Whether you're carrying a barbell on your back, Kettlebell Stacking When you're warming up with over-the-shoulder or bodyweight squats, one question still lingers: What is the appropriate squat depth?

How low you go is as important to performance, safety, and results as how much weight you press, so squat depth should be high on your form checklist. Carol Mack, DPT, CSCSHe is a physical therapy doctor and strength and conditioning coach. Read on to find out why.

How low should you squat?

Unless you're a competitive powerlifter whose goal is to squat as much weight as possible, Mack recommends squatting as deep as you comfortably can without sacrificing form. Deeper squats activate your muscles more efficiently and help you build strength over a wider range of motion. This is important if you are training for more than just aesthetics, such as athleticism or athleticism. everyday functions.

However, squat depth depends on several personal factors, including: knee, well awareor ankle If there's pain and it's enough liquidity To go deeper,” says Mack.

What happens if your knees go forward beyond your toes?

One of the entrenched myths about squat depth is that Let your knees go past your toes. Although this signal may also indicate other types of mistakes you may be making. hanging on my butt — Mack says your knees are more likely to go past your toes if you go into a deeper squat, especially in activities like powerlifting.

“Don’t worry about your knees coming forward when you go past 90 degrees,” she says. “Of course, if you feel any pain or tightness, don’t force it any deeper. But if you’re comfortable going deeper and listening to your body, it’s okay to go lower.”

She adds that one helpful alignment tip is to look down and make sure your knees are in line with your middle two toes and not flared outward. (This tip should be applied during a warm-up, not during a PR attempt.)

How can you improve your squat depth?

If you struggle with squat depth, here are a few strategies to help you squat to a lower depth.

1. Focus on your butt

Because squat depth isn't just yours. Quadriceps and glutesFocusing on your hips can be a game changer, says Mack.

Instead of lowering your hips straight down, send your hips back slightly. hinges — Lowering the squat position. This will help you bend more at the hips (bringing your knees closer to your chest) and can improve depth.

It is also important to avoid bending your knees inward as you approach the floor and stand up from the squat position.

“To improve your squat, you may need to add hip mobility or strengthen your routine,” says Mack. hip mobility exercises It can also do more than just help with squat depth. It can reduce the strain on your body. sitting too muchoverall improvement pliabilityAnd gives you something bigger range of motion.

2. Increased ankle mobility

Mack adds that increasing ankle mobility is also important. This aspect of the squat can sometimes be ignored, but it plays a big role in achieving a deeper position. If you feel your ankles leaving the ground during a squat, this is a sign that you need to improve your mobility.

ankle strengthening exercises It can provide greater mobility and stability to support your squat no matter how deep you go.

3. Strengthen your core

Lastly, remember that squats also involve your spine, says Mack.

“Some people have trouble keeping their torso upright as they go deeper into the squat,” she says. “This can throw off alignment throughout the squat movement. “It can happen for a number of reasons, including mobility, but core strength is a big culprit.”

If your back tends to round when you get into a squat position, or if you feel like your upper body is collapsing as you stand back up, this usually means you need to incorporate more core work into your routine, she suggests.

fortunately tons of options To this end, like the other mobility and strengthening choices here, it can reduce your risk of injury and improve your form for a wide range of movements, including squats.