The squat is a foundational human movement, yet many people experience frustration when attempting to perform it safely or with a full range of motion. A successful squat means moving weight through a full depth—hips descending at least to knee level—while maintaining an upright torso and a neutral spine. The reasons for struggling are rarely about a lack of effort and almost always fall into correctable categories of mobility, technique, strength, or individual body structure.
Limits in Ankle and Hip Mobility
The ability to achieve a deep, stable squat begins with the available range of motion in the ankles and hips. A common restriction occurs at the ankle joint, where a lack of dorsiflexion prevents the shin from traveling forward over the foot as you descend. When the ankle cannot move adequately, the body compensates by shifting weight onto the toes, lifting the heels, or causing the torso to lean forward excessively.
Hip mobility is equally important, requiring sufficient hip flexion to bring the thighs close to the torso without the lower back rounding, a phenomenon known as “butt wink.” Tightness in the hip flexors or hamstrings can restrict this movement, forcing the pelvis to tuck under as you approach the bottom position. A tight hip will often meet its limit before the target depth is reached, causing the movement to stop short.
Common Errors in Squat Execution
Even with good underlying joint mobility, poor movement habits or lack of coordination can severely limit squat performance. One of the most visible faults is the excessive forward lean, often described as a “good morning” squat, where the hips rise faster than the chest on the ascent. This shifts the stress away from the quadriceps and onto the lower back, increasing shear forces on the spine. A simple correction is to focus on driving your chest up and keeping your torso and hips rising at the same rate.
Another frequent technical error is the knees caving inward, known as valgus collapse, which places unnecessary stress on the knee joint and its ligaments. The knees should track directly in line with the middle of the foot throughout the entire movement. A simple cue to fix this is to actively think about “pushing your knees out” as you descend and ascend. Core bracing is also essential; learning to inhale deeply and tighten the abdominal muscles creates intra-abdominal pressure that stabilizes the entire torso and prevents instability.
Underlying Muscle Weakness and Imbalance
Many common execution errors are not simply bad habits but are instead symptoms of underlying muscle weakness. The body naturally seeks the path of least resistance, compensating for a weak muscle group by over-relying on another. The gluteal muscles are particularly important, especially the gluteus medius, which acts as a hip stabilizer. When the gluteus medius is weak, the knee often collapses inward because the muscle responsible for maintaining lateral knee alignment is failing.
A weak core is frequently the root cause of the dreaded “butt wink,” the slight rounding of the lower back at the bottom of the squat. The core musculature must maintain a rigid, neutral spine under load. When stability fails, the pelvis tilts backward, which can increase the risk of spinal disc issues over time. To address these strength deficits, targeted activation drills are beneficial, such as clamshells, lateral band walks, and glute bridges to activate the gluteus medius, and plank variations to build core endurance.
Understanding Your Unique Anatomy
Some limitations are structural and cannot be overcome through mobility or strength work alone. The unique bone structure of the hip joint, specifically the depth and orientation of the hip socket, determines your body’s preferred squat stance and maximum depth. Individuals with deep hip sockets experience bony contact sooner than those with shallow sockets, naturally limiting how low they can squat, regardless of flexibility.
The length of your femur relative to your torso also plays a significant role in your ideal squat form. A person with a long femur and a short torso will naturally need to lean forward more to keep the center of mass balanced over the foot. Attempting to force an overly upright posture would cause the lifter to fall backward. For these anatomical reasons, the “perfect” textbook squat form is not appropriate for everyone. Experimenting with stance width and toe angle is necessary to find a position that allows for maximum safe depth without pain or excessive compensation.