Squat gang how do I do squats without destroying my brittle knees

Frida Giezman

Frida Giezman

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Played basketball for years I got bad knees especially my left one

I don’t run because of how bad my knees are though using the straps that press on the patellar tendon helped tremendously when I used to run

instead of running I was doing work on the elliptical religiously until the pandemic hit and that kept my knees pain free

any who I wanna start doing work on the bar and pushups and dips but I don’t wanna ignore my lower body

a few weeks back I was working out in the crib with resistance bands and I decided to do some body weight squats

well I was clearly doing them wrong and/or did too many reps because my knees have been sore/stiff and in pain ever since

My knees are just now healing although they still pop but I can tell whatever damage I did is almost gone

I don’t want to go through that again so what tips do you have to prevent knee damage when doing squats?

should I wear those knee straps i mentioned earlier when squatting?

I naturally have big arms and big legs even when I don’t work out so should I just avoid squats all together?

let me know

thanks
 
Son Goku

Son Goku

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No, OP, you shouldn't wear patellar straps while squatting.

See below.

Lumumba said:
knee sleeves, start light and master form.
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Arnold said:
Spanish squats helped me with knee pain. Also, make sure you get your knees warm before you start squatting.
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River_trey said:
First 2 comments are key. Also what shoes do you squat with?
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All this.

1) Knee sleeves (NOT wraps) will keep your knees warm. Heat (why they call it warming up) decreases the likelihood of your muscles and connective tissues getting injured in exercise. (It's why you don't cool down until your done working.)

Put them on before you even leave for the gym and walking around will have your knees decently warmed up by the time you get to the rack.


2) Form. If you end up squatting too far over your toes you'll prolly end up having knee pain. Remember squats are a posterior chain exercise that use your quads, glutes, hamstrings, adductors, abductors, etc. Kinda like sitting down on a small box or stool, the motion should be fluid and use multiple muscle groups. You don't need to go ass to grass (i.e. have your calves touch your hamstrings), but if you aren't squatting to at least parallel (top of your knee is above the crease of your hips), you're actually putting more strain on your knees.

Half-and quarter-squatting recruits less muscle fibers, which puts more stress on your knees, and also makes you look like a bytch. Don't do it.


3) Start light. I started with the 45 pound bar and was squatting over 500 pounds like 2 and a half years later. Don't worry about how much other, stronger, more experienced people are lifting. If your ass can only squat 50 pounds, slap a 2.5 on each side and get to work. Don't add weight your muscles (and more importantly, joints, can't handle).


4) Frequency. Squatting is highly technical. The best way to get better at it is to practice it more frequently. Anything less than twice a week will prolly have your form lacking and lead to issues simply because your body is not as efficient at doing it as someone who does it more frequently.

(Your neural pathways are also more likely to be less developed because you're only recruiting for that specific movement pattern once a week or so, and that assumes you never skip a "leg day".)

Like anything else, you get better with practice. The practice for lifting weights is lifting weights. The more you do it with good form (as long as you can recover), the better you will get at it.


5) Avoid Smith machines. Free weights (barbells) recruit stabilizer muscles that help you to lift the weight efficiently for your body. Smith machines stabilize the weight for you: they don't recruit your stabilizers and they lock your body into a fixed plane of motion. Anyone whose body is not ideal for the machine (most people) will end up at a biomechanical disadvantage trying to squat in one.

Also, assuming you can do a certain weight in a rack because you did the same amount on a Smith machine will more than likely cause you to snap your shyt up.


6) Synergy. Squatting uses a lot of muscles, including ones in your back and core. A weak link in any utilized muscle group will cause another group to try and pick up the slack. Make sure you are strengthening all of the muscles recruited (abs, obliques, upper and lower back muscles, glutes, quads, inner/outer thighs, hammies) by doing other exercises so your knees don't get taxed more than they have to.


7) Stretching. Do dynamic stretches before squatting and static stretches and myofascial release work after squatting. Don't switch this order up.


If you have any other specific questions, feel free to ask here or in the Random Thoughts thread.
 
Son Goku

Son Goku

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1970s HeRon Flow said:
Wat good knee sleeves y'all recommend?

I'm at 315lbs for squat sets and havnt bothered to go higher cuz I'm paranoid of hurting myself, I feel some good sleeves will mentally help me feel better to go higher
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Sleeves won't prevent you from hurting yourself though, they'll just keep your joints warmed up and may give you a few extra pounds out of the hole.

Not much sense in going heavy if you're nervous and not going to compete anyways. :yeshrug:
 
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