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Four Quick Ways To “Fix” Your Squat

Ask any trainer what their biggest form pet peeve is? Almost always, it’s squats. It drives us crazy, lol. Men & women alike. Beginners & advanced alike. Squats are always high on the list for biggest fitness offenders.

Squats are all about the booty, but many people feel it in their quads more. While your quads are doing some of the work, overcompensation for improper form may put too much strain on the front of the thigh (and knees) instead of the back of the thigh (booty, hamstrings). A few quick fixes can help put the work back where it belongs. :)

YOUR FEET ROLL IN

If your feet “roll in” (knees tend to lean in for a kiss as you squat), you’re probably putting too much strain on them (hence why many people worry about their knees when they squat). If this happens, try to spread the floor apart with your feet: imagine trying to smooth out a wrinkled towel that you’re standing on. This usually rights the issue, but it will feel uncomfortable at first. It gets easier with practice.

YOUR WEIGHT IS IN YOUR TOES

You hear “weight in the heel” a lot with squats. This makes sure your body weight is in the right place, taking the pressure off the knees and putting it in your glutes/hamstrings where it belongs. Many people lean forward in the squat, putting the weight in their toes (and pressure on their knees). A VERY quick “check”: wiggle your toes in the bottom of the squat. If your weight is too far forward, this will be impossible.

YOU LEAN FORWARD AND NOT BACK

Speaking of leaning forward… squats are about pushing your hips down and back. This is easier with your feet out wide, and toes pointed slightly to the side, not facing forward. The closer your feet are and the more forward your toes face, the harder it is to get that booty BACK. Your torso (rib cage) may come down towards your thighs, but your chest should be up and open, facing the front (eyes forward). Back is flat = not curved in and not booty poppin’ pushed out. Your hips push back, like a diagonal line, as far back as they can go, then you power up FROM the hips to come back to standing.

YOU CAN’T GET DOWN LOW

Hip flexibility plays a MASSIVE role in squats: it’s hard to get low if your hips won’t let you. Spend time stretching and opening your hips before and after a squat session: it can help improve your performance. (Did you know that olympic lifters are second only to GYMNASTS in terms of flexibility?). I warm up for squats with crescent lunges, pigeon pose and other hip openers, in addition to air squats and lunges.

It takes time to learn how to squat but even MORE time to unlearn improper form. Expect it to feel unnatural for a bit, but it’ll get easier and more automatic with time. :)