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Comment by smeej | Hacker News Reader

Is there a way to adapt this for the overweight?

It's not for flexibility that I can't get into a deep squat. It's because my belly and thighs don't let me compress far enough to be in a balanced position when I do. I end up being back-heavy and toppling over!

I'm working on the weight factor generally (down 30lbs this year!), but is there an adaptive way I can add this into my day to be slightly more active and receive the health benefits? Or do I just have to wait a bit?

If I squatted with my feet on a slight incline, that would tilt me forward enough not to fall backward, but would it start straining all the wrong places?

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Like the other comment mentioned, you can widen your stance, so your belly goes between your thighs. An Indian-style squat with the thighs touching the calves already is a wide(ish) stance and puts the torso sort of between the thighs, so you adjust a bit based on that, depending on how much room you need.

Look at how a toddler squats, that's basically it.

And kudos on your weight loss already! Squats are for everyone, really. It's one of those ways our bodies can naturally be more flexible than we might think. Now, if you have issues getting back up from a full squat, you may need a helper or a handhold like the edge of a table, at least in the beginning, and that's fine. I can't do one-legged squats (pistols) without stabilization, I just can't.

>would it start straining all the wrong places?

Weight lifters often wear shoes with a definite incline while squatting, so do not worry about that (though my guess is it will not solve the basic problem you described).

May be you can start with this. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhasana

This is the most basic position people use in India during sitting and eating food.

Follow up this one with the lotus pose, as it automatically stretches your back and leg muscles.

By that time, it may make it easier for you to squat.

It helps to widen your stance. This brings your knees and thighs outwards to make room for your stomach.

As for being back heavy, squat shoes are commonly used in weightlifting and they have an incline built into them. If you don't want to buy squat shoes you can always put a block of wood or something that's about an inch or so under the back of your foot to give you an incline. This helps you get deeper.

I think a good progression for people that cannot do it properly right away is to have something steady in front of you that you can hold with both (or one) arms and allows you to keep the position for longer periods, until your joints, muscles and tendons start adapting.

This is the way I’ve seen different people with different limitations continually make progress until they can do it properly.

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