Still forcing your knees behind your toes when you squat? That old cue may be loading your hips and lower back more than your knees. For years, lifters have been warned to keep their knees behind their toes during the squat. But for healthy, trained individuals , that rule is often too rigid — and sometimes counterproductive. A recent review found that natural anterior knee displacement can be normal, useful, and, in many cases, necessary for better squat mechanics and performance [1]. The short answer✍🏻 Knees moving past the toes during a squat are not automatically dangerous. In fact, limiting forward knee travel can force the body to compensate with more forward trunk lean, which may increase stress on the hips and lumbar spine [1]. So the real question isn’t: “Do my knees pass my toes?” It’s: “Am I squatting in a way that matches my body, my goal, and my pain level?” Where the myth came from 📚 The “knees over toes is bad” cue comes from older research and ...
If lunges hurt your knees, don’t ditch leg day 🦵 This PT-approved banded lunge fix can help reduce knee strain and improve your form. If you feel knee pain during lunges , you’re not alone. As a physical therapist, I see this often: people stop doing one of the best lower-body exercises because of anterior knee pain, patellar tendon pain , or movement mechanics that overload the joint. The good news? You usually do not need to quit lunges. You need to adjust the setup so your knees, hips, quads, and feet work better together. In this guide, I’ll walk you through a simple banded lunge setup that can reduce knee strain, improve alignment, and help you train with more confidence. What causes knee pain during lunges? 🤔 Knee pain during lunges often happens when: ✅The knee collapses inward ✅The hips are not contributing enough ✅The ankle and foot are not helping stabilize the movement ✅The quadriceps are not loading well ✅The patellar tendon is taking too m...