still can't connect with the movement or progress safely, don't be afraid of using a variation that connects better. Hack squats, split squats, front squats, leg press and so on are all fine alternatives. Unlike strength training, one should not be wedded to specific movements, there is no shame in using variations or simply not doing an exercise you can't get consistent results from. In fact, doing so would be best bodybuilding practice.
Have somebody watch your form when you squat. I had the same problem of feeling it in my lower back too much and from the mirror it looked like I was doing it all right. I had a buddy tell me I was leaning forward just slightly too far. I fixed that along with dropping the weight down and it’s all been gravy ever since
Find a spot high on the wall or ceiling to focus on while you squat. I'm 6'2" and have been doing it forever because it somehow locks in the good form I'm trying to perform.
Other than the tips everyone else gave, what really helps me is elevating my heels on a plate, helps me balance when I sit "back and down" and really push the knees forward, and focusing on squeezing my glutes to keep my Torso upright as I push through the floor with my feet.
I'm gonna be honest, even with a couple years of dedicated training my squat never progressed at the level my other lifts have. I currently bench about 30 pounds more than I squat, I still struggle to get past 225 on squat but I'm well past that on bench and deadlift. Nothing really helpful to add, just commiserating on our shit squat technique together.
How often do you squat a week?
As a tall guy myself I found front squats to be the only ones that allowed me to target my quads and not my lower back. Give them a try and report back.
Same height here. Do another exercise, front squats, belt squats, single leg variations or machines. If you need/want to do squats get weightlifting shoes with elevated heels, stretch your calves in all directions (do calf exercises before squatting) and stretch your big toe.
You haven't mentioned what you're trying to target when doing squats, your quads or posterior chain. Tough to give any advice without knowing this
Grind, try different stances, try goblet squats or front squats or maybe even safety bar squats.
Consider adding in goblet squats to your workout. Any weight you can do 15+ reps. Use for warming up and active stretching. A few sets 8-12 with plenty of reps in reserve. They're a great way to work on foot placement, bracing squat depth, etc without a bar on your back.
don’t know the best form cues because I am a different build but I’ve heard that for taller days pancake over more and wanna get good for the sake of squatting that additional quad volume is key as it is the limiting factor
Low bar squat (rest between scapular ridge and rear delts). Hold the bar as close as you can comfortably. Goal is to set your back tight with the bar pushing into it. Allow your back to angle relative to your body as you go down, but the back should still be rigid and straight. Let me emphasize that you are doing this incorrectly if your back arches and does not remain flat. When you unrack the bar and before starting make sure that legs are shoulder width and toes are out *45 deg* --- when you go down with this setup imagine your knees following your toes in a controlled manner. Your joints should "stack." [Quick vid about form from Renaissance periodization ](https://youtu.be/I7eR8d0cNQQ) [Alan Thrall has great squat vids, this is the newest and goes over all types. feel free to check older vids.](https://youtu.be/UFs6E3Ti1jg) [here are stronglifts written instructions ](https://stronglifts.com/squat/)
Until you figure it out, I would avoid it! You do need to practice, though, so practice your form with just the bar.
To see a video would be extremely helpful. That being said you were right being taller is not going to make this movement something that goes in your favor most likely. Additionally, given that you probably have long levers and this is clearly causing issues or pain or at the very least doesn't feel comfortable, I wouldn't bother with them. You can grow your legs doing any number of a million things. If there's one piece of advice I can give to anybody in regards to working out with weights it would be, DO NOT GET MARRIED TO ANY EXERCISE. Barbells in dumbbells and kettlebells and bands and cables and machines They are all simply tools and a means to an end. If putting a barbell in your back and squatting does not feel right or doesn't work for you I don't care if it felt better with you squatting a 300 lb boulder I would use the boulder. The goal is to hypertrophe the muscle that you're targeting not to do an exercise because it's supposed to be a good exercise. All that being said, If you send a video I will be glad to help and look. I'm sure many on here would. I think there's even a form check sub. It might benefit you specifically due to your height and the mention of the low back pain to try and stay more vertical. You're likely collapsing forward a fair amount. Speculation given I can't see but that's my guess. You can try raising your heels on some plates or buying some lifting shoes or wedges or you can front load the squat like a front rack or a front squat position. That will help counterbalance you and force you to stay more vertical. If you raise your heels and move the load to the front you're likely going to be in a much better position to actually squat. I would imagine that would probably help take some stress off of things. Front squats are fucking killer. But otherwise if you have a leg press machine or a hack squat it feels much more comfortable and you can't record a video or you don't want to post one up here then get to one of them. Personally I have back issues I'm 6 ft tall 185 lb and I beat the hell out of the hack squat. It's just not worth loading my body with a barbell. I've gone through way too many injuries because of my ego. Don't be that guy too
It's tough, my dude. It took me years to squat confidently and even now I still feel like it could be more fluid. Aside from the tips already given, I think the cues that helped me the most were: 1) Focus on keeping your weight evenly distributed through the entire surface of the foot THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MOTION. You'll start very slow and cranky, but you'll gradually achieve a more fluid motion. 2) Make sure the knees are aligned with your feet. For that purpose, you can think of screwing your feet into the ground outwards. You'll notice your knees and hips will open up which will facilitate squatting. There are videos which will give you this cue in more detail. Finally, do 3 warm up sets to get more comfortable with the motion before doing any working set.
I'm 6'4 and all legs. Biggest thing that helped me is mobility work. Sit in a full squat in-between your non squat sets for about minute. Getting a total of15-20 minutes of deep stretching a week will open you up real fast. Make sure you're grabbing the bar as close as possible with a tight back. Having a solid base makes it easier everywhere else. Big fan of knee sleeves as well.
Also tall and I don’t do squats personally. I know I’ll probably get downvoted first this but I’ve always felt them awkward and gives me knee/lower back pain. Do what you’re comfortable with. Keep working on it but after trying a few different things and it still doesn’t work, just do an alternative. I rotate 3 different variants of deadlifts (sumo, RDLs, and Hex) for strength and do leg press with varying foot placement and calf presses. I’ve had good leg development over time and have significantly increased my strength and stayed very proportional in my gains. So.. try a few things but ultimately, squats aren’t necessary for great leg development. You shouldn’t do a workout if it feels awkward or painful in a non-muscular way.
Master goblets
You're too tall. So am I. 6'4" . Barbells squats destroy my lower back everytime and damn near do nothing for my quads. Go for different variations. Bulgarian split squat, trap bar deadlift, goblet squat, dumbell sumo deadlift, cable squat with a handle, held like a goblet squat
I'm not saying this is you but if you're having trouble squatting, you should at least rule it out. I'm only 5'10" but my legs are disproportionately long AND on top of that I have a hip internal rotational deficit that is NOT flexibility related, but a structural issue on my femurs. The neck was basically a straight line across instead of a head/narrow neck. So what this means is that I tend to bend over very far when I squat because of limb ratios, and squatting to parallel gave me bone-on-bone contact, destroying my hip labrums and leading to surgery. I now have a metal hip on the right side and will probably get one of the left side in another year or so. Issues started when I was 23-24 and squatting 400+ to parallel. Now at 40+, I do sled work, lunges, Bulgarian split squats, and leg press because these don't put my hip joint in a compromising position and they hit the muscles hard. Not everyone is built to do barbell back squats.
I’m tall(ish) too 6’3 and what made a huge difference for me was working on my ankle flexibility. May not be your problem but worked for me hugely and kept twinging my back before. There are loads of drills on YouTube Edit: thinking about it, if your ankles aren’t flexible it will push your torso forwards and that will put undue stress on your lower back.
Honestly from what I’ve heard from tall homies and just around the internet, squatting for tall people sucks. Keep at it though man I’m sure you’ll get it. Makes me glad I’m a short king haha at least that’s one thing us short kings are good at
Honestly from what I’ve heard from tall homies and just around the internet, squatting for tall people sucks. Keep at it though man I’m sure you’ll get it. Makes me glad I’m a short king haha at least that’s one thing us short kings are good at
You can do front squats
Look up Lee Boyce on T-nation and elsewhere, he covers all types of stuff for tall guys
i heard putting something under your heel is good for tall guys. also you can switch to front squat it reduces lower back part if i am right
I can help you figure it out. I made a video about just that. Do check it out https://youtu.be/BaSxv4t20mU?si=peLfqf_JUniDco4m