Proper Squat Formation.

Here is the secret.
your knees go past your toes.
What really helped me is to think of just pushing my butt backwards, not thinking about going down. Knees going out to the sides.

Here is perfect squat form. (just watch any toddler)

Here is the secret.
your knees go past your toes.
What really helped me is to think of just pushing my butt backwards, not thinking about going down. Knees going out to the sides.

Here is perfect squat form. (just watch any toddler)

LOL Crossfit. This is complete broscience. Toddlers have completely different body mechanics from adults. You can't squat like a toddler unless your legs are unnaturally short compared to your torso length.

How far over your toes your knees end up depends on a lot of things - bar placement, hip structure, leg and torso length, etc. There's no one right answer. As previously stated, keep your knees in line (laterally) with your feet and don't let them collapse inwards. You do want to drive through your heels on the upward movement, and don't let your back round. Good luck!

Also depends on if you high or low bar squat...





http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ:The_Lifts

The only thing that will control whether or not your knees go past your toes is your own anatomical dimensions. There are too many variables related to individual leg bones and torso length and bar position to issue blanket statements like "don't let your knees go past your toes." The reason that you have heard that so much is because it's a cue to try to force people to use their hips rather than their knees. I used to think "hips back" when I squatted, but it gave me a ton of problems with APT and a nasty buttwink issue, so now I get my breath, brace my core, and think "knees out." I squat with quite a wide stance, too, so there's that.

Have you watched the "so you think you can squat" Youtube series?

My best advice for someone trying to work on squat form is to get your bottom position sorted out. With no weight at all, just drop into the hole. Arms between knees, glutes to boots. Hang out down there. Pivot your feet around on your heels to find the most comfortable foot angle. Make sure your knees point at the same angle as your toes. Get used to being in that position.

Then try it with an empty bar. If you overbalance forward, then you need to keep your torso straighter. Think about moving the bar up and down in a straight line.

That should be a decent start.

I've been working on my squat form, but I just can't seem to get it. I'm trying not to let my knees go past my toes. But it seems when I do this, I want to fall backwards flat on my *kitten*. Any advice? I've watched countless number of youtube videos and have been practicing. Someone please help.

OK. Sounds like you've internetted the squat to death. :-) IF you have internetted squats a lot, and you still have issues, I'd recommend another source of info. What's your location? What city? I'd try to find some powerlifters, and have them work with your squat some. Hands on feedback from experts could help.

Barring that, if you want direct feedback, video yourself squatting, and get some feedback on your form, either grab an online coach or even post in an open forum with a youtube link to your squats. Camera position is important. Most important view, for me, would be from the side with the camera lowish, between knee and standing waist height. Front view can help too.

Its just hard to diagnose your squat from an internet description.

That said, here are some pointers I have used coaching.

1) biggest mistake beginners make is letting their knees go way far forward. BAD. Known VERY BAD. SO, you hear "don't let your knees go forward". You've got this in your head, and obsess about it too much. BUT. While WAY forward is bad, knees can drift a couple inches forward with no issues. How do you know how far you can go?

2) Try squatting with a flat bench in front of you, with the bench going left to right in front of you. Walk up the bench with bar on your back. Put your knees right up against the side of the bench, legs straight. Move your feet back so the bench is now about two inches from your knees (can go up to 4 inches). Now squat. This will let your knees go forward a little bit, but, will stop your knees from going too far. It could be you are obsessing too much about your knees not going forward, this method could help give you a feel for an acceptable amount of forward travel.

I am a 280 pound 45 year old male. I do not have great flexibility. I can squat 405 pounds for reps. I can start with my knees pressed into the bench as described, and squat below parallel with almost no forward knee travel. It can be done.


3) Now, straddle the bench at one end, so that your legs are on either side by the "foot end" of the bench. Sit / squat down, BUT .. see if you push your butt back and place your butt in the middle of the bench. So now, you sitting on the bench. Your feet are on the ground by the end of the bench, but your butt is sitting at the center of the bench. Now stand up.

WOOPS. Most folks can't get up. Reason? Weak hips.

3a) if your butt can go that far back and down, its almost impossible for your knees to be going too far forward.

4) Heels. Very often those whose knees go too far forward end up in the bottom of the squat on the front part of their foot. If you really have most of the weight on your heels, it's unlikely your knees are going too far forward.

5) SO. You try to have your weight on your heels, try to keep your back straight, and know not to have your knees go forward but you can't, you feel like you're going to fall backwards ..... work on your hip strength and hip flexibility. Squat with weight on the bench like (3) above. Goblet squats are also good for this.

6) Inner thigh weakness can be an issue here too. I often see folks go down in the squat, and in the hole, the bottom of the squat, as they start to come up ...... their knees "pinch in" this shifts weight onto the toes and messes up the form. Solution? work inner outer thights with ad/abductor machine and / or bands.

7) In the bench / box squat described in 3, can you lower yourself ALL the way down to the bench, or do you sort of fall / PLOP down the last couple inches? If plop then hip / hamstring flexibility or strength are indicated. Can you not get up from this position with the bar on your back? You can try doing assisted squats. Find something you can support yourself on, suspension trainer (TRX) is great, but you could also just walk up to a squat rack. No bar / weight. Grab the rack with your hands about mid chest level, and sit way back / down, and use your arms to help pull yourself up.

8) Where do you feel DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) the day after you squat? In your back? In your quads? In your butt? Inner thighs? Knowing this could help diagnose your form.

So .. could be you're trying to be too rigorous with no knee travel, some is perfectly OK, you could be doing perfect squat. OR, you could have hip or inner thigh weakness that prevents you from sitting back without falling down, causing you to lean too far forward and have too much knee travel.

Its just hard to tell your issues from internet words, a live coach might be able to help better.

SIDE NOTE ... much of this applies to DEADLIFT TOO. You don't want your knees going over the bar when you go down in the DL, the bar would hit your knees on the way up.

GOOD LUCK!

Drop something on the ground. Squat to pick it up in the way that feels natural, keeping your heels on the ground.

This morning by complete and total coincidence I happened to drop my favorite fire truck. For reasons that surely have nothing to do with this thread I happened to take a photo of me picking it up.



For lower-body mechanics, this is it. Just do this.

For pelvis and spine, the earlier diagram in this thread from SS is good.

^This. It's essentially goblet squatting (without the chest up/tight upper back that using a weight will give you)

Nice firetruck, btw.

Thank you, it's my favorite. Wheeee-ooooh, wheeeee-ooooh, wheeee-ooooh.


(Wow, I'm really taking some of the credibility out of my advice here, aren't I?)

Also depends on if you high or low bar squat...





http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ:The_Lifts

I was actually going to find these images and post them depends on bar placement. Does stress this part. Keep kees in line with toes and get deep enough and you should be fine.