Deck squats

 I don't have the flexibility to go all the way down to the floor with my feet together.  So my question is when I'm doing deck squats, should I widen my feet to go all the way down or keep my feet together and not go down quite as far?  Thanks.

Hi Sam,

You can keep doing the elevated deck squat but remove a few mats so that you are closer to the ground. The Front Split series will also address your ankle and hamstring mobility. 

I'm going to ride on Sam's coattails with another deck squat question.

I can get into the squat with feet together, and roll back and forward fine on about 2" of mat, but as I exit the roll (about the time my feet hit the floor again) my knees wing out. I've tried focusing on keeping them together through the entire movement, but when I do I can't fully stand up (my weight stays too far back, it feels like). I can get back up, fairly smoothly, if my knees open. Any idea what strength or mobility area might be lacking? 

Thanks,

Hey Jennifer,

Can you send in a video? It's likely a combination of tight ankles and hips.

Hi @Everett,

Better late than never... 

Since that previous post I've gotten better at keeping the knees together but I'm relying on a five pound plate to give the counter balance to get back up after the roll.

I'm hoping for some suggestions to get rid of that aid. Thanks!

Hi Jennifer, 

Coming along nicely. As Pauline mentioned try elevating the roll back. Also, working the front splits course once a week will improve calf and achilles mobility which will carry over to the deck squat. You can also try to go slower (using the weight) throughout the exercise to build up the stretch vs. using the momentum.  

Keep at it.

Thanks!!

By elevating the roll back, you mean getting the feet/hips higher or using more mats to roll onto? For mat height, it feels about the same with or without my 2-inch mats, and 4-inches was very easy and doable without the weight.

Thanks for the feedback!

Jennifer

Hey Jennifer,

If possible, elevate the surface you're rolling back onto at least 6-12 inches so you can focus on keeping your knees together. Also, be sure you've elevated the surface enough so that you don't have to use the weight. Give that a shot and send us a follow-up video. 

Hi Everett,

Thanks for the suggestions! 

The gym was hectic last night so I wasn't able to get a video (I'll try next time).

With a 6" mat, I'm able to keep knees together, no counter weight, and even performed the roll much slower with noticeably better control (less reliant on momentum).

Sadly, I don't have anything between the 6" mat and a really squishy 2" mat for elevation on this movement. Should I be begging the gym owner for more mats or could the counter-weight be helpful to make the transition down to the 2" mat? 

In the meantime, I'm adding in some of the front stretch movements for ankle mobility and rolling out my calves extra times each week (hoping for daily, but promised myself at least every other day) to help there too.

Thanks again!
Jennifer

Hey Jennifer, 

That's awesome. I suggest repeating mastery of these at 6" at least twice before going lower. Ideally, you'd have panel mats that would allow you to gradually lower the height. Since you don't, let's make sure you get everything you can out of the 6" mat before going down to the 2".

Once you do drop to the 2" mat, feel free to use the counterweight again, at first. Let's reassess in a week or two when you drop back down. The mobility work and repetition at the 6" height should result in some big improvements!

Thank you for your great advice @Everett Carroll. 

Keep it up Jennifer, now you found the perfect place for good form keep building up.

Thanks for the help! I'm looking forward to sharing the progress later.

those are looking better than mine by a long shot. thanks for sharing.

for scaling, you can try putting the 2" mat in front of the 6" one for a 4" difference, right? seems like that should work.

I see where you're going with that Paul. It sounds good, but I'd be concerned about them sliding apart as I roll... That is, if they weren't in two different buildings already.

However, sass aside, I could run with that idea and potentially push the 6" mat against a lifting platform for the same effect. Thanks for the idea!

Jennifer,

If you have access to weight plates you could use those in front of your mat to adjust the height. 45 pound plates offer a large enough surface for your feet and are heavy enough that they shouldn't slide

I went with the 45# plate so I wouldn't have to move lifting blocks off the platform. Good call!

I notice a slight gap in the knees on the way up. That's a surprisingly hard habit to break, but then again every barbell lift has a cue of "knees out" so it's very second nature out of the bottom of a squat for me. 

Other thoughts?

Nicely done! These look great, Jennifer.

Yay! Thanks Everett!

I breezed through the other PEs for SLS so quickly that this one was a rude awakening. I love the challenge of finding something I can't do and making it happen.

I'm thinking one more session at this height and then perhaps I can add one more blue plate, or a yellow which is slightly thinner.

Hey @Sam Jarvis, so sorry I took over your thread! How are your deck squats going?