Buzz
- Does squatting really harm the knees or is it just someone's ill intent?
- Essential equipment for Squat enthusiasts
Has anyone here ever gone to the gym without hearing about squat exercises? Definitely not, but merely knowing the name isn't enough; you must understand this controversial exercise thoroughly.
It's undeniable that squat exercises yield significant results; every gym-goer has trained with it at least a few times. However, you may have heard rumors that squatting is detrimental to the knees.
So does squat exercise really harm the knees or is it just someone's ill intention?
Can squatting be harmful to the knees?
In reality, its benefits outweigh those of many other exercises, so you should still incorporate it into your routine.
Whether you're a bodybuilder, powerlifter, or a ballet dancer, you all need to do squats.
The question is: How to exercise?. And the answer is to strive for safe practice without compromising its benefits.
In sports, as well as in everyday life, knee issues always pose serious concerns, but don't let that scare you away from squats.
Simply performing squats correctly will prevent all the potential 'hazards' it may pose.
Step-by-step guide on how to squat in detail
Anatomy specifics of the knee
To maintain a healthy knee, you need to understand its function and structure, and how it operates.
Our knees act like hinges on a door, allowing easy bending and straightening of the leg.
However, it's more complex with numerous connecting joints inside, and if any joint malfunctions, it can lead to knee issues.
Some argue that the quadriceps and hamstrings should be equally strong for balance, but in reality, as a former Powerlifter, my hamstrings were sometimes twice or thrice as strong as my quadriceps.
For smooth knee function, it requires the involvement of 7 factors: Bone, ligaments, tendons, muscles, fluids, fat tissue, and cartilage.
Let's delve a bit into these factors.
Essential equipment for Squat enthusiasts
There are 2 crucial things that Gym-goers need to equip when squatting to protect their knees: shoes and knee wraps. And of course, you must choose these two items extremely carefully as they directly affect your knees if chosen incorrectly.
How to choose squat shoes
Choosing shoes is like choosing tires for a car; choosing the right pair of shoes will make your workout safer. Using old or improperly fitting shoes will make your training unsafe.
Most athletic shoes are designed with inadequate stability vertically or horizontally and there are very few types that support heavy lifting.
Nike Lifting Shoes for squatting
When performing squat exercises, your feet tend to tilt inward, causing your knees to tilt as well, leading to imbalanced pressure and uneven stress on the kneecap, resulting in chondromalacia (roughly understood as cartilage softening due to friction).
If your feet tend to rotate inward as described above, it's advisable to buy a pair of specialized squatting shoes as soon as possible.
The reason for choosing specialized squatting shoes is because they provide excellent support for your heel. They prevent foot rotation, reducing pressure on both sides of the knee ligaments.
Finally, even if your specialized squat shoes still look good on the outside, prolonged use doesn't guarantee their functionality as they may have compressed over time and may no longer provide adequate support.
Think carefully about your choice; a tennis shoe is designed for tennis players weighing 60kg, not for someone lifting 100kg weights.
So, what are the criteria for choosing shoes?
Knee Wraps
A healthy knee brings numerous advantages, especially for Powerlifting competitions. When used correctly, it ensures the safety of your knee joints during heavy Squat exercises. In fact, it can even help you lift an additional 5-10% of the normal weight you can handle.
Knee wraps should be 5-6 meters long.
Of course, it also has its downside in hindering muscle development as it absorbs much pressure instead of your muscles.
Here's how to buy and use knee wraps:
Warm up to improve blood flow to your knee joints. If you're lifting weights above 80% of your strength or you have knee issues, wearing these knee wraps is mandatory.
When buying, choose thick ones (more layers for better protection) and at least 5-6 meters long. More wraps mean better knee protection.
Avoid buying overly bulky and short wraps shorter than 4.5 meters; they often lack the elasticity needed to protect your knees.
To wrap the band, follow these steps:
Stance Affects Knee Joints
We have various Squat exercise variations like Hack Squat, Leg Press, and your foot placement is crucial for exercise effectiveness, also impacting your knee joints.
Everyone has different bone structures, so we need to find the position that suits us (usually determined by the height of your torso compared to your legs), so consider the following:
Front thighs will be more impacted, but toes pointing outward, and actually, your toes shouldn't be straight 90 degrees forward, lean about 30 degrees, and you'll notice a significant difference.
Squatting with excessively wide stances can cause an abdominal muscle called the Adductor to excessively support the front thigh, potentially leading to imbalance, excessive cartilage compression, and misalignment of the kneecap.
Ensure your knees always align with your toes; inward knee rotation creates lateral pressure, straining the ligaments excessively.
Although top bodybuilders often train with narrow-stance squats to enhance outer thigh muscles, this position also poses hidden risks, especially engaging the lower back muscles heavily to support weight lifting. If you perform squats in this manner, pay attention to placing your heels where they can generate the most force (called the athletic position).
Always thoroughly warm up your knee joints before squatting to ensure better lubrication of fluids and cartilage in the joints.
Maintain back strength to balance with knee joints; many accidents relate to weak and less flexible lower backs.
Lastly, if deciding to train without machine support, first reduce the weight by half because training without machines while still using the same old weight significantly increases the risk of accidents. When training with free weights, you need to utilize more balance and control skills, which takes time to master.
When training with Free Weights, keep your feet firmly planted on the floor like nails driven in; moving both feet while performing squat exercises can lead to imbalance and accidents.
Common knee joint issues when performing squat exercises
- Chondromalacia: This is a condition where the cartilage of the knee becomes soft due to joint degeneration. If you have this condition, it's advisable to avoid squat exercises as well as exercises that put a lot of strain on the knee joints. Besides exercise-related causes, it can also result from aging, repetitive movements, biological malfunction, and genetic factors.
- Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS): Characterized by pain in front of the kneecap, worsening with movement. This condition arises from an imbalance in the middle and sides of the knee.
- Unstable patella: The sudden forward displacement of the patella often occurs in individuals with a history of knee injuries and inadequate ligament support.
- Swelling/pain: If you experience internal injury, immediate medical attention is advised.
- Clicking sounds: Clicking noises when bending or straightening the knee are usually not concerning unless accompanied by pain, discomfort, or swelling.
We'll delve deeper into the debate on whether squatting beyond the toes is harmful or not next time; this article is getting too long 😄
Posted by: Xuân Từ Thị Thanh
Keywords: Everything about squat exercises and knee injury Gymer must read
