After the Mrs had our 2nd child in December I took some time away from the gym for our young family.  I got back into the swing about the 2nd week of February, and started with moderate weights so that I could ease back into things.  I've noticed over the last two weeks, that as I have added weight in the squats that I'm really lacking in getting the depth that I need.  I videoed myself while squatting and confirmed I was not near parallel.  I found a box in the gym, that if I just make contact with will get me to parallel.  Any problem with doing this? I'm assuming once I get a feel for the depth I can abandon the box.  Yes, I am doing hip mobility stuff once a week, I know I need more flexibilty

Use the box or if there is a medicine ball. I have seen people use both. Do more mobility, everyday.

I would drop the weight and squat properly.  I had to do this with OH squats.  My coach made me just do the bar until I could get the mobility.  And it worked.

I posted a while back about knee issues on here, and was given the advice of doing box squats. As it was explained, you want to sit as if you were sitting on your grandmothers china, or something like that. What I do is pull  a flat bench behind me, scoot back to it, and squat controllably, ie not super fast, until my ass is gracing the bench, then push back up. You don't want to sit on the bench per se, as if you're resting.

Understood.  I dropped back to a weight that I could handle through the full range of motion, and I'm not coming to a rest but just "kissing" the surface with my lowest section of my glutes. This puts me right at or slightly below parallel.

I dropped the weight back so that I could get the full range of motion, and the box keeps me honest since right now I dont have a feel for where parallel is on my own.  I will add a set before and after my working sets with just the bar to increase mobility.  Thanks.

If you can drop the weight and get to depth than it is a mental issue not a moblility issue. So no matter how many mobility drill you do it eill not solve it. As the weight gets heavier you want to cheat so you dont get stuck at the bottom. Using the box can help. Or have someone watch you and jave them call out when you reach depth.

He said he needs more flexibility, and yes weight affects mobility.  I would drop the weight and work on pause squats.  Don't worry you will know you're deep enough.

I'm a neophyte at this stuff, but since beginning the Starting Strength program a few months ago I've had to go back to my beginning twice.  I started too heavy, realized that I couldn't make my increases after a few week and dropped back to where I started to work into it again.  Then I realized that my squats and dead lifts were progressing at the same rate and at the same weight, so I dropped back to my beginning weight AGAIN and started squatting deep.  Very deep.

Now I'm over the weight that I stopped at twice and I'm going ass-to-heels on the squats.  Knees feel great and strength in the glutes and hams is improving like never before.

I really like where it is now, no box, no problems guessing if I'm down far enough, I just drop till I can't anymore.

Youtubing 'limber eleven' helps a TON as well.  There are a few stretches in there that will change your mobility immediately.  Do them a few times a day and you'll see a difference in your squat depth right away.

BTW, the ball on the butt stretch is worth the pain.  Unless your hands slip out and you find yourself sitting on the ball...  Ouch.  I'm a 40yo engineer that sits on my ass for a living.  If I can stay limber enough, anyone can.

Maybe youre on to something, I'm a 28yo engineer.  Right now I can go 200lbs and under to below parallel with no problems.  I did 245 (5/5/5) this morning to the box, and while I had to really concentrate it wasnt too bad.  At anything above 265 once I get to a certain point everything feels so tight I dont think I could press out of it.

OP, look up the bottom position that is pictured in Starting Strength.

Squat and use your elbows to force the knees out and get a feel for the bottom position.

I did this a bunch last night.  Just body weight, squat, push knees out.  I figured out I needed to turn my feet out more, they were facing to straight.  It also puts me at depth so I get a better idea of where going up starts.

If I squat, I pretty much only do 400+ with a box now.   I only will drop the box a few weeks before a meet for technique.
Few reasons:
Using a box confirms depth.
Using a box promotes "sitting back"
Using a box properly makes knees not hurt.
Using a box PROPERLY teaches proper tightness in the hole (hah), as well as helps disconnect the eccentric/stretch- rebound benefit out of the hole. This makes you stronger, and when you start squatting sans box, you'll feel a pop out of the hole because you now have this stretch rebound that you didn't train with.
"just below parallel" Box = good
"invisible box" squats/Pause squats = Awesome.
Pause squats "Ass to grass" = waste of time - Keep em just below parallel. Keep the tension.


 

Update:  Between using the box and the mobility work, my squats have really improved.  I dont feel nearly as tight in the lowest position and I successfully got 265 3x5 last night to below parallel.

Quoted for reading again because it's too good to read once.