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You’ve Probably Been Doing Squats Wrong This Whole Time

There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for it though. - by Lucy Bode
  • 06 Feb 2019
You’ve Probably Been Doing Squats Wrong This Whole Time
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Ah, the humble squat: how can such a simple move require so much technique? Keep your chest up. Get your butt down. Shift your weight to your heels. The list of do’s and dont’s goes on and on and on.

RELATED: 5 Ways To Take Your Squats To The Next Level

For the most part, these tips are valid - good form equals good gains, after all. But there’s one rule that’s been drummed into gym goers that’s worthy of forgetting: never let your knees extend past your toes.

For context, this first came to fruition after researchers back in 1978 established that keeping your shins as vertical as possible would lessen the pressure placed the knees during a squat. Then, another study in 2003 backed this up, reporting that knee stress increases 28 per cent when they venture past the toes.

But here’s the thing: all bodies are built differently. Peeps with long legs or particularly small feet, for example, would have a harder time pulling this off. And for others, it could actually lead to injury (i.e. those who lack hip or ankle mobility.)

squat
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Instead, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) recommends focusing on maintaining even contact with the ground through the balls of your feet and heels. Think: hinging at the hips as you drive your booty backwards. The idea is that you target your butt muscles while allowing the knees to bend naturally – as little or as far over your second toe as they want to go.

So, next time you’re planning to include squats in your sweat sesh, experiment to find out what works best for your body.

And remember, sometimes rules (just like knees) are meant to bend.

RELATED: The 5 Biggest Mistakes You’re Making With Your Squats

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Lucy Bode
Lucy Bode
Lucy is Women Health’s digital editor, social media specialist and the go-to girl for all things holistic wellness. Her background as a journalist and passion for food, fitness and integrative medicine has led her to write for some of Australia’s leading publications over the course of her career.

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