Help with Squats

magtart

I am a 59 yo woman with bad knees and 2 herniated discs in my lumbar spine. I would love to strengthen my thighs and glutes, but every time I attempt a squat my knees go over my toes. I have watched videos for proper form but it seems like my fat *kitten* causes me to tip over backwards if my knees are behind my toes.

Does anyone have any tips for me?

dbanks80

I always envision myself sitting in a chair and that helps me to remember the form

kbmnurse

Hate squats don't do them cause I can't do them right.

frangrann

Keep your back straight and stick your butt out. Keep the weight on your heels. Good luck.

Rose6300

I am a 59 yo woman with bad knees and 2 herniated discs in my lumbar spine. I would love to strengthen my thighs and glutes, but every time I attempt a squat my knees go over my toes. I have watched videos for proper form but it seems like my fat *kitten* causes me to tip over backwards if my knees are behind my toes.

Does anyone have any tips for me?

I'd say keep your heels pressed down and widen your stance maybe? Or try to squat onto a footstool to get the right feeling? Probably not terribly helpful, but I just loved your wording "my fat *kitten* causes me to tip over backwards" so I thought I'd reply. :laugh:

Blueberry09

Butt to the wall!

Mrsallypants

Try some box squats to help you learn to break at your hips and sit back.

magtart

Well it is quite the laugh fest when I ask my son to watch my form and I end up *kitten* over tea kettle on the floor. I learned my lesson and started trying with a chair behind me.

hamzapowerlifts

its a fitness myth that your knees shouldnt go over your toes, whoever gave you that misinformation, dont listen to that person anymore. I squat competitively BTW and have squated over 400lbs, so I know what I am talking about.

check out this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBHc323QwFE

CMB1979

Lean against a exercise ball that is between you and a wall. Use it as a roller to go up and down - slowly. You can put pressure on the ball and take a little off your knees.

lwestmill

Hey there friend!
Squats are bad for your knees, you are right. Hold onto a chair and do front, side and back leg lifts. Hold! Hold! Hold! Add leg weights to make it more intense, like the palliates style. Squeeze the buttocks and hold. ( I can't do this without laughing) Also, I have a piece of equipment from Walmart that I bought years ago called Ultra Leg Magic. It was cheep but it really works the inner and outer thighs! It tightens the buttocks too. Its a killer at first but once you get the hang of it its gets some better. I am up to 60 reps, then I'm done. :sad:

magtart

The exercise ball is a great idea, thanks! I think it will help me build up some strength to do some solo.

lwestmill

Lean against a exercise ball that is between you and a wall. Use it as a roller to go up and down - slowly. You can put pressure on the ball and take a little off your knees.

Yea! Like he said! Great idea!

Rays_Wife

Hey there friend!
Squats are bad for your knees, you are right. Hold onto a chair and do front, side and back leg lifts. Hold! Hold! Hold! Add leg weights to make it more intense, like the palliates style. Squeeze the buttocks and hold. ( I can't do this without laughing) Also, I have a piece of equipment from Walmart that I bought years ago called Ultra Leg Magic. It was cheep but it really works the inner and outer thighs! It tightens the buttocks too. Its a killer at first but once you get the hang of it its gets some better. I am up to 60 reps, then I'm done. :sad:

FALSE. Squats are not bad for your knees, that is a total myth. It only hurts your knees if you do quarter squats. You need to squat to parallel or below parallel and your knees will be fine. They are actually a knee strengthening exercise when done correctly.

Rays_Wife

Here is a good picture of proper squat form (from Mark Rippetoes Starting Strength) with the person going slightly below parallel.


Obviously you won't be doing barbell squats right now with your health issues but when you do bodyweight squats you should be going below parallel to protect your knees. I was just using this picture to show you what going below parallel looks like.

magtart

I just ordered a fitness ball. I can't wait to try it out.!

amflautist

its a fitness myth that your knees shouldnt go over your toes, whoever gave you that misinformation, dont listen to that person anymore. I squat competitively BTW and have squated over 400lbs, so I know what I am talking about.

check out this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBHc323QwFE

Huge thanks for that!!!

3laine75

I am a 59 yo woman with bad knees and 2 herniated discs in my lumbar spine. I would love to strengthen my thighs and glutes, but every time I attempt a squat my knees go over my toes. I have watched videos for proper form but it seems like my fat *kitten* causes me to tip over backwards if my knees are behind my toes.

Does anyone have any tips for me?

It's absolutely fine for your knees to go over your toes - it's just the way your body is put together. Just concentrate on going down and back up, that way you'll get your natural range of motion.

SezxyStef

its a fitness myth that your knees shouldnt go over your toes, whoever gave you that misinformation, dont listen to that person anymore. I squat competitively BTW and have squated over 400lbs, so I know what I am talking about.

check out this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBHc323QwFE

Huge thanks for that!!!

Agreed

And no squats aren't bad for your knees...I squat 165lbs and no knee issues.

As for that myth I know that I saw a gif of a child (probably 18months old) squatting and the caption was "This is how you do it"...

Forgetting of course that babies bones aren't totally hardened.

How you squat is defined on how you build.

I squat with a wider than normal stance as it's most comfortable, I have a stool behind me to make sure I get ATG (*kitten* to grass) and I keep my girls up and neutral spine...

Rose6300

I just ordered a fitness ball. I can't wait to try it out.!

Wait till your husband gets all pissy because it rolls all over the room and gets in his way all the time. Mine made me get rid of mine.

3laine75

Hey there friend!
Squats are bad for your knees, you are right. Hold onto a chair and do front, side and back leg lifts. Hold! Hold! Hold! Add leg weights to make it more intense, like the palliates style. Squeeze the buttocks and hold. ( I can't do this without laughing) Also, I have a piece of equipment from Walmart that I bought years ago called Ultra Leg Magic. It was cheep but it really works the inner and outer thighs! It tightens the buttocks too. Its a killer at first but once you get the hang of it its gets some better. I am up to 60 reps, then I'm done. :sad:

Squats are actually very good for your knees.

Try to get as far down as you can - below parallel - *kitten* to the grass is actually easier as you get a nice wee bounce (stretch reflex) at the bottom to help you back up. Only doing half or quarter squats can cause a muscle imbalance (this is when people say they're not good for you).

magtart

its a fitness myth that your knees shouldnt go over your toes, whoever gave you that misinformation, dont listen to that person anymore. I squat competitively BTW and have squated over 400lbs, so I know what I am talking about.

check out this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBHc323QwFE

That was interesting, thank you.

Rayman79

I just ordered a fitness ball. I can't wait to try it out.!

Wait till your husband gets all pissy because it rolls all over the room and gets in his way all the time. Mine made me get rid of mine.

Should have just got rid of your husband if that's his attitude.

SrJoben

I am a 59 yo woman with bad knees and 2 herniated discs in my lumbar spine. I would love to strengthen my thighs and glutes, but every time I attempt a squat my knees go over my toes. I have watched videos for proper form but it seems like my fat *kitten* causes me to tip over backwards if my knees are behind my toes.

Does anyone have any tips for me?

The oft repeated thing about not letting your knees go past your toes is misleading.

It's not a useful cue to getting the form right, because it doesn't tell you how to fix the problem it's warning against.
Which is unfortunate. Because if your toes are going far past your knees you are squatting very very incorrectly and need help.

In fact I'm not sure it could be described as a squat and I doubt you're getting more than about 6 inches lower before either hitting flexibility limts or falling over! The only way I can imagine this happening is if you try to drop your butt STRAIGHT down, and keep your torso completely vertical. That's not possible to do while squatting.

(btw some people need to have their knees go a couple inches past their toes because of the way they are proportioned. That's not what this is talking about)

Again it's a stupid cue. Forget it. Here's the actual cue for starting a squat: Stick your butt backward.

If you do that you're 80% there. It solves almost everything.

More complete instructions:

Put your feet about shoulder width apart with your feet angled outward. (Toes further from each other than heels are)

Concentrate on starting the movement by sticking your butt back as if you were trying to sit in a chair.

Keep your chest up as if you were trying to let someone read a slogan written on your shirt.

(Your torso will not be vertical at the bottom, it will be tilted forward roughly 45 degrees. That's fine. Trying to keep your chest up keeps your back straight.)

On the way down don't let your knees cave in toward each other. Push them outward. Keep your thighs in line with your feet.

Also, particularly if you have bad knees, you want to go all the way down, lower than the point where you thighs are parallel to the floor. Partial movements are actually harder on the knees.

wozkaa

I just ordered a fitness ball. I can't wait to try it out.!

Wait till your husband gets all pissy because it rolls all over the room and gets in his way all the time. Mine made me get rid of mine.

LOL I'm picturing quite the hissy fit...
My dog was terrified of mine when she was a pup.

magtart

I just ordered a fitness ball. I can't wait to try it out.!

Wait till your husband gets all pissy because it rolls all over the room and gets in his way all the time. Mine made me get rid of mine.

Not a problem...hubby is a disabled cancer patient and spends most of the day in bed. The problem is the cats. I had an exercise ball a few years ago and one of the cats punctured it.

Rose6300

I just ordered a fitness ball. I can't wait to try it out.!

Wait till your husband gets all pissy because it rolls all over the room and gets in his way all the time. Mine made me get rid of mine.

Should have just got rid of your husband if that's his attitude.

Seems like that'd have been a bit of an overreaction.

Rose6300

This may be helpful. http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2014/03/03/strength-training-101-how-to-squat-properly/#more-21628

Rose6300

I just ordered a fitness ball. I can't wait to try it out.!

Wait till your husband gets all pissy because it rolls all over the room and gets in his way all the time. Mine made me get rid of mine.

Not a problem...hubby is a disabled cancer patient and spends most of the day in bed. The problem is the cats. I had an exercise ball a few years ago and one of the cats punctured it.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. In hubs' defense, it was mostly the kids rolling it in his path that got on his nerves.

dicoveringwhoIam

Widen your stance. Chest up and out. Back straight. Weight on heels.
Good luck!

magtart

I think widening my stance will help. I was doing it with my feet placed shoulder width.