How to Squat and How to fix your Squat

Friday 3rd February 2023

Jeff Murray

How to Squat and fix your Squat

The squat is probably the most maligned and poorly taught exercise on the planet. Social media is full of videos telling people never to let their knees go forwards or that you must push your bottom back as far as possible. In most cases, (except where there is an absolute orthopaedic requirement) it's all nonsense and not based in reality or how your body is supposed to work.

How do we walk down a hill, the knees go over the toes, how do we ski, we push the shins and knees forward to the toes. There are many other examples of ankle flexion in action in our daily life and sports so please get those knees forward and open up the ankles. You must also work on keeping your chest up, so you must have good strength in your upper back to keep the chest up. This requires strength in your Lats and the other muscles that keep the chest up to maintain good posture and a neutral spine.

Hip hinging in a squat should be kept to an absolute minimum as the squat is not a bend exercise like a deadlift. We should look at the squat as a leg exercise, great for the quadriceps and the farther you get your knees forward to your toes or past the toes the better as long as everything else is lined up through the spine and the hips.

If you can't squat like this at the moment don't panic and don't start hip hinging either. You must start to work on the corrective stretches that I have briefly covered today to improve ankle flexion, spinal extension and hamstring flexibility. This list isn't comprehensive as there are many more issues that could crop up and that is worth anther video. For the time being what I have shown will often help and get you started on the road to squat recovery and better, ankle, knee and hip health.

A bit of information on me. I have over 25 years experience ( oops it's now 30 years ) of working within the fitness industry and also as the owner of a multi-disciplinary clinic where we deal with injury, pain and dysfunction. I probably have between 30,000 to 45,000 hours practical experience. My favourite thing is when someone cancels an operation because we are able to solve the problem through corrective exercise, treatment and strength, mobility and flexibility work.

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