Squat form

Tmergen24
Tmergen24 Posts: 12
in Fitness and Exercise
Any tips on improving my horrible squat form

Replies

  • Tmergen24
    Tmergen24 Posts: 12
    Also im trying to figure out how to add a video
  • Z_I_L_L_A
    Z_I_L_L_A Posts: 2,399 Member
    Haven't seen the old one yet. Video?
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Also im trying to figure out how to add a video

    Upload them to Youtube, Tinypic, etc, then paste the web address here.

    Take 2 vids, one from the side, one in front, both at waist level.
  • yummyboogereaterr
    yummyboogereaterr Posts: 23 Member
    When doing a squat make sure that your knees don't go over your toes and that you keep your weight in your heels. It should feel like you're trying to sit not crouch and you can practice by putting a chair behind you and focusing on your knee position, that way you have the chair to fall back on if you lose balance. Your upper body should stay strong with your core engaged and chest out proudly so you're not bending over but staying completely upright. One way to help is to hold a dumbbell vertically against your chest and try to keep it where the bottom stays against your body or close to it. Hope that helps!
  • Tmergen24
    Tmergen24 Posts: 12
    Thanks :)
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1146855-form-critique-thread-post-your-videos-here

    Examine what's there, many links to training videos, ect.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/852401-proper-form-and-technique-sources
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    When doing a squat make sure that your knees don't go over your toes and that you keep your weight in your heels. It should feel like you're trying to sit not crouch and you can practice by putting a chair behind you and focusing on your knee position, that way you have the chair to fall back on if you lose balance. Your upper body should stay strong with your core engaged and chest out proudly so you're not bending over but staying completely upright. One way to help is to hold a dumbbell vertically against your chest and try to keep it where the bottom stays against your body or close to it. Hope that helps!
    the no knees past the toes this is something that isnt going to be true for people with long legs. knees past toes for those people is pretty much par for the course.

    same goes with back being completely upright. for people with short torsos and long legs tring to keep the back completely upright when you're in the hole would require some sort of hyperextension
  • shor0814
    shor0814 Posts: 559 Member
    When doing a squat make sure that your knees don't go over your toes and that you keep your weight in your heels. It should feel like you're trying to sit not crouch and you can practice by putting a chair behind you and focusing on your knee position, that way you have the chair to fall back on if you lose balance. Your upper body should stay strong with your core engaged and chest out proudly so you're not bending over but staying completely upright. One way to help is to hold a dumbbell vertically against your chest and try to keep it where the bottom stays against your body or close to it. Hope that helps!
    the no knees past the toes this is something that isnt going to be true for people with long legs. knees past toes for those people is pretty much par for the course.

    same goes with back being completely upright. for people with short torsos and long legs tring to keep the back completely upright when you're in the hole would require some sort of hyperextension

    And to further prove the point, here is a very famous diagram and all 3 methods show the knees over the toes.
    squats.jpg
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    And to further prove the point, here is a very famous diagram and all 3 methods show the knees over the toes.

    squats.jpg

    That just proves that someone drew a person with abnormally tiny feet and pointy knees. :bigsmile:
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    Hmm, interesting. In olympic lifting, our knees go out over our toes on a regular basis. For reference, I learned the basics of olympic lifting at a weightlifting center coached by two former national champions/members of the US Olympic team in weightlifting and USA-W certified coaches, not at regular Crossfit. I've only been doing it for about 9 months, but knees over the toes is pretty much a normal occurrence among oly peeps.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    maybe the form pointer about knees and toes is that knees should go in the same direction as the toes instead of knees should never go past the toes
  • tofufingers
    tofufingers Posts: 21 Member
    I have always had a problem getting my squat form right.

    All the advice above is very good! The best tip I got was to make sure your knees don't go over your toes and to "push" your knees outward. I don't know how to explain it really, but don't let your knees cave in toward the body.
  • 34blast
    34blast Posts: 166 Member
    In the diagram notice the line which is the bar path. The bar will be over the middle of the foot straight up and down. Notice the depth. You can't tell by this diagram, heels basically shoulder width appart, feet about 30 % turned out. Your knees will track the path of the toes. It will feel like you are shoving them out and your weight is going between your legs not on top of them.

    This will take practice, always start with an empty bar to warm up. Don't add weight until you get proper depth.
  • PurringMyrrh
    PurringMyrrh Posts: 5,276 Member
    I've always felt like my knees went out too far even though my form looks good in video, and don't have nearly as much knee pain and noise as before I started lifting. Good to know it may not as much of an issue as once thought.

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