Squats & Lower Back Rounding

[Big_Idiot]

When i full squat its fairly obvious my lower back rounds. Im aware theres a few recommended stretches out there to help increase hip mobility, ham flexibility etc etc.

Basic question really, would squatting regulary eventually solve this problem. Would you eventually become more mobile & flexible to where your lower back would stop rounding?

Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Karky]

you could use squatting as sort of a dynamic mobility drill. A lot of people have trouble with their adductor magnus when getting low, so stretching that could be a good idea.

you should probably also figure out if you need more ankle mobility. Maybe your hip mobility is ok, but your ankle mobility is so bad that you can't put your knees far enough forward to keep balanced even with ok hip mobility. Try putting something under your heels when you squat (though an oly lifting shoe is best, since it gives you heel elevation built into the shoe, things can sometimes get a bit more unstable when you put plates under your heels)

 

[Big_Idiot]

Cheers Karky lad, can always count on your response

 

[Trainer01]

Just a quick note. I have heard a lot of people saying that when you do squats you should not let your knees goes out further than your toes. This is not the case, it is more important to concentrate on keeping your back straight and make sure that the line of your lumbar and that of your tibia are parallel at all times. So as your knees bend and your tibia angle slightly changes and so does that of your lumbar. The point where your lumbar and tibia are not longer parallel is the point you should not go past when performing squats.
=)

 

[Big_Idiot]

Just a quick note. I have heard a lot of people saying that when you do squats you should not let your knees goes out further than your toes. This is not the case, it is more important to concentrate on keeping your back straight and make sure that the line of your lumbar and that of your tibia are parallel at all times. So as your knees bend and your tibia angle slightly changes and so does that of your lumbar. The point where your lumbar and tibia are not longer parallel is the point you should not go past when performing squats.
=)

Yea i reckon thats more of an old myth, or a basic guidline really about the knee over the toes.

Like someone said a while ago, what about a tall person with small feet and a short person with large feet.....the shorter person would have a LOT more tolerance for the knees to cross the toes!

 

[Karky]

Just a quick note. I have heard a lot of people saying that when you do squats you should not let your knees goes out further than your toes. This is not the case, it is more important to concentrate on keeping your back straight and make sure that the line of your lumbar and that of your tibia are parallel at all times. So as your knees bend and your tibia angle slightly changes and so does that of your lumbar. The point where your lumbar and tibia are not longer parallel is the point you should not go past when performing squats.
=)

can you explain why you want to keep the tibia and the spine parallel at all times in the squat? how does not following this rule put you at greater risk of injury? What about powerlifters? some of them lift with their tibia very near perpendulicar to the floor, but lean a lot forward in order to put more stress on the hams and move more weight. What about weightlifters who keep their backs very straight in order to not drop the bar forward in a front squats, though they squat very low, so there needs to be a lot of dorsiflexion in the ankle.. As you can tell I'm very skeptical of this rule, but if you could explain why it is so, I'm of course open to change my stance.

 

[Trainer01]

Karky, of course there are exception, I was more referring to body weight squats as a rule to follow, I should have explained that. Obiously with the amount of varition in the squat exercise it can differ depending on what particular exercise you may be doing. It's a good rule to follow, especially for beginners and to ensure they are getting their technique correct.