How great are squats? They’re amazing for your body, and they can help improve strength, flexibility, and even balance.
The first thing to do if you’re experiencing knee pain while squatting is to make sure your stance isn’t too wide.
Your feet should be pointed straight ahead or pointed slightly out at most.
You’ll also want to make sure you’re bending from your hips and not hunching over as you would with a normal chair.
If this doesn’t help, then the next thing to try is switching up what type of squat you’re doing.
Front squats, which are basically just a more intense version of regular squats, can cause the knees to ache as well since they require even more flexibility than normal ones.
If you’re doing these, then try switching over to back squats and see if that helps.
If neither of those things works, then it may be time to take a break from squats for a while.
What are the Benefits of Squats?
1. Squats are a great way to tone your butt and thighs
2. Your core will get stronger with squats
3. You’ll build muscle in your glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, lower back, and abs
4. You can do squats anywhere – at home or in the office!
5. Squats are one of the best exercises for weight loss because they work so many muscles at once
6. They’re also an easy exercise that you can do on days when you don’t have time to go to the gym or workout outside
Squats are one of the best exercises a person can do for their body, but they come with some risks. Squatting too deep or too often can cause pain in the hips and knees.
This is an especially common problem for people who have tight hip flexors, overpronate (i.e., the foot rolls inward), and/or weak glutes and hamstrings.
The squat’s effects on your health depend on what you’re doing wrong, so if you want to keep doing squats without any side effects, it’s important to know how to fix them!
I’ll give you all the details below: why does this happen? How do we fix it? What else should we be mindful of when squatting?
Why does this happen?
In addition to the common reasons I just mentioned, squats can hurt when you’re not doing them properly. For example, if your squat technique involves improper body positioning or moving too quickly through each rep, you can easily injure yourself.
First of all: let’s talk about foot position! A lot of people tend to position their feet at an angle.
This is wrong! Your feet should be in line with your knees when you squat, not angled out towards the toes.
When I say “line,” I mean that your knee and foot should form a straight line from the kneecap to the heel. If you want me to put a number on it, I’d say your feet should be pointed straight ahead or maybe 10 degrees out at most.
How do we fix this?
If you’re happy with the way your squat feels now and would rather not make any other changes, then that’s fine! But if you’re experiencing pain in your knees or hips, there are a few things you can do.
The first thing to try is switching up the way you squat. You may want to play around with your foot angle, which I just mentioned, or try a different type of squat altogether.
Some people benefit from mixing front and back squats into their routine, while others find that they notice pain after a long time doing back squats.
If you find that you’re experiencing pain in your knees, then try front squatting instead of back squatting.
It’s the same movement but with different pressure on your knees, which means it can work for some people and not others!
For example, I notice my kneecaps hurting when I’m squatting with a bar on my back, but I don’t have any problems when I’m front squatting the same weight.
What else should we be mindful of when squatting?
If you’re feeling pain in your knees or hips while doing squats, then there’s one more thing you can do to help alleviate lower body pain: strengthen your hips, hamstrings, and glutes!
Your hip muscles have a lot of strength in them, and if you don’t exercise them, they can get weak.
The key to strengthening these muscle groups is to do exercises that encourage muscle growth.
For example, I like doing goblet squats or dumbbell deadlifts because it strengthens the muscles that stabilize my knees and helps me avoid injuring myself.
An easy way to do this is to: perform one squat variation (front, back, or goblet squat), rest for 30 seconds, and then repeat two more times.
Alternatively, you can also just start doing squats twice a day! Some people prefer Sunday’s exercise plan to be a day of rest, while others like to work hard every day.
How to Prevent Injury?
Here are some tips that can help you avoid injury when squatting: Try not to move too quickly through the range of motion – especially if you’re lifting weights heavier than your body weight.
This will save your knees and hips from exhaustion and could help you avoid injury. If your knees are hurting while doing squats, then try using a different type of squat.
If you want to continue doing traditional back or front squats, then make sure that you’re maintaining proper form in each rep.
Another way to prevent knee pain when squatting is by wearing the right shoes – flat-soled shoes may be a better option than high heels.
Conclusion
Squats are awesome exercises for your body, and I highly recommend you try them out if you haven’t already! If you’re experiencing knee pain and would like to continue squatting, I hope these tips will help you get started.
Remember: changing the way you squat or strengthening the muscles in your hips, hamstrings, and glutes can be a great way to prevent pain while doing squats.
If you’re still experiencing problems with squats, then I’d recommend visiting a physical therapist who can do some stretches for you!
