The slightly less PC name of "third-world squat" was how the position had always been known to me.
Which, while probably also being technically incorrect, does make the slightly more correct observation that it isn't something to do with "asian" countries and cultures specifically, but there seems to be some correlation between finding the position difficult/impossible, and living in western Europe/the anglosphere...
To the untrained eye, there may not be any difference between the Slav and the Asian one. But if you look closely the Slav squat has the legs spread wider and toes pointing quite a bit outwards as compared to the Asian squat
It's just the matter of what are you doing with your hands - if you want to pick up something from the ground then narrow knees will block your arms from reaching in front of you, but if you are holding something close to your face then narrow knees are better as you can rest your upper arms on them.
Has anyone gone from being unable to do this to doing it easily, with good form? If so, what did you do?
(For context, my left low back and my right heel both have lower range of motion from injuries. Presumably that can be improved.)
Update: I have a preliminary answer to my own question: squat more. I just read more hacker news while squatting, and the front of my ankles quickly became tired.
I can not do it easily, but if I'm wearing shoes with any kind of heal (even running shoes), I can squat down well enough to do things like gardening. Although there is a certain amount of flexibility in the hips, etc, the main issue is range of motion in the ankles. You need to be able to get your knees considerably in front of your toes in order to be able to shift your weight forward far enough not to fall over backwards. Most people also have poor strength balance between the calf muscle and the muscles at the front of the shin. You need the muscles as the front for the shin to lift your toes upwards -- so if you are struggling with range of motion, you will be pulling on those muscles to help you. When you have enough range of motion, gravity will do that for you.
Range of motion can be improved with training, but everyone has a limit. Where that limit is, depends on the person. If you practice every day for 6 months, then you can probably safely say that you've hit your limit.
Also, if your injuries involve tendons, ligaments or cartilage, you can feed those tissues with gelatine. You can buy plain gelatine and add hot water, stir vigorously and add a little apple juice for flavor and to cool it to drinking temperature. Consume rapidly before the goo starts solidifying in the cup.
I did this daily for a year or two to help heal old injuries. My impairment improved substantially and was never so bad again.
In the beginning, your will be leaning forward a lot. By the time you have perfected this movement, which too me 15-16 weeks, you are able to squat effortlessly. Until then, you can use a modification[1]
I grew up where the Eastern toilet was the only available choice. Now, having lived in the west for over a decade, I struggle to squat on eastern toilets, often fall backwards!
I was more like a by product for me. I started rowing 3 years ago and was really surprised how flexible I got by now. I always struggled doing the asian squat ... but not anymore.
I was 18yo when I first heard of the "Asian squat". I had no problem performing it, and I still have no problem with it at 41. Now I know why: "Short limbs, big heads, and long torsos make it easier to balance." I'm 6' with a 29" inseam and a 7.75 hat size. This may be the only advantage of a 29" inseam that I've found...
Barmah makes hats in very large sizes. I wear a canvas one in the winter (great for keeping snow off your neck) and a mesh one in the summer (avoid sunburn, keep the breeze).
It's probably just an issue with athleticism. Balance and flexibility also increase greatly with strength training. I have been strength training 3x/week for 8 years now.
Before that I don't think I could have done this, heck I don't think I could have squatted 95lbs. These days I can hold a squat like that nearly permanently, plus lots of other things you wouldn't expect from strength training like it's much easier for me to fall and than prevent myself from hitting the ground by re-balancing myself if I skip on ice or something like that.
Build might mess up the physics a bit, but I'd guess 99.99% of humans in good physical condition can do this.
I'm 43 years, Indian and have never had a problem squatting. Was surprised this is such a tough thing to do for some. I work sitting on a chair for 8-10 hours everyday, but ensure I take a squat break every 1 hour or so. To make it a habit, I take every opportunity to squat, when I have my green tea, play with my son, watch TV. It does feel great after squatting for 3-4 minutes. I also workout in the gym and perform 4-5 sets of squats with 30Kgs.
I read this yesterday - “Every joint in our body has synovial fluid in it. This is the oil in our body that provides nutrition to the cartilage. Two things are required to produce that fluid: movement and compression. So if a joint doesn’t go through its full range—if the hips and knees never go past 90 degrees—the body says ‘I’m not being used’ and starts to degenerate and stops the production of synovial fluid.”
>if a joint doesn’t go through its full range—if the hips and knees never go past 90 degrees
You don't need to squat to have your knees go past 90 degrees. This would only be an issue for people that are literally bed-ridden, for everyone else our joints move plenty while walking, sitting down and lying in bed at night. I'm sure stretching is good but you're making it sound like not squatting will lead to your joints degenerating.
> you're making it sound like not squatting will lead to your joints degenerating
I believe it will. Specifically, not squatting (or otherwise flexing it fully) will cause a person to lose the full range of motion in their ankles.
Of course, you may not care. You may have no NEED to flex your ankles past a certain point. But you ARE losing flexibility, just as you will lose the ability to do splits if you don't practice them regularly.
Agreed, and walking does not put it near 90 degrees. I lived overseas almost 8 years in SE Asia, and learning to properly squat flat-footed has really made me more flexible, and loosened up my hips and ankles. I also sat on a Pilates ball for 6 to 7 years, but now that I am back in the US, I've gained weight, and sitting at a desk 7 or more hours a day is wreaking havoc on my back and making me stiff again. I take squat breaks, and squat to fill the coffee pot instead of bending over at the water cooler. Bending is something done different in SE Asia too compared to in the West. I lived in a Javanese rice farming village for over a year, and watching and doing the planting and harvesting showed the difference to me. My wife is Indonesian and will perch in a squat on the edge of a chair or sofa while she eats - for 20 minutes. I still can only perch or squat for 5 to 10 minutes maximum.
In complete seriousness, anyone can do this. Honest. It is something anyone can learn with even a bare minimum of practice. And despite the joking nature of the video I linked, it is quite accurate in that once you know how, it is quite a comfortable position to hold for whatever length of time you feel like.
After reading the prior discussion & spending some time at the gym doing deadlifty things with a trainer, I experimented with doing the squat.
What I found was that while I can do a squat in, e.g., gym shorts, I simply can not do them with my jeans: the jeans constrain my movement substantially. And, the other thing I found, is that a bit of fat on the belly inhibits it as well.
I can't speak for everyone, but jeans and a bit of fat on the belly is sort of stereotypically "normal American" - and that can help explain it to me. Curious what sports scientists have to say here.
I have trouble squatting at the office, but that is because like you say. Jeans are terrible!
At home I can squat for about 30 seconds or so before it starts to get uncomfortable. I can do it, but haven't built up the endurance as we never use those muscles!
Also, there is no good reason to squat in an office. I'm thinking of bolting a Gameboy to the floor so you have to squat to play Tetris.
That's the reason why for some time now I only buy jeans with stretch. Way more comfy and they don't restrict movements so much - can jump stair steps two, three at a time.
They are doing a wide stance version of the squat, it’s commonly referred to in weight lifting as “sumo stance” opens up the hips and reduces the impact of the quads on the lift.
Most trousers (especially men's) are poorly suited to a flexible range of motion. I have pretty flexible hips and large thighs from squatting, and have split my trousers at the groin on more than one occasion doing something silly like a martial arts kick or demonstrating an olympic lift movement. I stick to corduroys now.
Apparently you used to get people wearing cut-off jeans shorts while squatting in the gym, because the tension provides an extra impetus out of the bottom of the movement. A bit like a weightlifting singlet I guess. I've never seen it in person though.
Ugh, jeans. I hate the constricting feel of straight slim solid denim.
But I recently discovered that they now make stretch denim, with spandex in the knit.
It sounds like an energy drink, but Lee Extreme Motion jeans look normal but feel like running tights. And they look great, perhaps better than normal jeans because they fit better. Levi 541 and stretch 514 are good too, but have half the spandex content of the Lee jeans.
I will say that I've had good luck with American Eagle jeans with "stretch flex technology." I can squat down to my feet and throw kicks at head height in their slim fit jeans.
Neither jeans or belly fat are the cause of your issue. As someone who wears jeans and has a lot of belly fat, doing a full squat (and resting in that position) is no issue. I suspect it just has to do with flexibility with the hip muscles, built over a lifetime of squatting in most developing countries.
I didn't care about getting into a deep squat until about 4 years ago, when I started lifting. I would say it's taken me 2 or 3 years to be able to do it comfortably.
It's a very natural and stable position to be in. Yesterday, I saw my almost one year old, who cannot walk, just falling into the squat position.
Classic article on undoing the Damage of Sitting. It includes squats and six other relevant exercises. After following most this for a month, I'm able to squat pretty darn well. I don't use weights or spend suspended time squatting.
When I started my knees and feet twisted outward as I went down. I couldn't go down all the way without pain.
I'm 30, relatively tall Californian male. I've done the Asian squat ever since I read about this distinction 10 years ago. Before that I always squatted the Western way even though i had good flexibility from sports & martial arts
"Developed" is a multifaceted concept. I'm currently in one of the larger cities in China, and everyone here has cellphones and wifi; there is an extensive subway; many people own cars or e-bikes; there are many shopping malls, restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores etc -- but the vast majority of bathrooms feature squatting toilets. There are some cracks in the facade -- sewage flowing openly down one alley into a drain, unfinished vacant buildings here and there, dubiously sanitary handling of raw meat, placebo recycling, the infamous haze, and the grotesquely popular practice of hocking loogies onto the sidewalk, to name a few -- but China manages to feel quite developed and almost comfortable.
From what I know, the slav squat is also an equivalent slang term.
In gym and fitness contexts, it would be an ass-to-grass squat.
The most polite way of expressing it would be to call it a deep squat, or a squat that's "past the parallel".
It's not just pooping. If you hang around East Asians you might notice they squat all the time. Sitting at a table, on a sofa, pretty much everywhere. When I think of my memories of my grandmother, guess what, she's squatting.
I only noticed the difference when my western wife pointed it out. In the west people barely ever take up this position.
You should try it, there's something very comfy about being all scrunched up. If you can't balance, try doing it in the corner of a sofa or with some other support.
Stretch your calves. General strength training would also help. Tip: Don't relax though, try to hold the position with active muscles and somewhat straight back. Then you will also get stronger and burn fat/energy while also gaining flexibility! It will help with getting your socks on in the morning and general fitness.
I think a big part of this is very much a psychological issue.
Because squatting isn't 'common' for many people, it is experienced as more uncomfortable than it really is (even when it's done right - where there's no permanent tension from balance on your toes, for example).
Another example would be sitting cross-legged (or whatever that one leg over the other thing is called) as a man. I find that I and many guys I know naturally feel comfortable doing this, but we're taught from a young age that it's 'gay', so we learn not to do it.
I've noticed that people with autism spectrum disorder often have really odd ways of standing or sitting, and one particular thing I've noticed is that this often includes squatting, sitting cross-legged / yoga-style, or sitting on the couch with your legs folded up close to your body. In my case, these are things I often consciously avoid doing when other people are around, because it's perceived as odd or childish (or at least I think it is).
It would make sense that people with asd might just not care about or know these things, and do what's naturally comfortable/efficient.
Interesting, I've never heard anyone tell anyone else that sitting cross-legged is somehow unmanly. (I'm German). More like "don't sit like that in a professional setting" but that's also not something I remember anyone saying, it's more tribal knowledge.
Yes, it's pretty uncommon seeing people in public do it (sometimes on the floor or on ledges), but there are not many opportunities.
As a relatively big guy, I absolutely envy some of my smaller colleagues (yeah, mostly women) who can sit cross-legged in their office chairs - I'd absolutely do it, but I'm just too big, and just crossing one leg under the other often leads to numbness after a while.
Years ago I read a book which suggested that this was specific to the U.S.: sitting cross-legged doesn't carry any particular gender / sexuality coding elsewhere.
There are two different kind of cross-legged being described here - the OP means sitting in a chair with your right leg on top of your left, while the reply mentions the floor which suggests the feet-under-thighs position.
I can confirm that the former is considered effeminate by some in the UK. The latter perhaps childish.
> There are two different kind of cross-legged being described here - the OP means sitting in a chair with your right leg on top of your left, while the reply mentions the floor which suggests the feet-under-thighs position.
There is a third - sitting in a chair with just your right ankle/calf (rather than the entire leg) resting on your left knee. I'm in the US and sit like this often, and see other guys sitting like that often as well. For me, and I would imagine most other males due to the male anatomy, it's just far more comfortable than having the other leg fully crossed. I have a feeling that this "anatomy issue" is why it's very uncommon to see males sitting that way, but seen very commonly in females, and as a result that's why it's considered effeminate when you see the rare male sitting that way.
For those in the thread looking for advice, I recommend performing overhead squats. Just use a broom handle with a wide grip. It's almost impossible to squat incorrectly when doing overhead squats and imo this makes it an excellent intro. Additionally, it feels amazing once you get stretched and comfy.
I trained in Olympic weightlifting for a bit (non-competitively) and this is how they started inflexible people and noobs in general, and as someone who's taught many to squat, I've never seen it done as smoothly and have adopted this method of teaching.
This. The overhead squat is the secret sauce. When I first started olympic weight lifting (I had already been hitting the gym for years) I had an olympic lifter teach me the move, b/c my squatting technique was so poor.
It should be the first thing anyone learns IMHO. It teaches flexibility, balance, a great range of motion, and to your point it feels really amazing. You almost never see anyone at the gym doing it though. Its definitely way underrated. My squat, vertical jump, and single leg strength went way up doing this. Not to mention it teaches great form for cleans and snatches.
I've seen my fair share of folks pick up Olympic lifting. While many eventually "get" it, the overhead squat does not force good form. People lean forward, or pick up their heels. After shoulders, hips, and ankles eventually gain flexibility, then, yeah, the overhead squat ensures good form because you can't support much weight on the bar otherwise. If you can overhead squat a solid amount of weight, you must have good form. A kind of survivorship bias :)
For me, I have flexibility issues. I've been lifting from years now. I can "Asian squat" now and I can back squat well over 300lbs, but I can only overhead squat 125lbs once, and then I'm tore up for days.
It creates good form because it forces your shoulders, spine and hips to be in the proper positions for a real squat. Of course, there are ways around this (such as inflexibility as you mentioned) but I've found it's a great teaching method for transferring into real back squats. In general it's much harder to screw up an overhead squat than it is a back squat, and often (in my experience) people struggle to kinematically understand even a weightless body squat.
If you've ever spent a couple evenings trying to teach someone proper back squat form, you may know the struggles involved. In my experience a quick lesson on overhead squats speeds this process up greatly. And just to be clear, I'm not advocating anyone try weighted overhead squats, I just thought I'd share what I felt was a great intro/supplement into this "Asian" squatting.
I think it's important not to push the broom handle/PVC pipe practice further than necessary. People can hold a broom handle in all sorts of positions that would be impossible with even an empty bar, possibly ingraining bad habits.
>People can hold a broom handle in all sorts of positions that would be impossible with even an empty bar, possibly ingraining bad habits.
Just to be clear I wasn't intending my comment above to be used as a stepping stone for weighted overhead squats. I just find that keeping a bar overhead forces proper shoulder, spine and hip posture that enables one to squat properly down the road. For some, it causes that "aha" moment when it comes to squatting properly.
Indian origin here, from a young age my parents would with me sit on the floor even though we had chairs, cross legged. I found a lot of my English mates struggle to cross their legs, even as an adult I can do it but goto classes where I see them struggle. We used to squat to eat as most Ayurvedic principles say this is the best way to both eat and poo, it keeps your colon straight whilst sitting on a seat forces your poo out at an angle and increases wear and tear. Anyhow, the reason why everyone cant do the Asian squat IMO is arrogance/ego more than anything, I think a lot of Western people stick their nose up at it thinking its something poor people do. When infact its how your body was designed, but years of not doing it deactivates your knees and makes your legs less supple, which in turn causes knee and back problems.
I just tried it (middle aged white dude) and my lack of ankle flexibility just won't let me keep my heels on the ground. Maybe I'll add it to my workout warmup to see if things improve over time.
How many people actually sit straight on the toilet? You often see them leaning forward, sometime quite a bit (red marks on knees from the elbows anyone?) which should produce a similar effect.
”The table provides only a few studies, of which there are dozens. What is important to note is that regardless of the specific leg measure taken, longer LL is associated with better environments, better nutrition, higher SES, and better general health, overall.”
⇒ people in richer nations, on average, have longer legs.
Combining the two, it seems logical more people have problems doing this in richer nations.
That paper also mentions other factors, though, in particular that people in warmer climates have longer legs. That seems an argument against that. Asia is cold in places, but in general, it’s quite hot.
99 comments
[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 168 ms ] threadhttps://www.google.com/search?q=slav+squat&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS5...
Which, while probably also being technically incorrect, does make the slightly more correct observation that it isn't something to do with "asian" countries and cultures specifically, but there seems to be some correlation between finding the position difficult/impossible, and living in western Europe/the anglosphere...
(For context, my left low back and my right heel both have lower range of motion from injuries. Presumably that can be improved.)
Update: I have a preliminary answer to my own question: squat more. I just read more hacker news while squatting, and the front of my ankles quickly became tired.
Range of motion can be improved with training, but everyone has a limit. Where that limit is, depends on the person. If you practice every day for 6 months, then you can probably safely say that you've hit your limit.
Also, if your injuries involve tendons, ligaments or cartilage, you can feed those tissues with gelatine. You can buy plain gelatine and add hot water, stir vigorously and add a little apple juice for flavor and to cool it to drinking temperature. Consume rapidly before the goo starts solidifying in the cup.
I did this daily for a year or two to help heal old injuries. My impairment improved substantially and was never so bad again.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opw9G1qKCcM
[1] https://youtu.be/Opw9G1qKCcM?t=332
I grew up where the Eastern toilet was the only available choice. Now, having lived in the west for over a decade, I struggle to squat on eastern toilets, often fall backwards!
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16471215
MAN... 7.75 is big?
My head is enormous. I never knew.
Anybody know where I can buy a hat?
https://www.tilley.com/uk_en/size-guide
Before that I don't think I could have done this, heck I don't think I could have squatted 95lbs. These days I can hold a squat like that nearly permanently, plus lots of other things you wouldn't expect from strength training like it's much easier for me to fall and than prevent myself from hitting the ground by re-balancing myself if I skip on ice or something like that.
Build might mess up the physics a bit, but I'd guess 99.99% of humans in good physical condition can do this.
I read this yesterday - “Every joint in our body has synovial fluid in it. This is the oil in our body that provides nutrition to the cartilage. Two things are required to produce that fluid: movement and compression. So if a joint doesn’t go through its full range—if the hips and knees never go past 90 degrees—the body says ‘I’m not being used’ and starts to degenerate and stops the production of synovial fluid.”
https://quartzy.qz.com/1121077/to-solve-problems-caused-by-s...
You don't need to squat to have your knees go past 90 degrees. This would only be an issue for people that are literally bed-ridden, for everyone else our joints move plenty while walking, sitting down and lying in bed at night. I'm sure stretching is good but you're making it sound like not squatting will lead to your joints degenerating.
I believe it will. Specifically, not squatting (or otherwise flexing it fully) will cause a person to lose the full range of motion in their ankles.
Of course, you may not care. You may have no NEED to flex your ankles past a certain point. But you ARE losing flexibility, just as you will lose the ability to do splits if you don't practice them regularly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-8gsWZqDBM
In complete seriousness, anyone can do this. Honest. It is something anyone can learn with even a bare minimum of practice. And despite the joking nature of the video I linked, it is quite accurate in that once you know how, it is quite a comfortable position to hold for whatever length of time you feel like.
What I found was that while I can do a squat in, e.g., gym shorts, I simply can not do them with my jeans: the jeans constrain my movement substantially. And, the other thing I found, is that a bit of fat on the belly inhibits it as well.
I can't speak for everyone, but jeans and a bit of fat on the belly is sort of stereotypically "normal American" - and that can help explain it to me. Curious what sports scientists have to say here.
Some jeans (or other tight-fitting, inflexible pants) with particular cuts might, though.
At home I can squat for about 30 seconds or so before it starts to get uncomfortable. I can do it, but haven't built up the endurance as we never use those muscles!
Also, there is no good reason to squat in an office. I'm thinking of bolting a Gameboy to the floor so you have to squat to play Tetris.
Look at the low stance of sumo wrestlers - belly fat doesn't prevent them, it's all in the hip and ankle mobility.
Apparently you used to get people wearing cut-off jeans shorts while squatting in the gym, because the tension provides an extra impetus out of the bottom of the movement. A bit like a weightlifting singlet I guess. I've never seen it in person though.
But I recently discovered that they now make stretch denim, with spandex in the knit.
It sounds like an energy drink, but Lee Extreme Motion jeans look normal but feel like running tights. And they look great, perhaps better than normal jeans because they fit better. Levi 541 and stretch 514 are good too, but have half the spandex content of the Lee jeans.
It's a very natural and stable position to be in. Yesterday, I saw my almost one year old, who cannot walk, just falling into the squat position.
When I started my knees and feet twisted outward as I went down. I couldn't go down all the way without pain.
https://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/08/05/undo-the-damage-of...
I believe squatting toilets aren't so common anymore in developed asian countries.
I only noticed the difference when my western wife pointed it out. In the west people barely ever take up this position.
You should try it, there's something very comfy about being all scrunched up. If you can't balance, try doing it in the corner of a sofa or with some other support.
Because squatting isn't 'common' for many people, it is experienced as more uncomfortable than it really is (even when it's done right - where there's no permanent tension from balance on your toes, for example).
Another example would be sitting cross-legged (or whatever that one leg over the other thing is called) as a man. I find that I and many guys I know naturally feel comfortable doing this, but we're taught from a young age that it's 'gay', so we learn not to do it.
I've noticed that people with autism spectrum disorder often have really odd ways of standing or sitting, and one particular thing I've noticed is that this often includes squatting, sitting cross-legged / yoga-style, or sitting on the couch with your legs folded up close to your body. In my case, these are things I often consciously avoid doing when other people are around, because it's perceived as odd or childish (or at least I think it is).
It would make sense that people with asd might just not care about or know these things, and do what's naturally comfortable/efficient.
Yes, it's pretty uncommon seeing people in public do it (sometimes on the floor or on ledges), but there are not many opportunities.
As a relatively big guy, I absolutely envy some of my smaller colleagues (yeah, mostly women) who can sit cross-legged in their office chairs - I'd absolutely do it, but I'm just too big, and just crossing one leg under the other often leads to numbness after a while.
I can confirm that the former is considered effeminate by some in the UK. The latter perhaps childish.
That’s weird, because no one has ever mentioned anything of the sort to me. Were they particularly small-c conservative?
There is a third - sitting in a chair with just your right ankle/calf (rather than the entire leg) resting on your left knee. I'm in the US and sit like this often, and see other guys sitting like that often as well. For me, and I would imagine most other males due to the male anatomy, it's just far more comfortable than having the other leg fully crossed. I have a feeling that this "anatomy issue" is why it's very uncommon to see males sitting that way, but seen very commonly in females, and as a result that's why it's considered effeminate when you see the rare male sitting that way.
I'm working on unloaded squats now. I can get down comfortably with my heels on the ground. But, my back isn't great, it rounds.
Whereas I can easily get off the ground cross legged, as I've been doing that motion sonce childhood. Squatting, I only tried a few years ago.
I trained in Olympic weightlifting for a bit (non-competitively) and this is how they started inflexible people and noobs in general, and as someone who's taught many to squat, I've never seen it done as smoothly and have adopted this method of teaching.
It should be the first thing anyone learns IMHO. It teaches flexibility, balance, a great range of motion, and to your point it feels really amazing. You almost never see anyone at the gym doing it though. Its definitely way underrated. My squat, vertical jump, and single leg strength went way up doing this. Not to mention it teaches great form for cleans and snatches.
I've seen my fair share of folks pick up Olympic lifting. While many eventually "get" it, the overhead squat does not force good form. People lean forward, or pick up their heels. After shoulders, hips, and ankles eventually gain flexibility, then, yeah, the overhead squat ensures good form because you can't support much weight on the bar otherwise. If you can overhead squat a solid amount of weight, you must have good form. A kind of survivorship bias :)
For me, I have flexibility issues. I've been lifting from years now. I can "Asian squat" now and I can back squat well over 300lbs, but I can only overhead squat 125lbs once, and then I'm tore up for days.
If you've ever spent a couple evenings trying to teach someone proper back squat form, you may know the struggles involved. In my experience a quick lesson on overhead squats speeds this process up greatly. And just to be clear, I'm not advocating anyone try weighted overhead squats, I just thought I'd share what I felt was a great intro/supplement into this "Asian" squatting.
Also, 125 is a solid overhead squat!
Just to be clear I wasn't intending my comment above to be used as a stepping stone for weighted overhead squats. I just find that keeping a bar overhead forces proper shoulder, spine and hip posture that enables one to squat properly down the road. For some, it causes that "aha" moment when it comes to squatting properly.
[0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJBLDJMJiDE
https://youtu.be/YbYWhdLO43Q
A friend had a daughter recently and it always surprised me to see her squat casually by herself. It's a very natural motion for human beings
⇒ it is harder for people with relatively long legs.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2872302/#!po=27..., section 7.1 (SES = socioeconomic status)
”The table provides only a few studies, of which there are dozens. What is important to note is that regardless of the specific leg measure taken, longer LL is associated with better environments, better nutrition, higher SES, and better general health, overall.”
⇒ people in richer nations, on average, have longer legs.
Combining the two, it seems logical more people have problems doing this in richer nations.
That paper also mentions other factors, though, in particular that people in warmer climates have longer legs. That seems an argument against that. Asia is cold in places, but in general, it’s quite hot.