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Pushing your knees forward in the Squat.

I’m sure most of you on here know how to squat, or have at least done it before. And I’m sure almost all of you have been told the same cue when squatting.

“Push your hips back”

While I wont say that is the wrong way to squat, I will say that it is an extremely inefficient way to squat. Inefficient meaning you’re dumping energy into less than optimal positions, that will take away from your ability to lift more weight and recruit more muscle engagement. 

Above is the way I see most people try to squat. Hips are pushed back, back is hyper extended to keep the chest up, and the knees are behind the toes. 

This is how most people should squat. Notice the knees PAST the toes, hips are sunk low, and the back is vertical and FLAT, not arched. 

Now I know most of you have probably always heard that the knees coming forward in the squat is bad because it puts too much pressure on your knee joint, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The knees coming forward in the squat is only dangerous when the squat mechanics are off. 

Check out the picture below. 

On the left you have an extremely efficient squat position. Notice the bar high on the lifters back directly over the middle of foot (center of gravity) and the back flat and upright, keeping the hips close to the center of gravity. This will allow for maximal quad recruitment when coming out of the bottom position and it will also reduce strain on the back because the vertebra are stacked on top of each other.

On the right you will see the bar out in front of the center of gravity and much lower on the lifters back. The knees behind the toes which cause the hips to be further away from the center of gravity which creates a more horizontal spine. This can cause a lot of stress on the back to keep the bar/chest from falling forward further which would result in the lifter falling down. 

To me the answer is obvious, when it comes to efficiency and safety, get that back up, those hips low, and those knees forward. 

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To all the new people thinking about starting up in the gym this year:

Firstly, let me apologize on behalf of all of us for the few people who make you feel self conscious or nervous in the gym. I never understood the people pointing and laughing at the overweight men or women sweating it out on the cardio machines, or the small guys and girls attempting weights for the first time.

Let me give you a few bits of advice that I wish I’d been told before my first trip to the gym:

1) Get comfortable - I know it’s easier said than done, I definitely felt self conscious and awkward my first time. Do anything you can to make yourself feel more comfortable. Whether it be spending your Christmas money on nice gym clothes, wearing vests that show off your guns or wearing a hoodie to cover up. If ever I’m feeling like I don’t want to see people in the gym, I wear a big hoodie, beanie hat and headphones with loud music.

2) Get some knowledge under your belt beforehand. Don’t turn up with no concept of what you should be doing (unless you’re doing a PT session or a class etc). Get a rough idea of exercises for different muscle groups, and of course keep good form - cheat reps have a place, but not when you’re just starting out. If you’re going with a friend, don’t try and keep up - go at your own pace and focus on getting the movements right rather than heavy weight. That’ll come soon enough.

3) Train at regular times and consistently. Not only is it good to get into a routine, but you also start to recognize people around you. It might start with a simple nod of acknowledgement, but eventually you’ll form friendships and potentially training partners. If you’re self conscious, I recommend training early mornings or late nights. Avoid 5-7pm, the gym will be full of people after work or school.

4) Music. Find a decent pair of headphones that can play loud. And find a genre that gets you pumped. I recommend metalcore or hip hop. You’ll thank me.

5) Watch other people. You can learn a hell of a lot from other people. It’s always good to mix up your training, and I often get ideas for new exercises by watching other people.

6) Ask for a spot when you need it. It doesn’t matter on the weight, would you rather be pinned under 80lbs or ask someone for a spot?

7) Start your training utilizing more Dumbbells than barbells, and free weights over machines. This will help to work out any minor imbalances and also improve mobility. Exercises that feel a bit awkward will start to feel more natural. Don’t forget to stretch!

8) Take progress pictures! And track your progress. I was never one to keep a direct training log, but I have progress photos going back over 3 years. It fantastic to go back and look at where you came from. If you feel embarrassed about how you look, you don’t have to share it - but in 6 months time and you feel like you haven’t progressed, you can look at the photo and see just how far you’ve come. 9) Learn about nutrition. Training hard is all well and good, but if your diet is poor you won’t progress anywhere near the rate you should. You can’t out train a poor diet. As a general rule, stick with chicken breasts, turkey, lean mince, white rice, brown rice, yams, oats etc. You’ll get the hang of it soon enough.

10) Don’t quit. Don’t think of it as a chore or something you have to do. Enjoy it. I can’t tell you when I realized this, but training should be a joy.

Hope those aren’t too patronizing or too cheesy - good luck!

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