Training tips: 1) lighten the weight 2)use plates under heels to help with squat depth

1) Take some weight off the bar.

It never ceases to amaze me that people at the gym seem completely unable to determine that the weight they’re using is just too darn heavy for them to complete the movement properly. In some cases it is just plain embarrassing.

Cut the weight and take the movement through the full range of motion. Slowly build your strength up over time while maintaining the same depth. Train your muscles not your ego.

2) Put a ten-pound plate under each heel and your squat depth will likely improve. Further to that, it will usually allow you to maintain a more upright posture during your squat permitting you to place greater emphasis on your quads and taking the strain out of the low back that is often experienced in people who end up bending forward to achieve greater depth.

Of course, the lifting purists are about to have me burned at the stake for this blasphemy, but unless you’re training for a lifting sport that specifically states that you cannot have your heels on plates (i.e., powerlifting) there is really no reason why these cannot be used.

And that is not to say that you can’t be working on your mobility to achieve greater depth without them, but this modification can help you to achieve greater depth in the meantime.