Also dont get obsessed about parallel. Only go as low as you can properly. Over time you should be able to get deeper and deeper.
Alex, I have never understood why you would recommend that to a guy, especially a beginner, over the internet. I can to a degree understand why in group coaching situations with team sport athletes you might not have the time to coach a full squat to everyone. But this person is trying to learn full squats, because they are a better exercise for a beginner, and needs to be introduced to correct form as long as the weights are light. I doubt that doing it wrong now will make it easier to do it correct later. In the process of doing squats high nothing is learned that helps doing squats low later, since in most cases technical problems are the reason for the inability of reaching good depth with reasonable form.
Do I still qualify as a beginner if I've been squatting for 5 months now?
The issue with my glutes not being activated during squats confuses me because when I first started squatting 5 months ago, I was half squatting. And in doing so, my glutes were primarily getting worked, while I hardly felt anything in my quads. Something I found weird since I assumed half squatting is mainly quads and the lower u go it's the glutes. Right now, I am comfortably doing parallel squats sitting back, but I only feel it in my quads and hams, no glutes.
Yes, you are still a beginner, not because you have only squatted 5 months, but because you are far from the point where you couldn't progress your squat several times per week. You are considered an intermediate if that does not work anymore (provided you do other stuff right, like sleeping, eating, being consistent etc.). Also make no mistake, it is a privilege to still be a beginner and have the opportunity to make such fast progress. So it was not meant in a condescending way at all.
I don't understand your worries about your glutes at all. If you use correct form, all the muscles will fire properly. If you are not, you should change that. Post a video if you are uncertain.
I think THE MOST common thing I personally see in people starting to squat and not be able to get lower is the fact that they either:
a) Not have a wide enough stance
and/or
b) Have their feet oriented forward (which usually goes hand in hand with a narrow stance) instead of orienting them a bit to the outside to allow a better "hip opening" while going down into the squat.
So they need to play with that before they address anything more complicated.
Hits the nail in the head. +1000
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