This past week I’ve had 3 different ladies tell me they have knee pain when performing squats, lunges and other lower body movements. When I hear this complaint (and I hear it a lot) I always ask the person to perform a squat however they usually would. Almost every time their form is off but quickly fixed.
I’m going to discuss the three most common causes I see in the gym.
1. You’re only breaking at the knees / Not using your hips effectively.
This is the most common mistake I see people make. In squats and lunges jamming your knees out way past your toes is putting excessive pressure on the knee joint and will no doubt cause pain.
Fix: In squats you want to break at your hips and sit back. If you’re a little worried about balance I suggest you try box squats for a while to get used to the adjustment. In lunges, the fix is often as simple as making your lunge a little further so your knee doesn’t pass over your toes.
2. Weak hips causing knees to cave in.
When your gluteal muscles aren’t supporting your knees properly they will often cave inward. Repeating the movement without addressing this problem can cause knee pain and over time, under a heavier load, tissue damage.
Fix: The first step would be to strengthen the glutes. Hip thrusts, glute bridges and hip abductor variations and are all great exercises to include in your gym routine. I also suggest using a resistance band around your knees as something to press against as a physical cue to use when they start to cave in.
3. You’re pushing up through your toes.
This often comes hand in hand with the first mistake… your knee jams forward and your heel comes off the ground. Sometimes however the foot will appear flat on the ground BUT the pressure is still all put in the front of the foot, through the toes.
Fix: Learn to grip the ground. I’ve said this in my Lifting workshop and I’m going to repeat it here. I want you to imagine your foot as a tripod. You have three points of contact that should always be in contact with the ground: your heel, the base of your big toe and the base of your little toe. My favourite cue to think about is to ‘screw your feet into the ground’. Your knees put out and your feet screw out and grip down.
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Squats and lunges should be staples in your workout. Don’t live with knee pain but please don’t let it stop you lifting either! Focus on finding the fix and mastering your form.
If you have any questions, you can find me on Instagram @_soph_fit and Facebook @Soph-fit
