Weak muscles, poor form, and limited mobility are the main reasons people struggle to stand up from squats. Therefore, I believe that most older adults, office workers, and people with injuries would experience this.
As a recent fitness study found, strengthening your quadriceps, glutes, and core muscles will definitely improve your ability to stand up from a squat.
In addition, you will need to maintain flexibility through stretching exercises to keep your knees and hips moving smoothly. In fact, according to a study, approximately 40% of adults above 60 years are unable to get up from squatting due to weak muscles in the lower body.
For this reason, I’m here to show you the most common reasons why you can’t stand up after squatting.
Why You can’t Stand Up from Squatting
Most people can’t get up from a squat because of a combination of weak muscles, bad form, and limited mobility. Squats help build the muscles we need for daily tasks like sitting, standing, and lifting. They also help with stability and balance so we don’t fall and get injured as we age.
But when done incorrectly squats can be uncomfortable and even injurious. A backache after squatting is often a sign of bad form.
Squatting Mistakes
Squatting mistakes are more common than you think and can affect your performance and safety. From knee alignment to foot placement these errors can make it hard to get up from a squat and increase the risk of injury.
Here are the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.
1. Rounding the Lower Back
One common mistake is rounding the lower back during a squat. This can put unnecessary stress on the spine and lead to injury.
A neutral spine during the movement protects your lower back and engages the right muscles.
2. Not Going Low Enough
Another common mistake is not going low enough in the squat. Squatting only partway and not getting your thighs at least parallel to the ground limits the exercise and reduces muscle engagement.
Go down until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor for maximum benefit.
3. Lifting Heels Off the Ground
Lifting your heels during a squat means you’re shifting your weight forward which can lead to instability and knee strain. Keep your feet flat on the ground to stay balanced and in good form.
4. Not Bracing the Core
Not engaging your core during a squat will cause your torso to collapse forward and put excess pressure on your lower back. Engaging your core stabilizes your body and keeps you in good alignment, reduces injury risk.
5. Not Keeping the Chest Up
Letting your chest drop or leaning forward too much will disrupt your balance and increase the risk of falling or straining your lower back. Keeping your chest up aligns and stabilizes your upper body during the squat.
6. Foot Placement
Foot placement is key to a good squat. Placing your feet too wide or too narrow will affect your squat depth and stability. Place your feet shoulder-width apart with toes slightly pointed out for maximum performance.
Also read our foot pain diagnosis and foot pain chart article.
7. Overextending the Knees
Moreover, overextending your knees past your toes or locking them out at the top of the squat will put unnecessary stress on the joints. Keep your front knee in line with your toes and avoid locking them when your knee is bent.
8. Not Using the Hips Enough
Focusing too much on the knees and not engaging the tight hips will limit your squat. Engaging your hips will activate more muscle and make the exercise more effective.
9. Squatting Too Fast
As you can see, Squatting too fast without control will compromise your form and increase the risk of injury. Controlled movement is key to good form and injury prevention.
Good Squat Technique
Good squat technique gives you maximum benefit and minimum risk. Start by placing your feet about shoulder-width apart with your toes slightly turned out. This stance will help you balance and get a full range of motion.
Because of this, keep your head in line with your spine and don’t tilt your pelvis too much to avoid discomfort in the hips, knees, and back.
As you start to squat, hinge at the hips and push your bum back, weight on your heels and midfoot as you exhale as you come up.
Remember to keep your knees in line with your toes to stop them from collapsing inwards. Torque from your feet will help keep you in good alignment for a safe squat.
Strengthening Weak Muscles
Weak leg muscles will cause wobbling and difficulty standing up from a squat. Strengthening your lower body including your hamstrings and glutes, will improve overall squatting.
As you can see, exercises like hamstring curls, glute bridges, and calf raises target these lower body muscles and will improve stability and power in lower body movements.
Sounds good, right?
Hamstring Curls
Hamstring curls target the back of the thigh and leg strength. Do them with machines, resistance bands, or free weights to build stronger hamstrings.
Glute Bridges
For glute bridges, lie on your back with your knees bent and lift your hips as you squeeze your glutes. This exercise will strengthen your glutes and improve lower body stability and power.
Calf Raises
Calf raises can be done on a flat surface or elevated platform to strengthen and improve calf muscle endurance.
Meanwhile, It will strengthen and improve flexibility of the calf muscles which is important for stabilizing the body during squats.
Mobility and Flexibility
That being said, the American Journal of Physical Medicine states that regular physical practice reduces mobility issues by 30%.
Inflexibility and stiff joints from lack of activity will make it hard to stand up from a squat. Increasing your mobility and flexibility will give you better overall movement and functional ability.
Add hip flexor stretches, ankle mobility drills, and dynamic warm-ups to your routine and you’ll squat better.
These exercises will maintain flexibility, prevent tightness and prepare your body for squats and related movements.
But if you don’t know what a squat plug is, you can read about it on our website.
Hip Flexor Stretches
Hip flexor stretches will reduce tightness and improve mobility.
Techniques like the kneeling lunge stretch and supine hip flexor stretch will target the hip flexors, maintain flexibility, and prevent tightness.
Ankle Mobility Drills
Ankle flexibility is important for good squat form. Exercises like ankle dorsiflexion stretches and heel lifts will improve ankle flexibility and squats.
Dynamic Warm-Ups
Dynamic warm-ups will prepare your body for squatting and other physical activities.
Warm-ups will improve performance by increasing blood flow and warming up muscles and joints so you have better mobility and flexibility.
Functional Movements
Dynamic warm-ups that engages multiple muscle groups will prepare your body for physical activity and improve performance.
Anyway, exercises like deadlifts and kettlebell carries will build strength and coordination for everyday activities and improve balance. These movements will reduce fall risk by strengthening the muscles that support stability and mobility.
See a physical therapist.
A professional will assess your technique, find out what’s going on and give you personalized advice to improve your squat form and physical activity.
Wrap Up
Now you know the common squatting mistakes and how to fix them. Strengthen your weak muscles, increase mobility and flexibility and practice functional movements and you’ll squat better.
