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Find your Signature Squat

Find your Signature Squat

Plus: The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows

Geoff Girvitz
February 06, 2025

Today on Dad Strength

Find your signature squat
The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows
The Action-Only News Network
A book, a quote, a dad joke

No audio edition today because because it was that or go on a field trip with my kid’s school. A fella’s got to prioritize and this isn’t called Newsletter Strength.

Find your signature squat

Hips vary from person to person. That includes the depth of the hip (acetabular) socket, which combines with your femoral head to make a joint. Below are some simple diagrams that show a variety of depths.

The deeper the hip socket, the less freedom of movement for the femur (that’s the darker yellow part in the diagram. This isn’t a case of good vs. bad; it’s just a case of small but noteworthy differences between people. The downside of a deep socket means less overall range and increases the risk of irritated tissues and/or bony growth that restricts movement. The trade-off for stability is a higher risk of restricted movement.

On the other side of the continuum, you find most of the world’s Olympic lifters, as well as most of the world’s cases of hip dysplasia. The trade off for mobility is a higher risk of instability.

If I could choose one of them, I’d go with the more mobile option and build strength to stabilize the joint. Except that nobody asked me and I wound up with a deep-ass hip joint. Part of that is Eastern European genetics, part of that is being a guy—which brings a higher chance of a thicker femoral head and less less wiggle room. Please note that a high likelihood is not the same as a universal fact. Some women will have deep hip joints and some men will be super-mobile. That’s why I recommend always checking hip movement on anyone you’re coaching—even if it’s only yourself.

Here are a couple of x-rays, check out the difference in surface area. See if you can tell which one is which.

What these differences show is that there is no single squat technique that is going to work for everyone. What I’m going to say next is really important:

If you’ve ever been told that it doesn’t count unless you’re squatting ass to grass, remember not to take guys on the internet too seriously. Present company included, probably. As a younger man, I used to get caught thinking, “Wow, that person is so confident in their assessment. Surely, they’ve earned that confidence. Whoops!

Many people will maintain healthy hips by finding alternative ways to do their heaviest squats.

I do think that almost everyone should squat for general hip health. However, that might mean lighter squats with higher volume and frequency. You might respond better to heavier squats that have one or more of the following modifiers:

Smaller range of motion
Front-loading (e.g. zercher squat; Olympic front squat; sandbag squat; double-kettlebell front-squat)
Heels elevated
Bigger or smaller foot angle (turnout)
Different speed

If you are a powerlifting competitor, your squat depth absolutely matters. If not, the details that fit best with who you are the ones that matter most. That means hip shape, injury history, and more.

Coaching opportunity: Want me to help you find out your Signature Squat?
I’m going to open up a bunch of times over the next couple of weeks to take you through a 1-1 (online). We’ll do an assessment, come up with a plan, test it, and do a follow-up.

The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows

Creating challenges is important. Think of an ice bath, for example. The primary benefit may simply be the reminder that you can do hard things. Your temperature receptors are dialed to 11 but you’re emotionally safe. It’s the frigid cold, yes, but it’s the also the contrast between threat and safety. The first time I got into freezing water I was surrounded by good vibes from encouraging people. Someone was even playing a Tibetan singing bowl—not a sound I associate with mortal danger. I felt challenged but safe.

I think we’ve all been tempted to toughen-up our kids in one moment or another because the world out there isn’t always kind. That’s true. I also think that we’d all agree that building resilience is absolutely important. However, your job isn’t to be the freezing water, it’s to be the good vibes.

Maybe even the singing bowl.

The Action-Only News Network

The news cycle is only valuable so far as it changes the actions you take based on the information you gain. Staying generally informed has value—no doubt—but consider narrowing your gaze to what you need to take action.

Pro tip: Yelling on people on the internet doesn’t count as action. Although, you can do it once in a while—as a treat.

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