How To Squat Without Knee Pain (4 Mistakes You’re Probably Making)
Today we’ll be covering how to squat properly to avoid knee pain when squatting or knee pain after squats. Squats are a fantastic compound exercise that allows you to develop muscles in your lower body. However, the amount of knee pain people experience following squats has made some wary of using this exercise. A few commonly made and easy to fix mistakes which I will cover in this how to squat video will allow you to safely perform squats without knee pain. I’ll cover what to do if you experience squats pain above knee or squats pain below knee or squatting pain behind the knee.
The most common mistake people make is shifting weight forward and onto their toes; this means that the bar does not travel up vertically as they lift. Instead, this shift in weight transfers load to the knees and surrounding tendons and increase the risk of strain which can cause knee pain after squats or your knees to hurt when squatting. Applying weight through the entire foot will better distribute load across the hips, knees, and ankles.
Knowing this is not always enough to do it, as stiff ankles are a common problem many athletes suffer from. The test shown in this video can help determine if you have stiff ankles. And if you find out that you do, there are a few options. I would recommend stretching and foam rolling the calves and shins prior to squatting. You could also alter your foot placement; using a wider stance and pointing your toes outwards may help work around a stiff ankle joint.
Next, the hip flexors are a group of muscles composed of the iliopsoas and the rectus femoris. When activated, they stabilize the trunk, balance your center of gravity, and reduce pressure on the knees. During the squat, actively engage the hip flexors by visualizing these muscles pull you down as you lower the weight. To help do this, you may want to attach and hold onto a band above your head to supply counter resistance as you descend.
Next, knee valgus is the inward collapse of the knees and is a common mistake people make when learning how to squat properly with weights. This causes instability in the knee and wears away cartilage, causing pain around the knee cap when squatting. To avoid knee valgus, its important to strengthen your gluteus medius muscles group, which is located on the outer aspect of your glutes. Reactive neuromuscular training (RNT) improves coordination and will allows for better activation of the lateral glutes during a squat. As shown in the video, you can use my all-in-one resistance band around your leg during an RNT split squat and force your knees apart to maintain alignment throughout the range of motion. This will strengthen the gluteus medius and help better coordinate its activation during your squat exercises.
Lastly, doing too much, too soon is something that many people are guilty of when it comes to working out in the gym. Overloading the muscles and connective tissues can cause tendinopathy and significant pain around the joints. Too much volume can manifest as pain around the tendon attachment points both above and below the knee joint.
But the good news is that reducing your training load has been shown to completely reverse tendinopathy over just a few weeks. Not everything needs to be reduced right away. Cutting back on some aspects of your lower body workout while being observant of the result this has on the pain in your knees is the way to go.
Box squats can also be used here to allow you to control the amount of depth during the squat. According to research, the box squat also allows for more vertical shin angles and limits forward movement of the knees compared to a regular squat; this reduces the amount of stress placed on the knees and likelihood of knee pain.
It’s absolutely vital that you pay close attention to how exactly you perform your exercises in order to prevent injuries overtime and to progress faster. For a complete evidence-based program that’s fully equipped with in-depth tutorials for each and every exercise so you can ensure you’re safely maximizing your muscle-building efforts in the gym, take the body type quiz below:
https://builtwithscience.com/bws-free-fitness-quiz/gender?utm_source=Youtube&utm_medium=Video&utm_content=Description%20box&utm_campaign=Squat%20without%20knee%20pain%20Jun%209%2F2019
BUILT WITH SCIENCE RESISTANCE BAND: https://shop.builtwithscience.com/collections/resistance-bands/products/all-in-one-band
Thanks to 3D4Medical for the anatomy clips.
https://3d4medical.tapptrk.com/9K84XQ/3QQG7/
*this is an affiliate link and I will receive a portion of the sale through the link. Thanks in advance!*
FILMED BY: Abdo Megahid
Instagram: @abdohmegahed
MUSIC:
Lakey Inspired – Fast Lane
Music
GRAPHICS: Vector art from Vecteezy.com
Subscribe to this channel here: https://www.youtube.com/jeremyethier/?sub_confirmation=1
Today we’ll be covering how to squat properly to avoid knee pain when squatting or knee pain after squats. Squats are a fantastic compound exercise that allows you to develop muscles in your lower body. However, the amount of knee pain people experience following squats has made some wary of using this exercise. A few commonly made and easy to fix mistakes which I will cover in this how to squat video will allow you to safely perform squats without knee pain. I’ll cover what to do if you experience squats pain above knee or squats pain below knee or squatting pain behind the knee.
The most common mistake people make is shifting weight forward and onto their toes; this means that the bar does not travel up vertically as they lift. Instead, this shift in weight transfers load to the knees and surrounding tendons and increase the risk of strain which can cause knee pain after squats or your knees to hurt when squatting. Applying weight through the entire foot will better distribute load across the hips, knees, and ankles.
Knowing this is not always enough to do it, as stiff ankles are a common problem many athletes suffer from. The test shown in this video can help determine if you have stiff ankles. And if you find out that you do, there are a few options. I would recommend stretching and foam rolling the calves and shins prior to squatting. You could also alter your foot placement; using a wider stance and pointing your toes outwards may help work around a stiff ankle joint.
Next, the hip flexors are a group of muscles composed of the iliopsoas and the rectus femoris. When activated, they stabilize the trunk, balance your center of gravity, and reduce pressure on the knees. During the squat, actively engage the hip flexors by visualizing these muscles pull you down as you lower the weight. To help do this, you may want to attach and hold onto a band above your head to supply counter resistance as you descend.
Next, knee valgus is the inward collapse of the knees and is a common mistake people make when learning how to squat properly with weights. This causes instability in the knee and wears away cartilage, causing pain around the knee cap when squatting. To avoid knee valgus, its important to strengthen your gluteus medius muscles group, which is located on the outer aspect of your glutes. Reactive neuromuscular training (RNT) improves coordination and will allows for better activation of the lateral glutes during a squat. As shown in the video, you can use my all-in-one resistance band around your leg during an RNT split squat and force your knees apart to maintain alignment throughout the range of motion. This will strengthen the gluteus medius and help better coordinate its activation during your squat exercises.
Lastly, doing too much, too soon is something that many people are guilty of when it comes to working out in the gym. Overloading the muscles and connective tissues can cause tendinopathy and significant pain around the joints. Too much volume can manifest as pain around the tendon attachment points both above and below the knee joint.
But the good news is that reducing your training load has been shown to completely reverse tendinopathy over just a few weeks. Not everything needs to be reduced right away. Cutting back on some aspects of your lower body workout while being observant of the result this has on the pain in your knees is the way to go.
Box squats can also be used here to allow you to control the amount of depth during the squat. According to research, the box squat also allows for more vertical shin angles and limits forward movement of the knees compared to a regular squat; this reduces the amount of stress placed on the knees and likelihood of knee pain.
It’s absolutely vital that you pay close attention to how exactly you perform your exercises in order to prevent injuries overtime and to progress faster. For a complete evidence-based program that’s fully equipped with in-depth tutorials for each and every exercise so you can ensure you’re safely maximizing your muscle-building efforts in the gym, take the body type quiz below:
https://builtwithscience.com/bws-free-fitness-quiz/gender?utm_source=Youtube&utm_medium=Video&utm_content=Description%20box&utm_campaign=Squat%20without%20knee%20pain%20Jun%209%2F2019
BUILT WITH SCIENCE RESISTANCE BAND: https://shop.builtwithscience.com/collections/resistance-bands/products/all-in-one-band
Thanks to 3D4Medical for the anatomy clips.
https://3d4medical.tapptrk.com/9K84XQ/3QQG7/
*this is an affiliate link and I will receive a portion of the sale through the link. Thanks in advance!*
FILMED BY: Abdo Megahid
Instagram: @abdohmegahed
MUSIC:
Lakey Inspired – Fast Lane
Music
GRAPHICS: Vector art from Vecteezy.com
Subscribe to this channel here: https://www.youtube.com/jeremyethier/?sub_confirmation=1
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Hope you enjoyed this one! Comment below what other exercises you’d like me to cover in this fashion👇!
Study links are below:
ANKLE MOBILITY TEST
: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11676731
REACTIVE NEUROMUSCULAR TRAINING
: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1322908/
TENDON RECOVERY:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18812414
BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS BOX SQUAT
: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224038910_A_Biomechanical_Comparison_of_the_Traditional_Squat_Powerlifting_Squat_and_Box_Squat
Impressive, Could please let us know during squats how to manage hands/upper body posture .
2:38
2:41
When pushing yourself up from a squat position, what is the main muscle used? Im feeling my hamstring the most and im not sure if that’s correct?
I’m bout to get some squats in now after watching this💪🏽
This video is so high quality, as someone who doesn't work out a ton the muscle diagrams really helped me visualize what I should be doing. It turns out my problem was mainly with my hip flexor, but I truly would have never figured that out if the visual wasn't included – I had no idea what a hip flexor was let alone how to engage it.
I don;t have pain with my knees but I can't train my mind not to use my knees while squatting. One day I feel complete muscle isolation in quads and glutes without even feeling any effort from my knees. But sometimes I randomly forget how to isolate them and feel like I'm only using my knees when squatting for days on end and lose my gains, then I'll randomly start isolating my quads and glutes and feel no effort from my knees again. Shit is hella frustrating I can't keep it consistent.
My knee pain arose from using Olympic style lifting shoes. The raised heel made it easy for my weight to shift forward. I worked on ankle mobility and swapped back to a flat sole/barefoot. Pain was gone. I didn't really need the shoes to hit depth to begin with. I was just following what everyone else was doing 😓
Thanks this helped. I recently learned I have a vitamin D deficiency and I think that's part of my pain. My ankle mobility is very high (possibly too high my joints are all hypermobile and I have to watch for hyperextension) but I think I was leaning forward a bit I put my stance wider and toes out until I rebuild strength. It's frustrating when I used to lift heavy but got to take care of knees
So many things to keep in mind! It's a complex movement.
You underestimate the significance of flat foot condition in painful squats. No amount of "preparations" will ever make you comfortable with squats if you don't correct flat foot condition.
Thanks bro, my trainer always scolds me for my bad squat posture (lifting heel) now i know i have flexibility issue ,hope i will fix the problem with your solution
Very informative video
Root yourself to the floor and activate your glutes has made a big difference for me in terms of stability
Bro what. Idk who told me but they said your knees should never go over your toes…. I been doing shit with my knees completely straight.
Thanks man my knees are kinda bruised rn, but hopefully I would stop getting it
Thank you!
I'm on a weight loss journey, being heavier than I use to be, squats have been messing w my knees…I copied everything you instructed to do and notice a big difference ! Knees feel better and I can now feel the workout instead of the knee pain.. gracias !♡
I get knee pain by doing lunges. Can you do a video explaining how to do lunges correctly to prevent knee pain.
THANK YOU SO MUCH I THOUGHT I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO WALK ONCE IM 30 (I play a sport/game that requires alot of squatting)
Glad I’m correcting all my mistakes at the beginning