Key Question Are squats not good for your knees?
Feeling knee pain while working can be shocking. Sometimes you feel good, and the next thing you know, there is a sharp pain every time you bend over to squat. Many people are so afraid of injuring their knees while doing squats that they completely avoid them. The good news: this avoidance may not be necessary. Sure, improper stabbing can lead to injury, but many fitness experts say that squats are actually healthier — if done properly.
So what's the problem — are squats dangerous for your knees? Previously, fitness experts helped us resolve the debate.
Squats bring great benefits.
- Identifying your quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, adductors, glutes, and hip flexors, squats are an amazing way to strengthen your lower body. In terms of sport performance, squatting can make you stronger in activities such as cycling and running. Looking to improve your speed and strength, Selena Samuela, the Peloton Tread trainer, suggests that something like a jump squat be added to the mix.
- Swimming can not only add strength and stability to improve your athletic performance, but you will also notice a difference in your daily life, too. Simple, routine tasks such as getting out of bed, picking up a heavy grocery bag, and climbing steep stairs may not seem like a challenge, but it can all be made easier and safer by constantly squatting.
- Autumn Calabrese, a BeachBody trainer and certified personal trainer, explains this benefit further. "We sit down and stand still, most of the time we do this with some weight in our hands," Calabrese said. "Strengthening these muscles makes daily life easier." Less chances of injury to you.
- But that is not all. Squats are also helpful in burning fat, strengthening your knee, hip, and ankle joints, and strengthening your internal muscles, which can help relieve lower back pain and make bending and bending easier.1
- "As we grow older, we need physically to strengthen our muscles, tendons, and ligaments so that we can continue to move fluidity and without pain," explains Mary Johnson, Strava strength training coach, USATF certified running trainer, and founder. of Lift, Run, Perform. "Squats are a great bang-for-your-buck activity that will direct important areas of the muscles that will keep us moving better, longer."
Are squats not good for your knees?
Physical therapist and founder of LYT Yoga, Lara Heimann, provides clarity about the safety of squats. "Squats are not naturally squats at the knees and are one of the most effective steps we humans take," Heimann said. "From the time we are young all our lives, we will wear a belt for a variety of reasons and purposes."
Some of our experts agree that squats are completely safe that you can add to your workout, especially if you are focused on keeping your spine neutral and making a movement from your waist up. The problem comes when you have problems with the movement of the hip or ankle, or when the movement is more intense in your spine than from your hips.
"When the hips are flexible, the knees will follow flexibly and the squat should be easily done," Heimann said. "If the hips do not flex properly and / or the movement occurs more frequently in the spine, the knees can take on excessive loads which can create stress and discomfort as well as potential foot injuries."
How to properly squat:
Calabrese shared these tips to help you squat like an expert:
- Start by standing with your feet wide apart and moving, with your toes moving forward.
- Get down to the squat area by tapping your hips back and bending your knees and ankles. Do not let your knees fall or shoot over your toes.
- Keep your heels and toes down, your chest up, your shoulders back, and your abdomen and spine aligned. Keep your spine neutral and do not bend or rotate your back when you do squat.
- The goal is to get your hamstrings — the back of your thighs — flat, which means your knees are bent at a 90 degree angle.
- Press on your heels as you return to the standing position.
- Here are a few other tips from Samuel that you may find helpful as you begin to add squats to your workout mix.
- Look ahead as you squat-pick a point in front of you and focus on that area as you go down and get up again.
- Just relax and relax. If you feel pain anywhere, it is time to stop.
The feet will not look the same to everyone.
Your exact posture and posture may look slightly different depending on your body weight, explains Johnson. Instead of starting with your toes pointing straight forward, some trainers recommend starting with your feet pointing slightly outward, about 45 degrees, or slightly lower.
You do not need to use weights while squatting.
If you have been working from home for the past few months and have no tools, we have good news — you do not need weight or luxury equipment to do squats at home.
"Doing bodyweight squats is a great way to start," Calabrese said. "You can do basic squat, sumo squat, basic squat jump, and sumo squat jump without doing anything."
But when it comes to building muscle, you will want to add resources, he said. Remember that dumbbells or a barbell are not your only options - you can also use resistance bands or kettlebell. "You don't have to be crazy to move in order to function properly," he said. "So start small and build."
Why do squats hurt my knees?
So now that we've sung the squats' hymns and explained how it's done, you may find that your knees still hurt after trying them. Christa Shelton, a certified personal trainer and co-owner of Coaching With Christa, shares the following information about the most common reasons why squats may injure your knees and how to fix problems. Often, these problems cause knee joints as well surrounding ligaments and tendons to absorb greater loads than necessary, causing pain and possible damage, according to our experts.
You’re shifting your weight forward.
“Many people fail to push their hips back in order to keep the knees from traveling over the toes,” says Shelton. To correct this issue, imagine reaching your hips and butt back as if you’re going to sit in a chair as you lower down, and on the way up, push through your heels to stand back up. ”I will often have clients use the stability ball against the wall to perform squats,” says Shelton. “This, of course, is slightly different from how a traditional squat is performed; however, this helps to take pressure off the knees, while still being able to work and increase the strength in the quads.”