3395: 5 Common Mistakes When Doing A Proper Squat by Steve Kamb of Nerd Fitness on Squat Technique

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[00:01:00] This is Optimal Health Daily. Five common mistakes when doing a proper squat. By Steve Kamb of NerdFitness.com And I'm Dr. Neal Malik, reading you some of the most popular health and fitness blogs out there. With permission from the websites, of course. And always with a bit of my commentary at the end. Now, today's post from Steve Kamb is all about doing a proper squat. And I'm going to admit right off the bat, I didn't perform squats perfectly. Especially the way Steve describes in his post.

[00:01:30] So instead, I had to relearn how to do a proper squat. So again, the beauty of this podcast is we give you shortcuts. You don't have to go through the same mistakes that the authors or I've made. And that saves you a bunch of time. So now that I'm building up this post and making your expectations really high, let's finally get right to it as we optimize your life. Five common mistakes when doing a proper squat.

[00:01:58] By Steve Kamb of NerdFitness.com Can you do a bodyweight squat? Great! Now, can you do a proper bodyweight squat? Right now, you're thinking, What's the difference, Steve, you weirdo? Today, I'm going to drop some bodyweight squat knowledge bombs on you. Don't worry, they don't hurt. Instead, they'll make your body feel good. And you'll say, Oh, that's what a squat is.

[00:02:26] Like other basic movements like the pull-up and push-up, most people think they know what a bodyweight squat is. And they think they're doing them right. But are they? Judging by the people in my gym, most people are actually making some major mistakes in their squat. Making the movement inefficient at best, and dangerous at worst. If you have any interest in ever being able to do a barbell squat, you need to first nail the mechanics for a proper bodyweight squat. We got you covered.

[00:02:56] In fact, by the end of this article, you're going to know exactly what to do, and how to remind yourself to keep good form. We were recently at Camp Nerd Fitness, and Nerd Fitness team members, Stacy and Jim, along with myself, put together a quick five-minute video explaining the ins and outs of, and common problems with, bodyweight squats. Mistake number one. Your stance is too wide or too narrow. Everybody is genetically different. We're all different sizes and shapes,

[00:03:25] with longer or shorter legs and torsos, etc. But even still, there are a few key points for any squat that we want to achieve. We see people often stand too wide or too narrow with their feet. When this happens, their squat suffers, since they failed to get low enough or have been thrown off balance. A big part of this comes down to hip mobility. Sometimes our bodies can't get as low as we should be able to. Solution.

[00:03:54] Set your feet at about shoulder width apart, with feet turned slightly out, about 15 to 30 degrees. Your feet should not be parallel with each other like railroad tracks. This can prevent proper depth, twist knees or mess with your balance. Mistake number two. Your knees don't track over your feet. Imagine you drew a line from your heel to your toe, and extended that line in both directions for infinity.

[00:04:22] Your knees should bend and flex over that line. If the knees collapse inwards, which is the most common issue, then you may very well be able to squat low, but you are going to be putting a lot of undue stress on the knees. Your knee is supposed to be a hinge. Putting sideways stress on your knee is a bit like hanging off of a swinging door. Sure, you could do it, but it just isn't built to take that kind of beating. Solution. Start in a good position.

[00:04:52] Before you even start to descend into the squat, think, knees out. Turn your kneecaps out so they track right over your feet. Your feet and body aren't moving, just the legs and knees. Try it right now wherever you're sitting or standing. Keep one foot stationary, but aim your knee like a flashlight to face different directions. Mistake number three. You don't squat deep enough. Some people think squatting below parallel is dangerous for your knees.

[00:05:21] If that's true, then your knees would explode every time you went for a run, climbed a step, or sat in a chair. Your knees actually get stronger and healthier when you squat deeper. Deep squatting makes for a complete movement that recruits all muscles in your legs. When you only squat a bit, you're not recruiting all leg muscles, and that leads to imbalance and injury. We are not advocating that you squat into a range of motion that causes pain.

[00:05:49] The first rule of exercise is, do no harm. But we often see a host of people not squat low enough, either out of fear, misinformation, ego, like too much weight on the bar, or just because they made another mistake on this list. Solution. Solution. Squat like a toddler. Ever see a toddler squat down? How low do they go? Until the backs of their legs touch their calves, right? If you can do this, congratulations.

[00:06:18] Many have lost the necessary mobility or strength to be able to do this. If you do lack the strength, try grabbing onto a door, squat rack, or workout box to assist you into a deeper range of motion. If this doesn't help you, then mobility is your weak point. Practice the assisted squat and spend time pausing at the bottom, and you'll be on your way to improved mobility in no time. And note, this will be difficult at first. Mistake number four.

[00:06:47] You don't keep your back straight and core tight. Now, straight doesn't mean that your torso should remain straight up perpendicular to the ground like a telephone pole. That's not how the body moves naturally. We naturally lean a bit forward as we drop down into the squat. By straight, we mean that the natural curvature of the spine should be maintained for the entire squat movement. If you drop to the bottom of the squat and look like Gollum hunched over the one ring,

[00:07:17] we have a problem if you ever want to squat with added weight. Solution. Think, chest up. This doesn't mean head up. Chest means your chest. Don't let your head fool you. Puff it up a bit in your squat like Superman. Did you know that the S on Superman's chest actually stands for squats? Yeah, true story. Be sure to keep your midsection tight and engaged.

[00:07:43] It should feel like all the muscles around your middle are tensing a bit, like when you cough, or if you were Neo bracing from a punch from Mr. Smith. Mistake number five. You get up on your toes. Keeping your feet on the ground is essential for a strong and balanced squat. It is your foundation. If you are just squatting down to grab something, or look under something, then popping up on the toes a bit is of little concern.

[00:08:10] But if you are training your body to eventually move weights around, whether in the gym or everyday life, keeping your feet firmly grounded is crucial during your workouts. Solution? Keep your heels down. And finally, bonus mistake number six. You're overly concerned with your knees going past your toes on your squat. This is an old bro myth that makes a lot of people freak out over nothing. Depending on your genetic makeup and physiological makeup,

[00:08:40] your knees may very well go past your toes on a deep squat. This is not the end of the world. Solution? Let the knees and ankles flex how they were designed. It is a combined effort of the hip, knee, and ankle closing that will get you in a deep, strong squat. Any pre-existing conditions, or knee pain notwithstanding, there is no risk to the knees by allowing them to go forward over the toes.

[00:09:06] There is not a magical force field that lives in front of your feet that destroys knees that drift too far. If this were the case, we'd see legions of crippled Olympic weightlifters, where the knees go way past the toes. Heck, they even wear shoes with elevated heels so that they can get their knees forward more. There you go, my dear rebel friend. You now have everything you need to get started down a healthier path to crushing squats.

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[00:10:33] with select games streaming with ESPN on Disney Plus. Let's go! U.S. residents, 18 plus only. Select banana ball games available to all Disney Plus subscribers. Terms apply. Dr. Neal Malik here for my commentary. I'm so glad Steve mentioned bonus mistake number six in his post. That's where Steve talked about how we can become overly concerned with our knees going past our toes when we squat. This now myth didn't materialize out of thin air though.

[00:11:02] In fact, it was based on studies. Researchers found that when performing leg exercises like squats or lunges, if the knee, when bent, started to go too far forward and moved past the toe, it may increase the risk for knee injury. Well, it turned out that this move didn't seem to cause as many injuries as we once thought. In fact, when some individuals performed a squat or lunge and forced their knee to stay behind their toe,

[00:11:32] they actually increased their risk for injury. I was one of those people that found it more comfortable to allow my knees to go past my toes when performing leg exercises. It was really uncomfortable for me to perform it any other way. So, as Steve said, it's important to know what feels right for you. And of course, getting the advice of a certified coach or trainer and having them watch you perform these moves can be super helpful when it comes to making sure your form is perfect.

[00:12:01] All right, that'll do it for today. I hope you have a great rest of your Thursday. And don't forget, I'll be back here tomorrow for our usual Friday Q&A. So stay tuned for that where your optimal life awaits. We'll be right back.