Squat Myth: Can the knees go over the Toes?
Another common squat myth is: KNEES SHOULD NEVER GO OVER THE TOES!
Somehow in the fitness and within some the medical professions some people believe, ‘that the knees should never go past the toes while squatting’. No one knows where this myth started though! The instruction is even a part of the National Strength and Conditioning Associations (NSCA) guidelines for how to teach a proper squat (1). Is it really that dangerous?
Knees over Toes?
When an athlete squats with a poor technique, they often start by driving the knees forward to initiate the squat. As the ankles move it causes the centre of gravity weight to shifted forward onto the balls of the feet. This type of movement problem has been called the “knees first” approach. Squatting this way leads increases the shearing forces on the knee joint and contributes to increased risk of injury and potentially eventually to pain (2).
At first appearance this issue would appear to be a problem of the knee athletes who squat poorly by moving their knees forward often develop knee pain. Therefore limiting forward movement solves the problem? The originators of the cue were probably well-intentioned coaches or physiotherapist trying to rectify this issue. Limiting the knees from moving forward only addresses the symptoms of a bigger problem… BALANCE!
Are ‘Ass to Grass’ squats bad for your knees?
Is ‘Ass to Grass’ squats bad for your knees?
The squat is a corner stone exercise in almost every strength and conditioning program.
However a myth still lingers (deep within the physio world) that deep squats are dangerous to the knees and should never be performed.
There is a range of opinions when it comes to optimum depth of the squat. Some die hard lifts believe in the fable ‘Ass to Grass’ squat that, ‘this is the way.’ While others believe quarter squats are sufficient for functional training such as Dr Joel Seedman.
So what is the optimum depth for a squat?