Helping my friend do deadlifts/squats

[spesmilitis]

Squats:

I tought my friends to do squats today, but he couldn't even get his thigh's parallel without bringing his knee's past his toes. I told him to shift his hips back as he goes down, and that helped, but he still couldn't bring his thigh's parallel to the ground.

Is it a flexability issue, or are you susposed to do something that I already do naturally? He can touch his toes better than I can, so I guess its not the hamstrings. Any idea what he can do?

Deadlifts:

In deadlifts, he can come up alright, but when he comes down, he arches his back over. From what I can see, he does that so the bar doesn't hit his knee's on the way down, but if he can come up right, he should be able to go down alright too.

Any tips/stretches I can tell him to do?

 

[Throttle]

may be a flexibility issue on the squats, and it may be inflexibility in a non-obvious spot. my fiancee struggles to squat low w/o falling backwards, which we eventually traced ankle inflexibility & a bias towards leaning forwards when she crouches (I blame years of skiing). your friend could have other issues -- hip inflexibility, etc. it can be tough to diagnose.

get him to do it w/o any weight on his back and watch his mechanics.

does he try to lower the weight as slowly as he brings it up on deadlifts? he may be try to over-control the bar's descent. also, is it lower back or upper back arch? you can round the upper back a bit w/o injuring yourself, but you absolutely must keep you lower back in the "neutral position" (its natural curve when you stand with good posture)

 

[Gus]

Your knees can move in front of your toes a little, mostly it depends on the person...some people have long legs and can't even do squats without their knees going out over their toes. It's not a set-in-stone law, it's just used as an indicator of weight distribution.

 

[Charm]

Tell him to look up while he squats too

 

[Gus]

I disagree, looking up will curve your spine and throw everything out of whack...it is best to look forward or slightly down...

 

[spesmilitis]

I have extremly long legs compared to my body, and I can go down just fine keeping my knee's behind my toes.

 

[EFFORT]

box squats

 

[Vintovka]

When I first started squatting I couldn't go very low either. Part of it was flexibility which I've gained just from doing squats and part mental; I felt if I kept going lower I'd tip over/get stuck, just had to ease into it.

 

[Warboss Alex]

what EFFORT said.

 

[donjuanjovi]

Bend at the hips more, bringing the weight further forward and the center of gravity back over your feet without pushing your knees forward.