Are you scared to squat? Think you’ll hurt your knees? Well… you might be right if you don’t have a good understanding of the fundamentals. We’re here to help! In this post we’ll help you understand how deep you should go, how to have your knees track your toes, how to position your feet, and more.
At Align Fitness we have helped countless clients overcome their fears of the squat and ensure proper technique for a pain-free squat!
Here are a few fundamentals on how to squat, and make sure there is 0 knee pain.
Set up: You feet should shoulder width (or a little wider) with a slight turn out of the feet (up to 30 degrees). You may have to adjust your feet a few times to you find your sweet spot. Align fitness can help you determine your foot placement with a simple technique! Watch the next video to see how…
Torso position: We want to make sure our torso is as upright as possible. Please note there are differences from person to person that have to do with the shape of your pelvis and the length of your Femurs and Shins. The next video address ideal torso position.
Squat Depth: When squatting depth should be achieved primarily through bending your knees. Unlike the deadlift where you hips hinge back (hips create most of the movement) your hips should’t move nearly as much (this is by keeping your core nice and tight).
Avoid the Dreaded Butt Wink: The “butt wink” can occur in deep squats when you run out of room with your hips and your knees, but still continue to go lower. When this happens the pelvis rotates and the tailbone tucks underneath your torso. Imagine your pelvis is a bowl of water… the buttwink is the same as water pouring out of the back of the bowl. This puts pressure on the SI (tailbone) joints and disks in the Lumbar Spine. This is bad…
Here at Align were have two fixes for two very common squatting issues. When squatting do you seem to feel like you are leaning too far forward? Holding a plate straighten out in font of you can help you keep you torso upright. Now remember you are holding this weight straight out in front of you, light weight advises (5 lb to 10 lb). Another easy fix for someone who is having issues with their knees buckling into the midline of their body. You can grab and ankle band (full circle band) and out that above your knees. This helps when you go to come up out of your squat to push your knees out to keep the band stretched.
Try this out and see how it goes!!! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to use if you need more guidance!