The ability to sit in a deep, flat-footed squat is not determined by a specific gene or set of genes. Every human infant can drop into a full squat with heels on the ground, no warm-up or special flexibility required. The reason some adults can do it easily and others can’t comes down to a combination of lifestyle habits, limb proportions, and soft tissue adaptations, not a simple genetic switch.
Why Every Baby Can Do It
If you watch a toddler pick something up off the floor, they instinctively drop into a deep squat with flat feet. This is true regardless of ethnicity. The hip, knee, and ankle joints of young children have the range of motion to support the position naturally. What changes over time is how often the position gets used.
In many East and South Asian cultures, people continue squatting daily throughout their lives: resting, eating, using squat-style toilets, working close to the ground. Korean research notes that squatting motions remain culturally embedded in daily routines. In Western societies, chairs, raised toilets, and couches replace most of the situations where a person would otherwise squat. The tissues around your ankles, hips, and knees gradually tighten to match the positions you use most. Sit in a chair for decades, and your body adapts to chair-sitting. Squat regularly, and those joints stay mobile.
This is why the deep squat carries the name “Asian squat.” It’s not describing a biological advantage. It’s describing a cultural habit that preserves a movement pattern everyone is born with.
How Limb Proportions Affect Squat Depth
Genetics do play a role, just not the one most people assume. Your bone proportions, specifically the ratio of your femur (thigh bone) length to your torso length, have a real impact on how a deep squat feels and looks. Two people of identical height can have very different squat mechanics if one has a long torso with short femurs and the other has a short torso with long femurs.
A shorter femur relative to your torso makes it much easier to stay upright during a deep squat. Your center of gravity stays over your feet without much effort, and your heels stay planted naturally. A longer femur relative to your torso pushes your hips further back and forces greater forward lean, making it harder to keep your balance and your heels down. Research on sprinters has found that Black male athletes tend to have shorter torsos and longer femurs, while white male sprinters tend toward longer torsos and shorter femurs. Similar population-level variations exist across many ethnic groups.
These are averages across large populations, not rules for individuals. Plenty of people with proportionally longer femurs can squat deeply with practice, and plenty with shorter femurs can’t if they’ve spent their life in chairs. Limb proportions set the difficulty level, but they don’t lock you out of the movement.
Ankle Mobility Is the Usual Bottleneck
The most common reason adults struggle with the deep squat is limited ankle dorsiflexion, the ability to bend your ankle so your knee travels forward over your toes. Research on squatting ability found that about 22.5% of study subjects couldn’t perform a full squat, with ankle joint restrictions identified as the primary barrier. The squat position shifts your center of mass forward and places significant demand on ankle flexibility. If your ankles are stiff, your heels lift off the ground, you lose balance, and the position becomes impossible.
Ankle mobility is highly trainable. The Achilles tendon and calf muscles respond to consistent stretching and use. Studies have documented measurable differences in Achilles tendon length between ethnic groups: African American women averaged tendon lengths of about 18.2 cm compared to 15.9 cm in European American women. These structural differences affect movement efficiency during walking and running. For squatting, a longer Achilles tendon or more flexible calf complex can make the deep position easier, but regular stretching and practice produce meaningful gains regardless of your starting anatomy.
What It Takes to Regain the Squat
If you can’t currently sit in a deep squat with flat feet, the limitation is almost certainly reversible. Your body already performed this movement as a child. The joints haven’t changed shape. The soft tissues around them, your tendons, ligaments, and muscles, have simply shortened and stiffened to match your daily habits.
Harvard Health describes the deep squat as a marker of functional fitness, requiring flexibility and mobility at the hips, knees, and ankles along with lower-back strength. Rebuilding the position involves progressively working on each of those areas. Most people find ankles need the most attention, followed by hip mobility. Holding onto a doorframe or post while sitting in the squat lets you spend time in the position without needing full balance. Gradually reducing how much support you use builds the strength and mobility together.
Progress varies. Someone who squatted regularly as a child or teenager may regain full depth in a few weeks. Someone who has spent 30 years exclusively in chairs might need several months of daily practice. Age, injury history, and individual anatomy all influence the timeline, but the vast majority of healthy adults can achieve a comfortable deep squat with consistent work.
The Short Answer
The “Asian squat” is not a genetic trait. It’s a maintained movement pattern. Genetics influence your limb proportions and tendon lengths, which can make the squat slightly easier or harder depending on your body type. But the dominant factor is use. Populations that squat daily keep the ability. Populations that sit in chairs lose it. The good news is that losing it doesn’t mean it’s gone permanently. Your joints were built for this position, and with regular practice, they can get back to it.