Squats nearly killed me - what can I do instead?

queenbea77

Maybe consider doing wall squats - these would let easily modify how low you go and would limit the knee joint movement.

I do body pump (bar & weights) and my knees hurt at the beginning but when I do wall squats with an exercise ball behind my back my knees don't hurt near as much

GiGiBeans

I do box squats.
http://stronglifts.com/build-explosive-strength-how-to-perform-box-squats/

RivenV

Informative and entertaining piece about the "third-world" squat.
http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1856085

Annie_01

You should be letting your knee glide past your toes. It's also okay to lean forward when doing squats without weight - you have to keep your balance. Your weight should be in the middle of your foot, heel on the ground. Stick your arms out in front of you and just squat down. Think about your hips going up and down, and just let the rest of your body do what it does naturally.

This advice is so different from everything that I have read about doing squats.

When I first started learning to do squats...since I have bad knees...I read many articles...what each of them had in common...

1. Do not let knees pass the toes
2. Weight in heels
3. Move butt as if you are going to sit in a chair
4. Keep back straight...no slumping

From what I read...Sumo Squats are the easiest on the knees...they are the ones that I do and so far they have not caused me any pain as long as I don't do to many.

I am like OP...I work hard to make sure that my knees stay behind my toes.

Just curious...

Never heard of Sumo Squats... I'll have to look those up...

LUNGES!

I hate those things...I struggle with them...I am determined to be able to do them.

Lunges...above everything else...is the hardest on my knees.

Haven't tried doing lunges yet... I am a wuss.

LOL I understand. As your weight goes does that will help. I can do so much more now than I could 50lbs ago.

I started squats will using my resistance bands for support and stabilization. I would load 3 of them in to the door anchor and just hold them as I went down and came back up. That helped tremendously. Someone suggested holding on to a counter and that too helps.

Someone else mentioned doing chair squats...those are helpful too.

Lunges...I don't know...I did 2x6 today...but they weren't pretty! I also am working on side lunges...I got a ways to go on those too!

Just keep trying...you will be amazed at what your body is able to do as you lose weight and gain some flexibility.

Look for knee strengthening exercises. I found a lot by searching for exercises geared for obese and elderly. They have helped my joints a lot.

Good luck with those squats!

EricRazorbacks

You should be letting your knee glide past your toes. It's also okay to lean forward when doing squats without weight - you have to keep your balance. Your weight should be in the middle of your foot, heel on the ground. Stick your arms out in front of you and just squat down. Think about your hips going up and down, and just let the rest of your body do what it does naturally.

This advice is so different from everything that I have read about doing squats.

When I first started learning to do squats...since I have bad knees...I read many articles...what each of them had in common...

1. Do not let knees pass the toes
2. Weight in heels
3. Move butt as if you are going to sit in a chair
4. Keep back straight...no slumping

From what I read...Sumo Squats are the easiest on the knees...they are the ones that I do and so far they have not caused me any pain as long as I don't do to many.

I am like OP...I work hard to make sure that my knees stay behind my toes.

Just curious...

I've read that the knees not going past the toes argument goes back to a 1970s study that found that the forces to the knee are increased when one does it. While that may be true, that doesn't mean it is to a dangerous level for the average person. I'm not saying this applies to you, but the below linked study talks about the knees going past the toes when squatting issue.

"Although restricting forward movement of the knees may minimize stress on the knees, it is likely that forces are inappropriately transferred to the hips and low-back region. Thus, appropriate joint loading during this exercise may require the knees to move slightly past the toes."

http://www.luciano.si/images/blog015_raziskava.pdf

Some people's body proportions make it much easier for them to keep their knees behind their toes when squatting. For me to do it with my body proportions, I'd probably sacrifice my lower back to the weightlifting gods.

creativerick

You should be letting your knee glide past your toes. It's also okay to lean forward when doing squats without weight - you have to keep your balance. Your weight should be in the middle of your foot, heel on the ground. Stick your arms out in front of you and just squat down. Think about your hips going up and down, and just let the rest of your body do what it does naturally.

This advice is so different from everything that I have read about doing squats.

When I first started learning to do squats...since I have bad knees...I read many articles...what each of them had in common...

1. Do not let knees pass the toes
2. Weight in heels
3. Move butt as if you are going to sit in a chair
4. Keep back straight...no slumping

From what I read...Sumo Squats are the easiest on the knees...they are the ones that I do and so far they have not caused me any pain as long as I don't do to many.

I am like OP...I work hard to make sure that my knees stay behind my toes.

Just curious...

1. Olympic lifters let their knees go forward... It shouldn't be excessive, but you don't want to push your hips back... So it's either knees forward or hips back...

2. She is doing air squats. Weight should be over mid foot. Squatting with weight is different.

3. If you sit back without weight, you're going to be unbalanced. Think of your hips going straight down.

4. Leaning forward doesn't equate to slumping. It means bending at the hips. Your back should be natural straight position.

Annie_01

Thanks guys for the info on proper squat form. Maybe I have worried too much about it in order to protect my knees.

When you have joint problems and are trying to exercise it just doesn't take much to cause you problems. I try to research the best way to avoid that but there is so much conflicting info out there...drives me insane.

I actually enjoy squats and have worked to find a way that my knees allow me to do them. The sumo squats that I do are the only ones that I have tried that don't bother me.

Thanks again...

creativerick

Thanks guys for the info on proper squat form. Maybe I have worried too much about it in order to protect my knees.

When you have joint problems and are trying to exercise it just doesn't take much to cause you problems. I try to research the best way to avoid that but there is so much conflicting info out there...drives me insane.

I actually enjoy squats and have worked to find a way that my knees allow me to do them. The sumo squats that I do are the only ones that I have tried that don't bother me.

Thanks again...

As great as squats are, they aren't for everyone. It's a compound movement and is hard to learn without proper instruction. Glad you found something that works for you.

abellkl

My trainer had me do a lot of leg extensions to help strengthen my knee since I was having trouble doing squats. I also did the squats down to a stool so that i could take a little pressure off before I came back up. I know how discouraging this can be. I have been and am still there some days. Don't let it get you down. You are making positive changes. Maybe take a little break from stuff that hurts your knee and focus on other exercises. I know squats are great, but not if you can't exercise for days because of them.