Squat form?

gracielynn1011

Hey all, I have been doing squats as part of my routine for a while. When I first started with Jillian Michaels, she says don't let your knee go last your toes. Okay, that makes sense. I could do those with no problem after I got accustomed to it, going past parallel. I continued that when I added dumb bells for more resistance.

Now, I am using Chalean Extreme and she says keep the knee over the ankle, which results in being set back further. I can barely go halfway and reach failure sooner, but I feel more effectiveness in my glutes and hamstrings this way.

I feel like this new way is more effective but it also feels strain on my knees and even on my hip joints. Which way is correct form, or if both are correct, which is less impact on the joints?. My legs are kind of long from hip to knee and I think it causes my form to be off, because my back starts to round the further down I go. I have no problem going less reps until I build up, I just don't want to cause injury because of my inexperience. Thanks in advance, because as always, I know you guys are great!

mikejholmes

I'm assuming you're talking about unweighted squats?

Ankles shoulder width apart.
Feet pointing ~30 degrees out. (Most people underestimate that.)
Knees out as you go down.
You should be able to put your elbows on the insides of your knees, and your palms together.
Be sure you are below parallel. (Crease of the hip lower than your kneecap.)

Your back angle will determine your center of gravity, and your center of gravity needs to be over your mid-foot. If it's not, you'll fall over, so you'll know.

A barbell would complicate that somewhat, so let me know if you need to know more.

gracielynn1011

Thank you for your information. I do not have a barbell, I do some body weight squats, and some using dumb bells. I try to hold them either at my outer knee Or inside the knees like a kettlebell, depending on the weight size.