10 Squat Tips for Long-Limbed Lifters

Until fairly recently, the standard universal squat cues have been to sit back, stay upright, and keep the knee behind the toe. These cues favor a certain body type – and people with this body type are not the ones who typically need help on their squat.

Chances are that if you are combing the internet for squat cues, you have long thigh bones. You’ve probably experienced the common issues that long legged lifters face in the squat, like folding forward and having trouble reaching depth. Check out this video series that explains how our proportions influence our squat.

Even though our proportions might not produce the prettiest squats, there are quite a few options that long-femured individuals can explore.

1. Cue the Upper Back

A common complaint from long-femured squatters is that they feel as though they are getting folded in half by the barbell. A cue that might help take the edge off of this is to think traps, or push your upper back into the bar to initiate the ascent.

People typically use the traps cue at the bottom of the squat. It might be a good idea to stay conscious of it from the unrack when the weight is heavy and threatening to staple you.

Do not allow the elbows to rotate out behind you in the hole, and keep the weight behind you. Once the weight shifts forward of your center, you are either stuck with a good morning or pinned.

A couple of great exercises to reinforce this are the front squat and the good morning squat.

2. Alter Your Stance

Leverage-wise, you can make the squat more manageable by widening the stance and pointing the feet out. The majority of people with long femurs seem to have success with this option.

That said, your range of comfortable stance widths can depend in part on the structure of your hips.

Why People Have to Squat Differently is an article about anatomical differences in hip structure. Using photographs of human bones, it shows why some people might have to turn their toes out when they squat. It also shows why some might be stronger squatting narrow or wide, and why the comfort of the athlete should dictate the stance.

I have long femurs and anteverted hips (thighs angle slightly inward). A wide stance is not a strong position for someone whose hips are not designed for it. Hip structure cannot be changed with any amount of stretching.

So, if the thighs can’t move out to the sides, then where can we put them? They have to go somewhere. This brings us to our next point…

3. The Knees Can (and Should) Pass the Toes in a Squat

For most people with no existing knee problems, the knee will pass the toe at the bottom of the squat. This requires that you have decent ankle dorsiflexion.

The ‘knee stays behind the toe’ thing is based on a study done in the 1970’s. The study showed that when the shins were kept vertical, there was less strain on the knee.

A later 2003 study showed that allowing the knee to migrate forward increased knee torque by around 28%. However, preventing the knee from traveling forward increased stress on the hips and lower back by nearly 1000%.

If you have existing knee issues, you will probably have better luck with box squat variations where you can keep a vertical shin.

If you do not have any knee issues or structural limitations at the ankle, you can incorporate simple mobility drills in conjunction with some soft tissue work to improve dorsiflexion. In the meantime, you can squat with small plates under your heels, or invest in some heeled squat shoes.

4. Improve Overall Balance and Body Awareness

Once the bar gets too far forward of your center of gravity, you can easily be pinned. Try to focus on moving the bar in a relatively straight path over the middle of your foot.

5. Check Your Bracing Strategy and Add Some Direct Abdominal Work

Keep your pelvis and lower ribs facing each other.

Don’t lose your brace when you take your air. Overly exaggerated breaths can stretch out the deep abdominals to the point where you can’t even use them. 

Keep your spine long (at least in your mind) and be sure to flex at the hip – not at the lower back.

If your brace feels flimsy or you are losing it in the hole, then it might be a good idea to add some direct anterior core training to help you better ‘find’ it. Exercises like dead bugs, chops, and Pallof presses in a deep squat position are all great for this.

Don’t Squats Already Work the ‘Core’?

The notion that ‘squats work core so you don’t need to train it directly’ is only mildly plausible if your core is functioning perfectly to begin with. Those with long legs and shorter torsos often have very strong backs and could benefit from some abdominal work.

Additionally, while squats do work your ‘core’, the spinal erectors might be getting the majority of the work.

The chart below (full report can be accessed here) shows EMG activity in the back squat, which is noted as BS90. Note the amount of activity recorded for the spinal erectors in comparison to the rectus abdominis.

6. Don’t Perform Variations That Don’t Work for Your Proportions

It is perfectly fine to have an exercise shitlist, and to not take part in movements that hurt or make you feel like a reject. Here are some common culprits for long-femured lifters:

Pistol Squats are single leg squats with the non-working leg held straight out in front of you. The awkward position can strain the hip flexors and lower back if you are not built for it.

If pistols hurt, you can stand on a box or bench and perform single leg squats, allowing your non-working leg to drop naturally. Skater squats, shrimp squats and bowler squats are also good single-leg options, and holding a weight out in front of you for counter-balance might actually help with positioning.

Wall-Facing Squats are used to teach proper squat form. Namely, how to sit back, stay upright, and keep the knee behind the toe (a trifecta of long-femur-unfriendly cues).

You face the wall with your toes either against the wall or a few inches away. You then squat, while the wall blocks your knees from coming forward and prevents you from leaning over.

This actually works out well for those who are built for it. If you are not, it is wildly inappropriate. Not allowing the knee to move forward means that your hips need to move farther back – but you can’t lean forward to balance yourself. If you possess external rotation of the gods, you can try pushing the knees farther out to the sides. If you are at all limited there, you have no choice but to place tremendous strain on your lower back.

Long-femured strength coach Lee Boyce made a great video to show what happens when long femurs and wall squats unite. He also brought up another factor – small feet. If your feet are on the smaller side, that puts you even closer to the wall. Yet another anatomical bias that makes this an asinine movement to force upon long legged lifters.

Can you tell that this drill strikes a sore spot (literally and figuratively)?

Instead, you can spare your lower back by prepping for barbell squats with goblet squats or arms-extended plate squats.

7. Find Squat Variations That Your Body Likes

Unless you are competing in powerlifting or a strength sport that requires it, you do not have to put the bar on your back and free squat. There are plenty of variations that might better suit your leverages and are meaty enough to serve as a main lift.

For example:

• Front Squats
• Zercher Squats
• Pin Squats
• Box Squats
• Hatfield Squats
• Landmine Squats
• Heavy Goblet Squats
• Belt Squats
• Split Squats
• Leg-centric deadlift variations like Trap Bar Deadlifts, Jefferson Deadlifts, and Behind the Back Deadlifts

8. Be Wary of Squat Advice From People Who Are Well-Proportioned to Squat

You might think that if someone is a gifted squatter, that they can offer tips to help you become a good squatter as well. This is often times not the case.

People with short or average thigh bones typically have no idea of the troubles that long-femured lifters go through, and will not be able to relate. The cues that work for their bodies might not make sense to you. That is because when they squat, they don’t have as many options as to where they might land. We can easily miss a lift, or even land on our butts if we are an inch off our mark.

Generally, you might have better luck seeking out people who are squatting successfully and have similar proportions to you – even if they are not a squat world record holder.

This isn’t to say that nobody who is a naturally good squatter can help you. Just don’t get hung up on the notion that someone is a good resource simply because they can squat well.

9. Be Realistic About the Amount of Forward Lean That Your Squat Needs

Not everyone can squat with a perfectly upright posture, and trying to force it can make for a weak and painful squat.

Forward lean must come from the hip joint, not the spine. Ideally, you want to maintain your chosen back position throughout the lift.

There is a difference between mindfully squatting with an inclined torso, and getting bullied by the barbell and pinned by the weight.

If you have been trying to force a very upright posture and are getting stapled at the bottom (and your thigh bones are a mile long), you can try experimenting with degrees of deliberate torso incline until you find the sweet spot.

The points above still apply.

Remember that squatting with a straight back simply means that the back should not excessively flex or extend under load – it does NOT mean that you need to strive for a torso-to-thigh angle of ninety degrees.

10. Be Honest With Yourself About What Your Squat Actually Is, and Program Accordingly

If you have maxed out your body’s potential on hip and ankle mobility, your squat still looks like a good morning, and that is just who you are as a squatter – that’s ok. But your program strategy needs to consider this.

The lower back takes longer to recover from training in comparison to other areas of the body. You might not be a great candidate for super high volumes or frequencies.

You will also want to choose your accessory and supplemental work in accordance with your squat style.

Consider where your deadlifts fit in the mix, and be sure that your lower back gets the recovery time that it needs.

There is a pretty good chance that barbell back squats aren’t really ‘leg day’ for you. You might need to include other movements to target them.

Don’t discount ‘light’ leg training such as Bulgarian split squats or cable squats. Your legs are probably not as strong as you think and will appreciate the work.

On the other hand, if you have a knee dominant squat, you might be able to handle a different approach than a good morning squatter.

Look at your own squat mechanics, consider the impact on your muscles and joints, and program accordingly.

One More Thing to Keep in Mind

When trying to debug a movement, it helps greatly to focus on one thing at a time.  Attempting to coordinate multiple new tactics at once can be overwhelming.  

Prioritize the changes that need to take place.  Cement each new item before moving on to the next.  

It might take some experimentation to find the right option(s) for you.

Final Thoughts on Long Femur Squats

Having long femurs presents a challenge, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t squat. Find a few styles and variations that work for you. And while your squat might never win any beauty points, just do the best you can with what you’ve got.

Lastly, although general awareness of different body types is slowly increasing, there are still an astounding number of people (even professionals) who do not understand how individual anatomy determines how someone’s squat will look.  The more common knowledge this becomes, the less that long-femured individuals have to struggle.

References

Effect of knee position on hip and knee torques during the barbell squat. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14636100

Electromyographic Comparison of the Back Squat and Overhead Squat https://ojs.ub.uni-konstanz.de/cpa/article/download/5378/4946