How NOT to Squat: The 2nd Biggest Mistake You Must Avoid
Apr 22nd, 2008 by Mehdi Tags: Squat, Weight Lifting
The biggest mistake you can do on Squats is not going below parallel. Half or Quarter Squats increase risks of knee injuries by creating muscle imbalances. Check this thread in StrongLifts.com Forum for more info.
The 2nd biggest Squat mistake is lowering yourself by moving your knees first. This impairs performance and can also cause knee injuries. The correct way to squat is using your hip muscles. Here’s how.
How NOT to Squat. Here’s a video of reader Banderbe’s Squat technique. Pay attention to the bar placement and his knees/hips movement. He squats down by flexing his knees first instead of his hips, and uses a high bar position.
Why This Is Bad Squat Technique. Low bar Squats emphasize your posterior chain. High bar Squats are quad dominant. It’s not bad to Squat high bar as long as your training program is balanced. But moving your knees first is bad.
- Strength Loss. Power comes from your hips. You can’t use your hip muscles optimally when squatting down by flexing your knees first.
- Knee Injury. Squatting down by flexing the knees first impairs posterior chain strength. A weak posterior chain can cause knee injuries.
- And Much More. Anything becomes possible when you squat low bar by flexing your knees first: excessive leaning forward, lower back rounding, heels off the floor, etc.
How to Squat Correctly. Move your hips first. This stretches your hamstrings on the way down, storing energy in your stretched muscles. Use this energy on the way up by bouncing off your stretched hamstrings.
- Sit Back. Think of sitting on a toilet. Squat down by pushing your hips back as far as you can. This stretches your hamstrings, building tension.
- Lean Forward. Put the bar low on your traps and lean forward. Keep the bar above the center of your feet so you don’t lose balance.
- Look forward. Avoid doing a goodmorning. Look forward while keeping your neck straight. Big chest, shoulder-blades back & down.
Good Squats, Bad Squats. Here’s an example of good vs. bad Squat technique. First 30 seconds is bad technique, next 30sec good technique. Ignore the depth: I’m using a broomstick. Focus on the knees/hips movement.
How to Learn Correct Squat Technique. Most people are quad dominant and have tight hamstrings/adductors. Moving your knees first is usually caused by weak posterior chain muscles or lack of hip mobility. Here’s what you can do
- Squat Stretch. Hold on to something. Chest up. Shoulder-blades back & down. Lower leg close to perpendicular to the floor. Knees out. Push your hips back. You’ll feel tension in your hamstrings/adductors. Hold the stretch. Aim for 30 seconds while trying to break parallel.
- Wall Squats. Force you to move your hips first instead of your knees. Stand against a wall with your hands between your legs and squat down. Push your knees out.
- Practice. Low bar position. Chest up. Shoulder-blades back & down. Curl your toes up. Push your hips back as far as you can. Lean forward. Knees out. Break parallel. Bounce of your hamstrings.
The same principle applies to High Bar Olympic Squats & Front Squats. The upright torso position makes sitting back harder but you still must move your hips first. Dan John recommends to “squat between your legs”.
Best cue is to go for the hamstrings stretch. When you squat down correctly, you’ll feel tension in your hamstrings. The greater the tension, the bigger the force on the way up, and the more weight on the bar.
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Hi Mehdi! Glad to see my bad form is being used to help others get better at squatting!
Timely post. I need to pay attention to my knees. Also I am loosing my balance and leaning forward on the last reps of sets.
Man those Squats Stretches are amazing!! Thanks again Mehdi…..
~ Hem
That thread in the forum talks uses ATG alot. what is it stands for??
~ Hem
I don’t really see the difference between the bad / good squats. Could you maybe explain more of the mechanics of your movements. I don’t really understand what you mean when you say flexing your knees versus hips.
Sorry if the questions seems elementary.
Great article Mehdi, some good tips and pointers.
@hemram4u - ATG is ‘Ass To Grass’ inferring squatting well below parallel.
@Barry
Thanks for the video Barry.
@Hemram4u
Thanks for the kind words. ATG stands for ass to grass. ATG squats is glutes against calves.
@Self Defense Techniques
No problem. I was reluctant at posting the video, as I know that some would have problems to understand the difference between the 2 movements. If you don’t know what to look for, it’s hard to see it. Again: the best cue is to go for the hamstring tension. If you feel tension in your hamstrings when sitting back, you’re doing it correctly. If you don’t sit back enough, there will be less tension. Practice by doing some body-weight squats while feeling your hamstrings.
In the good squat/bad squats video, the first 30 seconds are done incorrectly: I bend at the knees first instead of bending at hips. In the last 30 seconds I do it correctly: starting each rep by sitting back, the knees hardly move. It’s a small difference to the eye, but a big difference in terms of weight lifted.
Holy crap. Excellent post. I’ve been having knee pain and now I know why. Seeing the comparison has diagnosed EXACTLY what I’m doing wrong. Wow.
@self defense techniques
at first i was confused at the difference as well but i saw it better by skipping back and forth in the comparison video and *watch the knees*, then stand up and try it yourself and feel it in the hamstrings. the difference is clear.
when watching the video again, i put my finger on the start/end point of where the knees travel to help see the difference. you can see that in the first half of the video, the bad, his knees go forward to cover part of the black weights in the background. in the second half of the video, the good, you can see the knees don’t extend to cover the black weights. =)
I wonder, Mehdi, can you go all the way down with just a broomstick, or do you need a bar + extra weight? I can go as far down with a broomstick as I can with heavy weight.
What do you think about the 20 squats routine?
Thanks.
@pedro- your question is better asked in the forum.
I think one way to get a hold on the movement is to think of your joints as “breaking” - not literally - out of the locked out position. If your knees “break” first your hips will just go down and not back, and your knees will travel forward to compensate. If you “break” the hips first, they will draw the knees into the appropriate movement without letting them travel too far forward.
Thanks Mehdi. That is very helpful. I think my squats looked more like the first 30 seconds. I’ll try out the proper way today.
High Bar squats ATG with a wide stance is okay though right?
Wider stance gets more glutes in there anyways countering the high bar effect?
What do you think of box squats I was thinking of doing them when I get back on stronglifts 5X5
Thank you for this article, I’ve been focusing on Squats and Powercleans lately, now if you could do one of these for power cleans. I always seem to have trouble with the proper power clean stance and technique.
to elaborate on my previous comment:
think about in which direction the knees break- forward. And the hips? Back. Break lockout with the hips first.
Excellent. Just pure excellance in showing how squats should be done.
Can you explain how this affects people like me who do front squats. Do I still have to push my hips back first? Maybe another video would help.
Man, everytime I have second thoughts about something You mention it Mehdi! Great topic, thanks for the vids. I guess I am doing something wrong since I’ve been having some lower back soreness. I’ll do ATGs right now!
Perfect timing Mehdi - as you know, I have a problem with this
I’m confused about the Squat Stretch:
In the video above, the arms are used to balance while pushing the hips back (if you didn’t hold on, you’d fall back, right?)
In this post, the arms are used to push the knees out:
http://stronglifts.com/how-to-squat-with-proper-technique-fix-common-problems/
Are they interchangeable? One is more advanced than the other? Do you advise to do both?
Also, re. flexing knees vs. flexing hips… this is the way I am trying to work it:
If I don’t flex my knees, my upper leg will remain perpendicular, so I will end up doing something like a good morning, and also the weight will not be above the feet.
For the hip to move back will require both the hip and knee to flex, but not the ankle - the knee bends, but doesn’t move forward.
Only in the 2nd part of the movement does the knee start to move forward because of flexion at the ankle.
Am I on the right track? Or have I totally lost the plot?
Thanks Mehdi. Would it be right to say, therefore, that done correctly, the sqaut works both the hamstrings and the quads?
If I need more hamstring strength for other sports, should I try lunges or stick to squats, done correctly?
I’ve been following the StrongLifts 5×5 program and squatting with a high bar position, Olympic style. Are you saying low bar squatting is a better alternative? Should I switch from one to the other? If so, does the feet/hands positioning vary?
Darn, so this is what I was doing wrong!
I was looking at the first “bad squat” video and was nodding: that’s how I do it. Now I am stuck at 195lbs for two weeks, and just today missed a workout because of knee pain.
Trying to practice the correct movement after reading your post, I feel I started doing it in two stages now. On the way down: first bend hips, then bend knees keeping the back angle almost the same. On the way up: first almost straighten the knees, then straighten hips almost at the top. Is that OK? Should I focus on doing both together? It is hard to unlearn bad habits.
@1337lolzz
It’s easier to go deep with a barbell. This video was shot at the end of a workout, pants were sweaty and legs were tired.
@Pedro/Young Athlete
Keep it on topic, off topic questions: in the forum as mjh pointed out (good explanation btw).
@Ryan
On front squats: push the hips back. It’s harder because of the more upright torso position, but you can do it. Think of squatting between your legs and go for the hamstring stretch (practice with body-weight squats, while feeling your hamstrings with your hands).
@Sifaan
Doing the squat stretch while holding on to something allows you to keep your torso more upright, this makes it easier to go deeper. When done correctly, the squat stretch while holding on to something is superior to the squat stretch with knees against legs.
You’ve got a +90° angle at the knee in the bottom squat position, so the knees will always flex. Again: the cue is to go for the hamstring stretch. Feel your hams with your hands, the more you sit back, the more tension. Go for max tension.
@Ashwin
Low bar back squat are like 40/60 quad/poster chain. Olympic Squats/front squats are more 50/50. If you need extra posterior chain work: glute ham raises, pull throughs, deadlifts, reverse hypers, box squats, single leg work with a big stride, etc
@N
Most people are quad dominant and need more posterior chain work. High bar squats are considered quad dominant exercises (they work the posterior chain, but not like low bar squats). It’s not a problem for a beginner, but it would be a problem as you advance. Try to switch to low bar.
@skirmish
If you first straighten your knees on the way up, you’ll end up doing a good morning. Squat up by driving your hips up.
General tip: don’t overthink this too much. Focus on stretching your hamstrings on the way down. The more you sit back, the greater the stretch, the greater the tension. Practice with body-weight squats and use your hands to feel your hams. Way up: bounce off the stretched hamstrings by driving your hips up. Don’t worry about knees/ankle/etc. Body know what to do, just focus on the hip movement.
This is incredible, exactly what I needed. Thank you so much!
What is this high bar and low bar position btw? What difference it makes? Is this something where we place the bar behind????
~ Hem
Yes that’s a good point. keep it simple. Just watch out your hips. on the way down, first hips BACK as far as you can. On the way up, first hips UP. that should take care of everything….
great blog! i definitely feel the stretch by pushing my hips back first. i have been squatting with my knees first….after 6 months in training, i have been getting frustrated with squats, as my bench press has passed it in strength. will deload today and work on this new feeling/technique. thanks!
Wow. I’ve been experiencing knee pain while squatting and couldn’t figure why! I was definitely squatting the wrong way! What perfect timing.
Wall squats
When you are doing those wall squats how many inch’s are your toes from the wall? Touching?
I just finally understood the hamstring stretch feeling, have been relying on my quadriceps so heavily, seems my Vastus Lateralis was doing most of the work as well as all the muscles in my adductors
Trying to figure out how to move to get your hamstrings to be as tight as possible was interesting, definitely have to put your butt as far back as you can without falling over
@Hemram4u
Low vs high bar influences torso position (more upright vs. more forward lean), influencing how muscles are worked. High bar has the bar higher on the traps. This is low bar:
@Feclar
The goal is toes touching the wall. Start a few inches off the wall at first to practice the movement. Decrease distance to wall as you improve.
just got back from the gym…deloaded and pushed hips back to feel the big stretch. my quads do not have to work as hard. it feels like the quads are being used 30% now. when i started squats at the knees, it felt like 70% of the work were being done by the quads. additionally i felt no pain in my knees or hips. great stuff…much more motivated to improve squats!
Great stuff Mehdi! I have been working out for many years (I’m 40 now) and never really got the squat technique down. When I was learning it really wasn’t taught that well. This site has been a wealth of knowledge and my squat technique has dramatically improved. It was almost like a revelation when I really started using my hips and really tightening my abs.
Keep up the good work!
james
Hi mehdi,
the videos don’t seem to work..i hope you can fix it soon it says that the videos are no longer available
i really wanna review this part of my squat because i’m always concerned about form when im squatting so much that it ruins the lift 
if you know what i mean
@Paowiee
Reload the page, videos will work. Youtube “hangs” from time to time. Check otherwise http://www.youtube.com/stronglifts
Hi Mehdi
I use the beginner training program and squat regularly - strength is improving and muscle development / definition is good.
However, I often wonder - given that we squat so much (and exercising the quadricep heavily) should we not also perform some kind of leg-curl exercise? Or are the flexor muscles in the upper leg worked sufficiently during the negative motion of the squat?
Cheers
Ravi
@Ravi
A low bar back squat is a posterior chain (hams/glutes/lower back) dominant exercise when done correctly. If you need extra hams/glutes work, you can suppliment with glute ham raises, reverse hyper-extensions, pull-throughs, deadlifts & variations, etc
My God I’ve now realised how this is such a simple yet over-looked (and vital) part of the exercise. Kind of like the catch part of a swimming stroke: not a particularly noticable or powerful movement in itself, yet if forgotten can rob the power from the rest of the stroke/exercise. I’ve been front squatting a lot recently, would you agree that this is a good exercise to demonstrate/practice the unlocking of the hips part of the squat as it is difficult to lean too far forward without losing the bar? Just a thought. Anyway thankyou Mehdi, I owe you my life, or at least my knees!
The squat stretch is excellent, but i feel ridiculous doing it in the gym. Ha.
Great article.
I have been doing the 5×5 for about 2 years now, and I still feel my form is worse on squats. Lately I have been feeling a painful tightness in the inside of my right knee, basically feels like my MCL is super tight and when I squat below parallel it hurts. Not debilitating hurt, but still noticeable nonetheless. I also squat barefoot, I don’t know if that effects anything. Any tips?