Goran asks...
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My name is Goran, I'm 20 years old, 74kg bw. So the questions is: when I do squats, and I do them really rock bottom, well below parallel, there is cracking sound in both of my knees. It just happens on deep squats, if I go to parallel or slightly below it doesn't "crack". But I do squats as deep as almost touching my heels with ass. They "crack" on 0 kg, on 50, on 110, 120, doesn't matter.
I've got no pain in knees, no problems at all. But I'd like to hear your opinion: should I stop ass to grass squats and just go to parallel to avoid that cracking sound, or is it safe? Thanks, Goran.
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The cause of cracking joints is still unclear. To be honest, my whole body has been cracking for years (especially my upper-back and shoulders). One theory is that the pop is gas released from your joints. I quit cracking my knuckles years ago, but there is no evidence that it would cause arthritis (source wikipedia). As you point out, the cracking is painless, so there's nothing to be afraid of.
One thing that seems to diminish the cracking is soft tissue work. Some say the cracking/popping joints is evidence of trigger points causing joint stress. You can eliminate those trigger points yourself with a foam roller. For cracking knees I recommend foam rolling your calves, but also your IT band etc.
Regarding Squats, I assume that your technique is correct (knees out and feet inline with your thighs). Better would be to Squat parallel simply because you can lift more weight and you need less hip/ankle mobility to do them correctly. I am NOT against "Ass-to-Grass" Squats by the way, I do them frequently.
So switch from high bar to Low Bar Squats, make sure your knees stay out and do soft tissue work with the foam roller for your knees. Always keep it simple.
When I first started Stronglifts more than a year ago, my knees would make cracking sounds too. No pain. And also for 0Kg – maxKg. It wasn’t hurting so I thought nothing of it and continued.
Then, about half way through the year, I was working on squat form technique fix and noticed that when I stuck my hips back and pushed my knees outward (what you should be doing for squats anyway) the sound disappeared. I then tested it at home without any weights and voila! Normal squat (not focusing too much on technique) cracks, proper technique does not crack.
Even today, about a year later, still the same thing. If I try squat down incorrectly, like with my knees more past my toes for example, it still cracks. However, the norm now is for it not to crack.
That’s just me and may be totally unrelated, but thought I’d share it nonetheless :)
Hello Goran,
I’ve been squatting for 47 years now. My knees sometimes make a cracking sound but there is absolutely nothing wrong with them. I always feel great so don’t worry.
Deep squats are fantastic. keep going, and again, don’t worry.
None of my joints ever crak while working out? Is this a curse or blessing now?
This is the million dollar question. I’ve done quite a bit of research on this and discovered that no one really knows what causes the cracking, but like Medhi says, it’s probably no big deal.
My ankles started cracking a lot when I started squatting, especially if I lean forward or walk down stairs. I’ve also found that this can be reduced somewhat by foam roalling and stretching.
Wow, wasn’t really expecting to get reply on this, not in this way, but I guess theres alot of people with that question. Really appreciate you took time to answer Mehdi and thanks to all people in comments too!
I used to have this issue too but once I started taking fish oil it went away.
Does anyone understand what Mehdi means by
“Better would be to Squat parallel simply because you can lift more weight and you need less hip/ankle mobility to do them correctly. I am NOT against “Ass-to-Grass” Squats by the way, I do them frequently.”
Mehdi espouses squatting below parallel, but here he says squat parallel and he also says he squats ATG/below parallel “frequently” which is different from consistently. I’m now confused. Can someone clarify this please.
My joints have also been cracking on squats and deadlifts too. I really noticed it today after reading this blog post this morning. There is no pain or other problems associated with it though.
I also have a cracking knee when doing full squats but since it doesnt hurt and seems not to affect my body I’m not worried about it!
After reading this post I was wondering just as user “Nez”, why Mehdi suddenly suggests doing parallel squats instead of deep ones.
Thanks if someone got an answer to this.
Yeah, same question in mind here as above. Why parallel squats now instead of deep ones? Isn’t it true that parallel squats can be actually bad for knees?
First the belt, now parallel squats…
Hey, I have the same exact problem, and I have been wondering about this for a while.
I do not believe it is a big deal since it is no pain at all. But it would be really great to get a professional input on this :)