"Some people's joints articulate in a manner that allows them to benefit greatly from squats; others may not benefit at all. If you're not too tall and have short limbs, it may be the best exercise for you, but if you're tall with long legs, it might be both ineffective and dangerous.I was stubbornly faithful to squats for years until I finally realized they were not well-suited for my body structure. After I switched tomore muscle-intensive movements, my gains in leg size were astounding"

Human bodies vary widely, and so do their leverages. Hip socket depth, femur-to-tibia ratios, torso length, and ankle mobility all influence how a squat looks and what it loads. People with relatively short legs and a longer torso can keep an upright posture more easily, track the knees forward, and place high tension on the quads and glutes with less spinal shear. For them, barbell squats can be an efficient, safe, and productive cornerstone.

Tall lifters or those with long femurs often must lean forward to stay balanced, shifting stress toward the lower back and hips while reducing direct quad stimulus. The bar may remain over midfoot, but the torso angle and longer moment arms can make the lift feel awkward, risky, and less effective for hypertrophy. Mobility can help, but structure sets the boundaries: if ankle dorsiflexion or hip anatomy limits depth without compensation, chasing a textbook squat can invite pain or dilute the intended training effect.

The larger lesson is to match exercises to the goal and to the lifter. If leg size is the priority, movements that stabilize the spine and concentrate tension on the target muscles, hack squats, leg presses, Smith machine squats, pendulum squats, split squats, may outperform free-bar back squats for certain bodies. These options reduce balance demands and allow more consistent depth, a stronger mind-muscle connection, and progressive overload without excessive joint stress.

Loyalty to an exercise should never trump results or joint health. Decision-making should be guided by stimulus-to-fatigue ratio, joint comfort, stable technique, and measurable progress. If back squats deliver great leg growth with no chronic aches, keep them. If they feel awkward, beat up the lower back, and stall quad development, pivot without guilt. Intelligent training respects individuality: choose the tools that fit your structure, load the target muscles hard, and let outcomes, not dogma, determine what stays in the program.