This is also in part, Ausinheiler said, why kids have no problem squatting. In the words of our editor Ross Andersen, “squatting makes me feel like I might rupture my Achilles.” A 2009 study in Japan found that men who found it impossible to deep squat had particularly inflexible ankles. You’ve got bending at the hips, knees, and ankle, so you have to fold everything up underneath you.” There’s a lot going on.īut the key factor seems to be ankle flexibility. Uh, what does that mean? “The squat is a triple-flexion movement. “The squat is a great model for a multi-segmental movement pattern,” Ausinheiler rattled off at the beginning of our phone call. That would be Bryan Ausinheiler, a physical therapist in California who has written a series of blog posts about the deep squat. Luckily, at least one other person on the internet is as obsessed with squats as me, and he knows something about physiology. But so ubiquitous is the position in Asia and so invisible is it in the West that it’s been dubbed the “Asian squat.” The internet is rife with suggestions that most Americans cannot squat properly, an idea with which I particularly enjoyed taunting my white American boyfriend.īut is this true? Were my taunts fact-based? How much is this nature or nurture? I figured I first had to understand the physiology of the deep squat.
Of course, squat toilets are not unique to Asia, and neither is the deep-squatting position.
Let’s just say that if you stay on your toes, your shoes will get hosed. The flat-heeled squat position here is crucial, not only for stability on wet porcelain but also-without getting too anatomical-for proper angling and position. Toilets are common in Chinese households now, but public restrooms are still dominated by squat pans, which many Chinese find more hygienic due to the lack of thigh-and-toilet-seat contact. And, for our purposes, while using the bathroom.
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