Doing squats is just one of the numerous ways to burn calories and to have gains, but this one is really the spade of all the types of exercises. Being a spade means you need to invest more on how to do this right to obtain the best results that it can offer. Now, considering squatting as a spade, why do we still hear people hurting their knees whenever they do this? To avoid injuries such as this, and to enjoy more your workout sessions, this article will teach you how to squat without destroying your knees.
READ: The 28-Day Squat Challenge To A Completely New Booty
3 Tips on How to Squat Without Destroying your Knees:
1. Improve your posture/ squatting position.
The most obvious reason why you are in pain after doing some squats is that the parts of your body are not properly placed and lined. Before starting counting one, pay attention to your position. Here is a basic checklist on how to make sure that you are squatting in the right and best position:
- First, check the distance between your legs. Is it too wide or too narrow?
- Second, align your feet with your knees. Your feet support the weight of your knees.
- Third, ensure that you back is in a straight position.
- Lastly, always eye a good balance.
To help you check if you are doing squats in the right posture, ActivAided Orthotics designed a graphic for you:
2. Watch the intensity of your performance.
The cause of knee pain is muscle fatigue. When you do squats, you are working on your lower body muscles–either you are into toning it down, or gaining up some more towards being a full percent hunk. However, getting that perfect shape needs time. With that, never rush the manner of gaining by doing too intense squats.
The intensity must depend on how long have you been doing squats. For instance, if you are doing this like three times a week, then you may increase the intensity by the following week to come up with more evident results. However, as mentioned earlier, do not rush. Rushing and doing this in full intensity is one of the most common reasons why you are destroying your knees while doing squats.
READ: Back Squats VS Front Squats! What’s Better?
Aside from the number of times you squat in a minute, here is another important thing to consider when we talk about intensity:
Remember not to squat too low or too deep. Make sure that the intensity of your squat is done slowly (intensity increases every time you work out) to avoid muscle fatigue.
3. Wear a support.
If you think that you are in your best workout position or posture and that you are following a daily routine towards higher intensity workout, then the wrong might be in the way you protect yourself from your surroundings. How do we protect ourselves from possible injuries? This can be answered by simply checking what clothes are we wearing when doing our workout routines.
READ: The 5 best ways to improve your squat
Some reminders in choosing what to wear when squatting:
- Wear something that is not so tight.
- Pick the colors that motivate you to workout more.
- Remember to put additional layers when the weather is cold.
- Always consider your head. You have it avoid being hurt in the head.
- Check on the quality of your cloth, and the fabric that used to make it. This matters because you sweat a lot, and you do not want to be distracted by this.
- Wear clothes that are meant to support some parts of your body. For instance, ladies do wear a sports bra!
Just like wearing a sports bra for women, we need to protect our knees as we depend our whole weight on it. How? Check out this article on construct muscles’ rating for the best knee sleeves this year!
Conclusion:
We all want to get gains, but we do not want to feel the pain. Is it possible? Indeed! Those tips mentioned above will answer your query on how to squat without destroying your knees!
Always keep in mind that knee pain can be avoided if the three tips mentioned above will be considered before doing their next squatting activity. To know how to squat aka how to squat without destroying your knees properly, here’s Pop Sugar Fitness’ tutorial video to help you out!
Squat for muscle gains and to burn calories? Make sure you do it the right way to avoid destroying your knees. Learned something from here? Share your insights below and ask your friends to read this too!
Author bio: Gregory is a chief editor at ConstructMuscles.com. He spends half of my time on his blog while the other half on being a physical fitness trainer. Believing in the great benefits of bodybuilding and fitness to the body, he has been motivated to become a fitness enthusiast. Stay Connected to him on Twitter