How To Fix Your Squat
Squats are a great exercise for building your lower body. However, to get the most out of this exercise, you need to do it right! We will cover how to fix your squat, focusing on the common knees caving in fault.
Squat Cues
- Feet shoulder width apart
- Brace and engage your whole core
- Squat until thighs are at least parallel with the floor (head looking straight ahead, not up or down)
- Stand back up to starting position
Knees Caving In
A very common squat error occurs when your knees cave in. Often seen on the way up during the squat when your knee joint shifts to the inside of your foot. This can be harmful as it puts added stress on your knee and ACL. Furthermore, it can lead to injuries.
Causes
Inability to properly activate your glutes (butt muscles) when squatting and weak quad muscles, especially your vastus medialis( inner thigh muscle), usually leads to the knees caving in fault.
Fix
Work on glute activation exercises like glute bridge. Next, do banded squats. To do this, tie the resistance band right above your knees and perform the squat. This will force you to push your knees out against the resistance band and will help to activate your glute muscles.
It is also important to strengthen your quad muscles through exercises like elevated lunges.
See how to fix your caving in below.
Digging Into Your Squat
Here a couple major points to think about when addressing how to fix your squat:
- Mobility – Do you have the ability to properly perform the full range of motion in a squat? If not, you have to find out what is holding you back and address it Click here to Learn how to address common muscular imbalances.
- Weight – Can you handle the amount of weight you are squatting with good form? If not, you may need to drop down the weight in order to fix the form!
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