» Cooper Institute Weighs in on Squatting Biomechanics

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Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D, C.S.C.S., is an internationally renowned fitness expert and widely regarded as one of the leading authorities on body composition training (muscle development and fat loss). He is a lifetime drug-free bodybuilder, and has won numerous natural bodybuilding titles.

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December 21, 2010

Cooper Institute Weighs in on Squatting Biomechanics

In a blog post titled, What’s Your Squat IQ?, the Cooper Institute did a solid job providing practical applications for squatting based on my recent review article appearing in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. However, one issue I have with the article was the recommendation that “if you can’t see your toes” when squatting then “you need to sit back more.” The general idea behind the advice is sound. Certainly you should try to minimize forward translation of your knees as much as possible to decrease forces acting on the knee. But this should not be done at the expense of greater forward lean, which significantly increases stresses on the lower back region–an area that is highly susceptible to injury. Moreover, the belief that you’ll somehow damage your knees as soon as they go past your toes during the squat is not supported by research. Ultimately body type will dictate squatting kinematics and some people simply will not be able to maintain a position where the knees stay behind the plane of the toes. Provided you do not have existing knee pathology, you shouldn’t worry about this as the detrimental effects of knees-over-toes during the squat are overstated.

Stay Fit!

Brad