Deck squats, should I do them if I can (sort of) do a regular sqat?

I did many months of convict conditioning and can squat fairly well. That being said my feet are both bent outwards (slightly) and not completely straight. Does this matter? I can easily do many sets of 25 squats this way. I can even grab a 50 pound weight and do 20. However, I can't keep my feet perfectly straight. When I do deck-squats, well I just can't seem to get up and if I really push myself I can get up but I find myself almost falling over backwards. I've read in other posts to use matts, but I don't have any. Can I just do squats the way I usually do? If not should I find some alternative to help me than mats? Any suggestions? 

Thanks!

Matthew:  you need to do deck squats. I'm speaking from experience: it is probably lack of flexibility (not lack of strength) which is the issue. Search "deck squats" in this forum and you will find threads about how to scale the deck squats so you can start making progress. 

You don't need mats. Drag an old mattress out.  Or, do the deck squats on a hill (feet downhill).  Find some creative way to get your feet lower than your butt when you are in the bottom position.

For some people who struggle with this element, the problem is ankle flexibility; for others, it's hamstring flexibility.  Get some video of your deck squat attempts and put it in the form check forum.

I spent about 6 months on deck squats. Be prepared to make incremental progress, especially as you, like me, could do none at the beginning.  Good luck.

No, you may not skip deck squats.  Ignoring the problem will not make it go away. 

My apologies for being fairly direct here, but if you could squat 'fairly well' you would be able to perform deck squats.  

Your current inability to do so illustrates that you have significant mobility deficits which need to be addressed.  

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Hello Matthew,

Cool to have you onboard! I can do ½ one-leg squats no problem, but I still started at the bottom ladder. I have to say that my knees have thanked me for this. I used to have minor issues with my left knee and the combination of warming up with the deck squat and the integrated mobility has been great rehab. My knees are in the best shape they've ever been during my adulthood.

I feel that as I ascend towards the more demanding elements, I'm ironing out kinks that were affecting my form in ways that I haven't noticed.

Hi! How about doubling up a rug or using folded up towels or blankets?

So this is the best way to improve ankle/achillies flexibility/mobility on the Desk Squats?  By actually just doing them, decreasing the mat height in combination with the stretch course? 

I realised for so long I've been doing them incorrectly - feet apart and using too much momentum :(

Thanks to everyone for the great feedback, will try doing these on a hill and I'll push through it. Cheers!

I couldn't get an inch of the floor when I first tried deck squats. What helped the most (as well as starting elevated) was to actively and slowly pull into the bottom position; knees to chest, heels to bum and shins to toes then to think of pulling myself onto my feet rather than throwing myself. 

If you set the elevation to a height that forces you to pull in tight and allows you to execute the move with some control (takes a little experimentation), it should improve.

Max

Edit: I personally don't like the hill idea because you won't be working your dorsiflexion; it's the same as squatting with a raised heel. But it may work for you

Agreed: hill not as good as flat surface behind you.

i love the rug idea.

This is another one of those exercises that is deceptively difficult. I initially skipped these in the beginning because I thought they were too easy (before trying them of course). Then I tried them and couldn't even do 1 rep. That was a bit of a wake-up call.

I eventually made progress by using mats, as suggested above, and slowly lowered the height over time.

Keep us posted on your progress!

All good suggestions. I too had issues with this one and needed help from coaches. What helped me was what Cam did and spending time in the bottom squatted position before the roll. Meaning 5 mins if need be because I was very tight in the bottom position, plus dealing with a badly sprained ankle. staying upright squatted wasn't easy, always wanted to fall backwards. I could easily feel how tight my Achilles was on my injured ankle and stretching helped a lot so the roll forward was easier.  The skier iM helped a lot with my ankle flexibility as well. Again I could feel the tightness radiate down to the ankle.  plus the stretch series has made a difference with this movement, not to mention many other PEs. dont give up, as your mobility improves it will get better.