Squat depth problems

FERGAL7

Need help with squat depth guys,

Can't break parallel, I'm not even making parallel. when I come to just above parallel it feels like my body doesn't want to go any lower. My hamstrings begin to feel very stiff, almost like they're pulling against me getting lower. if I push past this point and try to break parallel it feels very unnatural and my back will round quite severely.

This is getting quite annoying as I feel it's really stifling me increasing my squat and overall leg development and strength. Over a three month period my deadlift went up 45kg, my bench went up 27.5kg while my squat only increased by about 15kg (and i feel that might be a false representation as my form was so bad.)

I can't even get back this point squatting with just bodyweight. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

If it matters I'm 6ft, 15st, and proportionately my torso is a bit longer than the average mans.

LuckyLloyd

Mobility, mobility and more mobility work. You need to loosen out your hips, glutes, hamstrings, calves and ankles. What is your warm up routine and what mobility work (if any) do you currently do?

Good video on essentials here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlcNpYv9e08

Mellor

How's your squat depth on bodyweight squats, aka air squats (no barbell or weight)?
How long can you gold the bottom position of the squat? 10 seconds, 1 min, 5min, 10mins?

deadlybuzzman

If your back rounds widen your stance and see how that feels, it could be that your thighs and body are getting in the way of each other. Lots of stretching like the lads say is the way to go too

Hanley

Can you sit down all the way with an empty bar?

Elevate your heels on a couple of plates. See what happens.

Try a braced squat, can you do that? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7AvQH8MCHg