Flat heeled squat

[LWJ]

I am writing from Hanoi. I see people of all ages doing a flat heeled squat. Working. Resting. Hanging out. It is just a thing that is done in Asia.

Me? N. American who has very low flexibility.

Question: how many years or months of daily training until I can do a flat heeled squat?

I currently think that it is actually impossible for me. Except I see hundreds of people doing this every day.

Thoughts?

[rwest]

Many people call that the Asia squat, so yes, I believe it’s very common in Asia. I can do it, but it took me awhile of just stretching my way down and holding it until I can now do it all the way down.

Before I retired, I used to go by the offices and cubicles of the hard core weight lifting guys and just quietly do the squat outside their office door. Lots of people who lift aren’t very flexible.

[MMiller]

I've always been able to do them, still part of my daily workout at age 65.

Even if you never quite get there, I highly recommend working on your overall flexibility daily.

[vash]

my wife's grandmother just passed at 104 (a few months ago).

she would squat down and clean veggies like that. just squatting behind a big wide basin clipping veggies and washing them. I dont think she had a time limit. she was 90!! she eventually got older and needed a stool. here was the thing. the stool was simply a 5"x5" square with 5" tall legs. I once cleaned veggies with her, and she had to loan me her stool! I have zero clue what she said in Mandarin, but I think it ended with "....he is going to die young". just kidding.

here is the thing. until recently, they all had squat toilets. no ADA, easy to get up from toilets. no, you did a daily deep ass squat to poop.

my MIL can as well. my wife, yup. my wife said as a kid she had a squat toilet. on travels to certain countries, my wife has to give me a refresher tutorial on how to squat to poop (without destroying my pant). to date, I cant poop well from a ADA toilet. my feet barely brush the ground.

I have since gotten way effete stronger in the squat. I just spooled up a fishing rod from a squat. took me 20 minutes. I got up and GROANED but I got up.

the best way to get stronger? google YOGA blocks. you can stack them and watch TV from them. remove one every once in a while.

[vash]

Originally Posted by MMiller

I've always been able to do them, still part of my daily workout at age 65.

doing squats? or staying squatted?

[masraum]

It's not that hard. I wouldn't think it would take that long to get to be able to do it. I'm a bit over 6'1" and about 200#. I'm 54. I can do it although I don't do it daily. I would think (but don't know for sure) that a big belly would make it a lot harder to do.

It's far more comfortable and easier to do for extended periods than the usual squat that an American would do (like a baseball catcher, either on toes or even with knees down).

And just to ensure that we all get what is being discussed...

[masraum]

Originally Posted by vash

my wife's grandmother just passed at 104 (a few months ago).

she would squat down and clean veggies like that. just squatting behind a big wide basin clipping veggies and washing them. I dont think she had a time limit. she was 90!! she eventually got older and needed a stool. here was the thing. the stool was simply a 5"x5" square with 5" tall legs. I once cleaned veggies with her, and she had to loan me her stool! I have zero clue what she said in Mandarin, but I think it ended with "....he is going to die young". just kidding.

here is the thing. until recently, they all had squat toilets. no ADA, easy to get up from toilets. no, you did a daily deep ass squat to poop.

my MIL can as well. my wife, yup. my wife said as a kid she had a squat toilet. on travels to certain countries, my wife has to give me a refresher tutorial on how to squat to poop (without destroying my pant). to date, I cant poop well from a ADA toilet. my feet barely brush the ground.

I have since gotten way effete stronger in the squat. I just spooled up a fishing rod from a squat. took me 20 minutes. I got up and GROANED but I got up.

the best way to get stronger? google YOGA blocks. you can stack them and watch TV from them. remove one every once in a while.

Get yourself a squatty potty. I don't think it'll get you quite as low as doing an unsupported squat, but it'll get you close.

in plastic (2 heights available)


or bamboo (flip for 2 heights)

[vash]

^^^. I just go in the backyard. I should really install a privacy fence...heck any fence.

[cantdrv55]

I can squat like that but my wife can’t. I had to learn because of the toilet we had in the PI. My wife was spoiled as she had an American toilet all her life. The low squat skill comes in handy for deadlifting and other squatting exercises.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by vash

^^^. I just go in the backyard. I should really install a privacy fence...heck any fence.

ROFLMAO!

As Mel Brooks often said in History of the World, it's good to be the king.

When we lived in Japan ('78-80) many/most public toilets were a hole in the floor. When we went back ('83-85) there were still a bunch of those, but fewer than the first time. I assume they are much more rare now, 40 years later (but there may still be some).

I work in IT, and we have a bunch of Indian folks at work. Back in the old building that I worked in, there were signs in the bathroom telling folks to not squat by standing on the toilet seat, but to actually sit on the seat because some of the folks from India didn't use the toilets by sitting on them (and made a mess).

[vash]

dude. I had to leave a shopping mall in Tokyo rapidly because of what I did to a squat toilet.

[herr_oberst]

Asian squat is aspirational for me, but unless I change my complete outlook on how I achieve goals, it'll remain aspirational.

I watched an exceptionally tall woman about my age, sitting cross-legged on the floor stand up without using her hands; ramrod-straight back all the way up. It looked like a magic trick.

[vash]

standing up off the ground without hands is apparently an indicator of lifespan. probably a bunch of hooey. but I can do it. hahah
I am 58 years old, kinda chubby, but fairly spry.

I also act weird at the office. I sometimes get caught standing on one leg. balance is a perishable skill.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by vash

dude. I had to leave a shopping mall in Tokyo rapidly because of what I did to a squat toilet.

ROFLMAO! Wow, OK, so they still have them around (and in Tokyo no less). I'm a little (but not a lot) surprised.

[vash]

Originally Posted by masraum

ROFLMAO! Wow, OK, so they still have them around (and in Tokyo no less). I'm a little (but not a lot) surprised.

they do. unless they decided to simply demolish that particular toilet and build a new one after I visited.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by vash

standing up off the ground without hands is apparently an indicator of lifespan. probably a bunch of hooey. but I can do it. hahah
I am 58 years old, kinda chubby, but fairly spry.

I also act weird at the office. I sometimes get caught standing on one leg. balance is a perishable skill.

I'm assuming now that you're in mgmt, "in the office" is not quite the same as when you were "in the office" out at a job site.

Yep, I'm probably going to die this way, but I wash my legs and feet while standing on one leg in the bath and dry my legs and feet while standing on one leg.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by vash

they do. unless they decided to simply demolish that particular toilet and build a new one after I visited.

The Japanese are pretty fastidious. Although when they rebuild things, they often rebuild so that you can't tell it's not the original. They have temples that are hundreds of years old, but pretty much none of the original material is still in the thing because it's disassembled and rebuilt every few decades.

[stevej37]

I just now tried a full flat footed squat....easy, and stood up without using my hands.
I'm 71 years old.

I can understand how those with any kind of knee problems would find it difficult.

[porsche tech]

As a mechanic i often squatted like that to work on something. Did it for many years but at 78, those days are over.

[vash]

Originally Posted by stevej37

I just now tried a full flat footed squat....easy, and stood up without using my hands.
I'm 71 years old.

I can understand how those with any kind of knee problems would find it difficult.

can you stay in that squat for say, 15 minutes.? up and downs are not bad.

I read a paper back to death in my youth. Pat McManus. Grasshopper trap. there is one story in there, "A hunker is not a squat". so funny. the word cant come up without me saying, "a hunker is not a squat"..even decades later.