It seems this still will not go away.
For decades we have heard that your knees cannot go over your toes when you squat or the world will explode, or at least, you will damage your knees.
Really?
Of all the gym bro science bullshit that is milling around, this might be the biggest crock of poop out there.
When we squat, the knees have to travel over the toes in order to do it.
Period.
Unless it is a Box Squat.
If your knees go over your toes in a Box Squat, you are doing it wrong. But we are not talking about a Box Squat here.
How your knees get over your toes in the Squat is a totally different issue.
If we Squat properly, the movement is initiated by the hips pushing backwards.
A hip hinge.
The knee bend follows, and if done right, they will go over your toes.
Depending on the length of your leg bones, they might go over a lot, or just a little.
This is perfectly fine and proper.
If you initiate the Squat improperly then you will most likely incur some knee issues over time, or quickly. This depends on the technique used, the weight used and other factors.
Hinging at the knee first is a recipe for a few things:
- Disaster
- A missed lift
- Less weight lifted
- Cred for becoming an Instagram coach increased
- Eventual injury to the knee
Knee hinging is where you bend or push your knees forward to begin the movement.
This is a bad idea and you should not do it. At all.
Hopefully the video below clears this up.
I chose a person for the video that has a pretty good squat, but does have some flexibility issues in the hip to show you what a pretty good squat looks like with a good knee angle.
It’s not perfect, he can improve some on the knee position at the bottom; but the point is to see what acceptable is versus not acceptable.
Everyone’s squat is going to look different and there is virtually no PERFECT one.
Just Good, Better and Best for each individual.
Thanks for reading and watching.
Hopefully we and put this issue to bed once and for all.
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Vincere vel mori
C.J. Murphy
March 5, 2020
