Squat Technique: Drive The Knees Forward and STOP "Sitting Back"

[@BaldOmniMan]

This channel is a hidden gem of strength + conditioning.

[@PRsPerformance]

Thank you!

[@Kevflar]

Couldn't agree more!

[@catedoge3206]

yes

[@LawrenceMarshall-rx7bc]

I can recognise so much of what you are saying in my squat technique 😮. Time to review and retrain. Thanks for the information 👍🏻

[@PRsPerformance]

You're welcome!

[@adarshhanda3072]

One of the best Squats video I have seen on KZbin. Thank you sir

[@PRsPerformance]

My pleasure!

[@harrisashraff]

This channel is gold. You deserve more subscribers brother. Thanks for the quality Content.

[@PRsPerformance]

I appreciate that!

[@beesmongeese2978]

Getting closer to a perfect squat. I remember once. When I was still clueless about squatting, I put the bar in a low bar position and squatted it without any specific cues in mind. After countless guides and videos and trying to do a Rip squat, I have never felt as stable, solid and strong at the bottom as I did on that one set, whatever the weight I use. Thanks for your advice, hopefully it will help me unlearn what I have learned.

[@PRsPerformance]

Well you answered a bit of your own issue in that statement, need to stop overthinking, hopefully this video helps with that and simplifies things a bit for you!

[@Valarizator]

Bees, during the squat bar shifting forward when im getting up. Do you think its because i dont maintain bar over my midfoot?

[@beesmongeese2978]

@@Valarizator Yes, I think so. If you are like I was, you are trying to place the load on the arch of the foot. Instead, aim closer to the ball of your foot. To do this, don't bend at the hips; instead, tilt your entire body forward. Don't do it so much so that your heels lift off. You should feel more of the surface of your feet being planted, not less. As you descend and come back up, maintain this sensation in your feet for the entire time. Your bar path should now be vertical, because you started a bit more forward, stayed there during the movement, and finished there. It may feel wrong at first because it's new, but you will finally feel your quads working (and everything else!) I always heard the cue of bar over mid-foot but it turned out I that just wasn't applying it. If you don't see this issue when you use lighter weights, then you just have weak quads.

[@iDj1337]

This advice is hopefully life-changing. Been squatting the past 5 years and got very very bad pelvis/hip knee issues while applying rippetoes technique on the squat. I always sat back and drove my knees out like you can watch on the internet and this actually fcked my whole life. Since then, I have very bad gait issues in daily life and even my physio told me to drive my knees out while I did rehab.. Unbelievable. I really hope my life will change with a better squat technique. The most annoying thing now is that my squat form is pretty crooked.. Sad but true

[@PRsPerformance]

Oh man, sorry to hear, but hopeful this can get you on the right track!!

[@angus7102]

Amazing video man. My understanding of biomechanics improved tremendously from this video. I unfortunately have to admit that I used to think that knees out hips back was really the right way to get depth, but now I understand. Thank you!

[@PRsPerformance]

Glad it helped!

[@newworldbusinessfinance9043]

Some of the best Squat advice and interpretation I've ever heard. Also, this could be summed up as a Olympic Squat form. Sorry powerlifters:)

[@PRsPerformance]

Thank you!

[@YourMuvva]

Uhm why tf am I just finding this guy now? This video is a fkn gem. So technical which I love.

[@PRsPerformance]

Enjoy!

[@Coalemos]

This is definitely helpful. I was sitting back and didn't realise it. I'm very new to squatting and I've avoided it because I don't know what I'm doing. I tried a high bar squat a few days ago and it went ok, I think. My quads were on fire the next day, I couldn't believe it. I've been practicing using the counter balance as soon as I saw it. Now I'll watch the rest and practice more and try again. The thing that's throwing me is not feeling it in my heels and sometimes going on my toes.

[@PRsPerformance]

Toes are there to help stabilize, so that’s not always a bad thing. The toes unlike the heel can actually actively shift you back to your midfoot. The heel can’t flex or push like the toes, so once you rock too far back on your heel you don’t have the same active way to re-shift forward.

[@Coalemos]

@@PRsPerformance great, thank you for replying! I'll keep practicing and try keep these things in mind. I have avoided the big compound lifts for too long and I want to get strong as well as training for hypertrophy (my main goal). I've recently come to realise I have to get strong too rather than pissing about with moderate weight at cable stations. A road I almost went down thanks to an overabundance of "fitness influencers" looking for clicks.

[@Stevenn2186]

Excellent video! however I will say that what impresses me even more is how this video overcame the Squat University Algorithm cause apparently since like 2019 that is the only channel youtube thinks I should watch for all my fitness related goals. So thank you! 😅

[@PRsPerformance]

Overcoming Squat U on your YT recommendations is the greatest accomplishment I could ever hope for!!

[@mustafaabd.7014]

The best thing I did for my squat was watching this and not using the heeled shoes. Again, thank you so much for what you do.

[@PRsPerformance]

Awesome to hear!

[@shaguftapalijo3083]

What is the best cue then for people who struggling with knees driving forward

[@PRsPerformance]

@@shaguftapalijo3083 Well the actual cue is to drive the knees forward, but if that doesn't work, choosing variations that force more forward knee travel like high bar squats or goblet squats can help to get a better idea of what that feels like.

[@VTF82]

Around 14:40.. what a great but simple 'cue'! Thanks for your videos!

[@PRsPerformance]

You’re welcome!

[@macthemighty]

Thank you so much for this ..ive been over complicating my squat and trying so many things at once...The knees out and even foot pressure means i dont need to think about sitting back at all.I recorded my squat from the side and its straight up and do...I still wear weightlifting shoes for this id assume that's o

[@PRsPerformance]

Glad it helped!!

[@jocelynpawlicki4378]

Thanks to a friend for showing me this video. I reached out to an SS coach who told me to basically stop high bar squatting because my knees are sliding forward. After viewing this, I’m wondering if just wearing flat would make things better for me. My squat is strong but definitely some room for improvement.

[@PRsPerformance]

That is hard to say without seeing your squat, but I can say high bar and low bar squats are not that far apart with their general movement. So I don't agree with you being told to stop doing them.

[@benchgoblin]

everyone trying to squat relatively heavy to depth should watch this

[@PRsPerformance]

💪

[@Tinfoiledhat]

Great explanation....I never could understand what to believe, this just makes total sense.

[@PRsPerformance]

Glad this helped clarify!

[@failurehaus5979]

Rip is shivering

[@PRsPerformance]

Hot take: RIP is irrelevant within powerlifting at this point in time.

[@richardsolorio5910]

Excellent instructional video! Oh, by the way, I don't know if anyone has ever told you this before... but, from what I can see is that you are a "hip dominant squatter."

[@PRsPerformance]

No one has ever told me that

[@JesseBurnette2D]

I can't wait to try this once my gym opens. My squat pattern is so messy feeling, but already just after doing body weight squats this feels a lot more natural.

[@PRsPerformance]

Awesome, hope it translates to the barbell as well!

[@imadhammou3159]

i'm at half of the video, and already fixed my squat lol you are brilliant sir!

[@PRsPerformance]

That's awesome man!!

[@dritanvarfi5274]

Right on point...breaking it down accordingly

[@PRsPerformance]

🫡

[@2013swimmer]

Thank you thank you thank you. I can't thank you enough for this detailed explanation. I couldn't figure out why I had a slight good morning squat and I've tried everything to break from it. I was always told the old way of squatting down by going back first, then down. I have also been working on ankle mobility every day for the past 2 weeks and it is really improving. The cue knees forward and chest lean are helping immensely and I feel so much stronger already! I have a meet Oct 3rd (hopefully). Thank you so much!

[@PRsPerformance]

You're welcome, great to hear how much it helped!!!

[@radreynolds8978]

I think sitting back works really well if you also combine it with knees forward. It tends to put your torso at the appropriate angle to hold isometrically throughout the lift, as opposed to either rocking back onto the heels, or running into the wall of dorsiflexion

[@PRsPerformance]

Your torso shouldn’t be holding isometrically through the lift though, it has to go through degrees of lean and hip flexion to counter balance any forward and back movement to maintain your center of mass.

[@radreynolds8978]

@@PRsPerformance That's fair enough but basically what i mean is there's less wobbling and more of a consistent smooth gradient to the angle.

[@sentinelx3331]

Dude. You are awesome. Your cues helped me out a lot. I've lessen my butt wink since I incorporated the chest lean with the knees moving forward. Thank you!!

[@PRsPerformance]

Awesome to hear!!!

[@JoeGoldJr]

I wish I could still barbell squat, stupid arthritis in the patella has stopped that for me. I find I can still do the horizontal leg press for at least some resistance training for the legs but it's not the same of course. Getting old sucks.

[@PRsPerformance]

Sorry to hear, just keep doing what you can!

[@mls_33]

This is a great video. Personally I have a very wide stance and do cue sit back a bit, but that is primarily to battle poor balance I tend to have and keep the bar over midfoot. I do tend to focus on getting the knees forward out of the hole

[@PRsPerformance]

Everyone is different, so some will prefer that wide stance, and usually that leads back to something with your genetic hip anatomy that pre-disposes you to being more comfortable in that position than for others!

[@salsolis9254]

I work with a lot of gen pop. I will def try out the basketball stance cue. It’s a much easier way to explain “get the knees forward early and leave them there”

[@PRsPerformance]

And I’d definitely say I say cue gen pop a bit different, but getting them in that “basketball stance” can really help simplify the bottom half of the movement, as all they really have to do from there is drop straight down.

[@youcefazri7009]

Great video iam rewatching the serie every couple of months and always taking new info. So i know that average stance translate to less forward knee travel ( less quads more glutes). My question would be how would you go about choosing the strongest stance is it by experimentation over a long period or should i invest in closer stance because it will always be stronger

[@PRsPerformance]

David Woolson did a really good video on this topic on Powerlifting Now, I'd recommend checking that out

[@mahadadnan5704]

22:30 good visual cue

[@PRsPerformance]

That's great, hope it helps!

[@kevinAdobo]

Zach's form is so close to perfect needs more videos of him so I have a guide

[@PRsPerformance]

Go check out his IG page @zachmaeda

[@fawzaanmohammad6782]

I'm supposed to be working but I have to watch the latest video by you whatever it is😭😭

[@PRsPerformance]

Haha, you win for fastest comment ever too, I didn't even know it was done processing and you beat me to the first view!!

[@fawzaanmohammad6782]

@@PRsPerformance Haha post notifications on

[@angelooddo1163]

Phenomenal video as always. I was originally squatting or trying to squat like the "White Rhino"..my coach corrected that immediately, but my squats have never looked better since watching these videos. Pick up a little something every time. Don't stop dropping content.

[@PRsPerformance]

Great to hear!

[@youcefazri7009]

Hello, i tried the techniques you explain in the series and my squat improved tremendously during the last 15 weeks. While iam letting my knee travel inward when starting to go up cause it feels more natural, there is a another well known Chanel where the speaker argues that its bad for the knees and he gives exemple of Chinese wheight-liftiters who they are tought to always keep the knees out and it's true when seeing their performance on stage. Can you provide more inputs on this matter. 🙏

[@PRsPerformance]

I have a whole video on that exact topic so I’d recommend checking that out.

[@alexandrango2265]

such great content. I love how you simply explain techniques and cues. thank you for taking the time to really break things down visually. keep up the great work

[@PRsPerformance]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed!

[@davidvaldez610]

This channel is amazing 🔥

[@PRsPerformance]

Glad you’ve enjoyed!

[@skylarvaneeka]

12:34 for how to

[@PRsPerformance]

haha you are just helping everyone miss my extremely long winded explanations now!!

[@rakimashraf7280]

Legend

[@MeharBhogal]

Interesting video. I've found many raw lifters allow too much knee travel (perhaps because tight sleeves give the false sensation of knee extension strength) which places a demand greater than the quads can supply, and that results in the wave pattern you spoke of (hips shoot back out of the hole and then finish the lift). I don't like the sit back/knees out cue either, but I do see many raw lifters sit too far into the knees, and therefore often do end up telling them to sit back more (finding that balance between quad and hamstring/glute/adductor demand). Interestingly, I have noticed many elite raw squatters do use "incorrect" technique to get out of the hole. Dani Melo squatting far into the knees and the hips rising slightly early, Amanda Ann with knee cave, Orhii and Atwood with a "flinch" in the upper back. I'm unsure of the injury risk from such.. compensations(?), but it has been interesting to note that many elite squatters do not (purposely?) use correct form, which therefore helps them out of the most challenging position.

[@PRsPerformance]

So I definitely don't want to downplay the fact that in a powerlifting low bar squat, a hinge is a foundational component. So yes, 100% there are some people that get too knee flexion dominant and start to avoid the need for a hinge being present. Obviously within that, genetics and someones natural leverages play a big role in the knee flexion verses hinge demands. And as for those top lifters, that is always tough, as they don't fit the mold of "perfect form", but they very well may have adapted in the sense for how to optimally position their individual leverages for maximal strength. I talk about Amanda and her knee cave in particular in my knee cave video.

[@MeharBhogal]

@@PRsPerformance I'll give it a look!

[@sweetcheex]

Thanks for this video, helps break things down very well, I came here through stumbling about driving knees forward in the squat and Jeffrey Wolf on IG / Strength Culture on YT and he was the person I originally took strong notice of with his Threads posts about simplifying the squat. I've had knee pain particularly left knee, almost lateral above my calf / below my knee crease but also behind so not directly what I consider LCL position. I believe it is from driving knees out cue but time will tell, I just see people effortlessly sit into a squat with bodyweight for example but my knees need more warming up time it feels and I have this fear reflex almost because I'm expecting that pain.. Doing my typical stuff now though like warming up the knees and I've also suffered with quad tendinopathy from overly stretching too much too soon, just working on leg extension isometrics, reverse / normal sled pull/pushes and airdyne bike on leg days to get some blood flowing and seeing how the knees forward position helps things in time. Word essay so apologies but also wanted to vent almost my situation and see how thing work out. Thanks again!

[@PRsPerformance]

Welcome! Pain is not simple and likely multiple factors playing into that, including your overall workload.

[@sweetcheex]

@@PRsPerformance agreed yes! Too much too soon, even with the newer technique change and still handling the same loads as I did with more of a "knees out" is going to distribute more load to the vmo etc. id hazard a guess which likely also didn't help with the quad tendons flaring up plus just over stretching due to my hip pinching at the front and trying to sort of quick fix my knee pinching too. Ironic really! Thanks again and I look forward to my my squats again today!

[@michaelwarm1751]

Thank you x1000 So much stuff i'm picking up from your videos are helping me tremendously, my Squat especially.

[@PRsPerformance]

Great to hear!

[@Isaac-dt4iv]

Thanks dude!

[@PRsPerformance]

No problem!

[@nelsonosoful]

Wow! Thanks for this video

[@PRsPerformance]

You’re welcome!

[@rokman5000]

I've always felt incredibly stronger with a closer stance and knees forward stance than a wider more vertical shin angle squat.

[@PRsPerformance]

I’d say most are!

[@hanskazan7403]

Really good video, Mark bell and max aita has a good squat video on this too its about the highbar squat

[@PRsPerformance]

Max Aita has been fighting the good fight of driving the knees forward for a while!

[@1337vIKz]

I have a question. During your demonstration, you emphasize going straight up keeping all the angles and back position as unchanged as possible. However, when showing what you consider to be a beautiful or almost perfect squat (the last lifter you show), you can clearly see that he doesn't in fact drive straight up. Out of the bottom, his hips go first slightly back and up, as opposed to straight up. This is something that you said is "wrong" when going over one of the first lifers you coach. It's also not something you do when you are showing the ascent with the bar on your back (around minute 21:00). Thoughts?

[@PRsPerformance]

Hip shoot will happen at times. If center of mass is fine, then it’s just a pattern needed for that lifter to overcome demands.

[@1337vIKz]

⁠​⁠@@PRsPerformance Okay :) I ask this because for the longest time, I've always tried to come up straight out of the bottom of the squat. Basically try to reverse the motion going down, but doing it on the way up. And I pushed hard with my quads at the bottom and got about halfway up when suddenly the bar stops moving and it feels like it weighs twice as much as it did at the bottom. My hips shoot up to compensate and I stick out my butt like a stripper and have an extended back, while trying to keep pressing through my quads. My squats at 80-90% of 1RM looked great and went straight up and down, but 90-100+ % were horrible, much heavier and enormous grinds. I finally stopped trying to squat straight up and started doing what the last lifter does, shifting the hips ever so slightly back, and if I can’t find midfoot pressure, I bias the pressure more towards the heels. And my squat felt A LOT better. A lot smoother and stronger without any major sticking point. So as long as I try to stay balanced over the midfoot, driving with the hips back at the bottom is fine?

[@EandaGamez]

Do you have any tips to squat higher? I dont dive bomb my squats but i still tend to go considerably below parallel and would like to squat higher to improve efficiency. Thanks for all the content too, love the channel

[@PRsPerformance]

1 of 2 things. Adjust stance width to where it limits your depth to right where it needs to be. Or simply cue “squat high”. Sounds too simple, but I’ve had many people I’ve coached that I’ve literally told to squat high and make it feel like you are not hitting depth, but then that magically is right where they need to be then.

[@EandaGamez]

@@PRsPerformance thanks for the suggestions!!

[@jassohal4273]

Would these tips also work for high bar squat? I haven't tried it with weights yet but what you did at 20:45 really makes more sense to me than "sitting back."

[@PRsPerformance]

Yes 100% would apply to high bar as well!

[@klimicpowa]

Nice video! I have much stronger glutes than quads, thus, "sit back" style is stronger for me for now... what accessory exercies would you recomend to catch up with my quads?

[@PRsPerformance]

Hack squats and belt squats

[@idrisshammadi5343]

Comparing with my squat i do exactly the same; knee forward and hip down and also the chest. I wanted to ask how much should i let down my chest? Because from what i saw in my squatting videos my chest tends to lean a lot is it natural because am trying to keep the bar as u said above my midfoot?

[@PRsPerformance]

That’s all dependent on your leverages, some people will lean more, some less

[@eduardocastaneda2961]

29:05 is pure gold. 😂

[@PRsPerformance]

😂😂😂😂

[@chronicell998]

Hi, thanks for the video. How would you overcome a weak back holding back your squat?

[@PRsPerformance]

1.) Your back likely isn’t weak, either there are positioning errors or comparative weakness in the hip extensors. 2.) Conventional Deadlift, RDLs, 45 degree hyperextensions

[@chronicell998]

@@PRsPerformancethanks for the reply. I can belt squat more than someone whose back squat is 70kg higher than mine haha - thus why we think it's a weak back. I assume you'd have to train those 3 excercises at similar intensity to your squat to benefit? So 1-3reps?

[@JuanyJuanes]

Bro this video is fucking amazing. I'm so glad I found it. You can see on my channel that my squats are hard for me and it feels almost impossible to go lower than above parallel. I was taught to squat by sitting back, then I would get the shift you describe coming back up. I watched a couple of guys who have similar strength, but go lower and I noticed their knees are further forward. Thank you for the video. I tried it and my squats feel smoother

[@PRsPerformance]

You'e welcome!!! Hope this leads to some PRs soon!

[@emgmin]

This just makes so much sense it's stupid. Wow. Thank you.

[@PRsPerformance]

You're welcome!

[@UFOOL95]

How does this apply to a high bar squatter. I've been taught many different things, break and the knees and hip at the same time, but id often feel not balanced over the mid foot. Now I've been taught hinge back then squat, but now i get lower back tightness doing that. What to do lol

[@PRsPerformance]

Same principles apply to a high bar squatter

[@UFOOL95]

@@PRsPerformance Appreciate the clarification, looking forward to applying it during my squats and seeing how they progress.

[@linealgaming6366]

Gold thanks

[@PRsPerformance]

Welcome!

[@DanialJones]

Great breakdown, awesome vid as usual man.

[@PRsPerformance]

Thank you, appreciate it!

[@Connorleadbeater1]

Is there a reason it feels more easier and natural to drive my knees forward when I’m wearing a heeled shoe as opposed to when I’m wearing flats? Should I transition to heels if this is the case?

[@PRsPerformance]

Because the heel elevation naturally is going to bias the knees forward more to counter balance and maintain center of mass.

[@mcduckplays9479]

does this cue apply to a certain extent with all squat movement patterns? (BSS and front squats) for example

[@PRsPerformance]

Yes, generally it would apply to other variations of a squat pattern as well.

[@DarkOnyx84]

Driving hips back(with chest up :D) and in effect stretching hamstrings got me to tear them up. It took me 6 months to be able to fully recover after this injury. Since then I've changed my technique to knee driven and had 0 issues to this day.

[@PRsPerformance]

Good to hear things are back to feeling healthy!!

[@famualum7777]

Another great video

[@PRsPerformance]

Thanks again!

[@potatogirl6125]

Awesome one!!!!

[@PRsPerformance]

Thanks!!

[@youcefazri7009]

Thanks for your videos and online Free programs I have a question. I saw some powerlifters befor they start the squat the first exaggerate a hing and chest Forward then they start the descent so instead of braking simultaneously at the hip and the knees they lean forward then break at the knees this way the chest dont have to move much What are your thoughts about this technique i may add i saw it on professional powerlifters

[@PRsPerformance]

Typically not a fan. There are some people that works for, but for most it gets them into trouble with overhinging

[@Connorleadbeater1]

How can I stop myself from wanting to squat more upright, should I lean forward with my torso a little before driving my knees forward? I see a lot of People say to Hinge before decending

[@PRsPerformance]

Basically this entire video is explaining how to do that, so I’m not sure what else to do recommend. You can start with a little more hinge or adjust your head position down a bit.

[@rhyde]

Hey man! What prerequisite movements would you recommend to help feel driving the knees forward more?

[@PRsPerformance]

Counterbalance squats, goblet squats as warmups or high/SSB squats as variations

[@rhyde]

@@PRsPerformance❤️

[@ziyuzhao5943]

Great video! But my question is what if an individual, due to hip anatomy, can't drive the knee forward because before reaching depth his/her femur will touch the pelvis? He/She has to drive knees more outward to reach optimal depth.

[@PRsPerformance]

I’d be looking at stance width then. Drives the knees forward doesn’t always mean literally straight forward, as the wider you go the more “forward” will also entail out, as it needs to follow the direction of your foot angle.

[@ziyuzhao5943]

@@PRsPerformance Make sense. If you would like to have time stamps on future videos that would be fascinating !

[@РуменИванов-ь7ч]

My squat is similar to your lifter zach, and I have more forward knee travel even in flats. If you have to, what would you do to fix it?

[@PRsPerformance]

I would not be able to answer that question without coaching you and seeing videos of your squat.

[@EandaGamez]

I'm suffering from knee pain and I still feel pain doing a knee over toes squat. Do I lower the weight I do until my pain goes or just keep squatting and the pain will eventually go?

[@PRsPerformance]

That’s something you likely need to contact a Physical Therapist who works specifically with Powerlifters to assist you on.

[@biesman5]

Hey, I just read your article about heel vs flat shoe for squats and you mentioned that most of your lifters use a shoe with 15.5mm heel. I was wondering what shoes are there with that heel height because most weightlifting shoes I've found have either 0.75 or 1 inch heel. Thanks!!

[@PRsPerformance]

The new Nike Savaleos are my go to for that lower heel height shoe.

[@mohitdarla1254]

Hey man, absolute gem of a video. I tried breaking with knees and hips at the same time but squats felt ugly and terrible when I went to 185-245. I just rewatched it and now I understand that I should put more emphasis on knee break and over exaggerating the hip back cue. I'm weak mentally man. So many times I had to fix form and so many times I get frustrated. I actually had a pretty damn good low bar back squat 2 months ago with same weight I'm doing now, but idk how I developed a terrible good morning squat. Also, what do you do when you experience bad weeks or days? U got a new sub man

[@PRsPerformance]

You have to focus on what you can control. You can't control what has happened in the past, its a sunk cost, but you can control how you react and your attitude moving forward. 1 bad day or 1 bad week is a tiny blip in the grand scheme of most people's powerlifting career. Every single person who has ever lifted is going to have bad days, weeks, and even months. But the people who succeed have a short term memory and move onto the next workout like they've got a clean slate to only improve.

[@mohitdarla1254]

@@PRsPerformance You're right thanks a lot man. Also one more question when I'm going on the descent, I tend to bend over for more depth. How can I fix this issue?

[@benlifitness830]

do you suggest leaning forward and locking torso before start descending? i will lock my torso forward and i just extend my knees forward and squat while not changing torso angle like i adjusted before descend.

[@PRsPerformance]

No I don’t recommend doing this, too often leads to someone over hinging and it’s harder to manage your center of mass due to that initial shift.

[@ethanbyrne5592]

Hey fella, I’ve switched to high bar and am trying this stuff out. On the ascent, would you say to push your knees forward too? I was a low bar squatter through and through, but did none of that wide stance stuff. Long story short I had muscle imbalances, mobility issues etc and have ended up with piriformis trouble. My right quad is way smaller so I’m trying to learn to re-pattern a high bar squat to bring it up and take the strain off the piriformis

[@PRsPerformance]

The ascent is just a result of your descent, so shouldn’t need to actively think about pushing the knees forward on the ascent.

[@ethanbyrne5592]

@@PRsPerformance man, thankyou for answering, and so quickly! You are the G

[@meowlover1142]

if i break at the hips first then knees would that be a problem ? i don't wanna get injured again

[@PRsPerformance]

Just depends. I personally would break the hips and knees simultaneously, but braking at the hips then knees doesn't necessarily mean you will get hurt.

[@Nick-dq5fo]

Does this apply to low bar too because it doesn’t seem like it would ?

[@PRsPerformance]

Yes it does, this video was made specifically in regards to powerlifting and the low bar squat.

[@guitarsteve5027]

Omg thank you 😊 💓 💗

[@PRsPerformance]

You’re welcome!

[@jchi778]

Thank you

[@PRsPerformance]

You're welcome

[@MuscularMontel]

Have you noticed the "butt flick" phenomenon? Where the pelvis does a weird snappy posterior tilt right at the end of a rep

[@PRsPerformance]

Ya I've seen that. Usually is from 1 of 2 things. 1.) They were overly anteriorly rotated coming up, so to stabilize at the lockout they are going to have to rotate their pelvis back under. 2.) They for some unknown reason think that somehow it will help build their glutes by squeezing them at the top. That's more a bodybuilder thing, powerlifters would be more reason number 1.

[@UnkownName]

I dreamed of someone breaking this down so many times, if i had a dollar for every time i haven't been able to learn and fix my squat with the sit back cue i would have been a billionaire.

[@PRsPerformance]

I haven't found a use for that cue in years. Barring it's a general population client who has never squatted in their life, I see nothing but issues arise in powerlifters cueing "sit back". Hope you enjoy and get the breakdown you've been waiting for!

[@smileygirl1272]

Hi Steve..... Does this apply to super heavyweight powerlifters who squat toes out with a wider stance? I was taught the "sit back knees out" cue by my old coach and the thought of driving them forwards instead of out terrifies me because I have knee issues...

[@PRsPerformance]

Yes and no. The wider the stance the more that “knees forward” has an “out” component, as you’d want your knees driving with your foot angle. So in that regard it applies a bit different. I still wouldn’t cue sit back though unless a very specific situation require it. Even with someone who needs more hip hinge, I’m probably going to just be more aggressively cueing torso lean and still stay away from “sit back”. As for knee issues, I’d recommend reading through @megan.kineticadvantage’s info on that on IG, as she breaks down how driving your knees forward most likely isn’t the cause of your knee pain and how sitting back more can eventually exacerbate it.

[@smileygirl1272]

Thank you for your reply! I haven't had knee pain since I was taught the sit back cue, HOWEVER my coach was inexperienced and never caught the fact I was breaking at my knees first, which caused knee pain. Since I've used the sit back cue, I haven't had knee pain. After watching your video it's clear I wasn't taught right from the beginning. Thankfully I have a new coach who is a true powerlifting coach and caught my sit back too far immediately and is working on fixing it with me. It's awesome to know she's teaching me the way you do it. Thanks for all your awesome content, much appreciated!!

[@PRsPerformance]

@@smileygirl1272 You're welcome. And yes, breaking too much at the knees to start isn't good either, instead want to find the more even distribution of tension and movement between the knees and hips!

[@codyspepperemporium4758]

How do you fix knee slide..?? Im guilty of this!

[@PRsPerformance]

I have a whole video on that on this channel

[@codyspepperemporium4758]

@@PRsPerformance I cannot find it. What's the title called?

[@Connorleadbeater1]

this cue of drive your knees forward has really changed my squat drastically and for the better, only thing I'm struggling with is sometimes the torso angle going in and out of the hole, sometimes it'll be perfect but sometimes it'll be hella funky, is there any tips for the torso angle ie big toe pressure etc etc?

[@PRsPerformance]

That could be just genetically how your body leverages certain muscular, but if its a technical thing, its likely due to some issue with managing your center of mass. So yes, big toe pressure could help, or anything in regards to managing mid foot position.

[@Connorleadbeater1]

If my feet are turned out slightly should I still be driving my knees forward still? Or should i just drive my knees in the direction my toes are pointed?

[@PRsPerformance]

Well if the feet our slightly turned out, the femur should be turned with it, so from there the knees are just driving straight forward. If that doesn't make sense, stand up and rotate your femurs in and drive your knees straight forward and see where they go. Then do the same but now with your femurs turned out, you will see where the knee goes is a completely different direction with the same cue.

[@Connorleadbeater1]

That makes sense thankyou man

[@misd8602]

Can we over cue this to fall over on the squat?

[@PRsPerformance]

If you do somehow, please take a video, post it on IG and tag me

[@miguelvillarreal2149]

Does knees forward + chest lean also apply to a longer femur lifter? Or would they be among the minority that should use hips back? Great video

[@PRsPerformance]

So the only time I see "sit back" possibly being useful is for someone who squats with a wider stance. With an average to narrow stance I do not see an instance of where that would be used. And a wide stance squat will be more based on genetic hip structure most likely. I don't think there is an exact archetype of who may fall into that minority, but if someone has to ask and hasn't realize they have some difference in genetic hip structure, I am going to say don't bias towards a wide stance and "sit back".

[@darmowykana8208]

Sitting back can be reason why im very weak at the bottom of the squat ?

[@PRsPerformance]

That's hard to say, but it could be leading to positional errors that is getting you forward or backwards of your center of mass at the bottom.

[@Doggomorph]

I have this issue where my whole bone structure has shifted to the left due to an operation I had on the right , which makes my right leg feeling different/weak/empty, any tips to mitigate that Squats, split squats feel strong in left but empty in right even affects SBD badly

[@PRsPerformance]

That's a bit too complex of a situation to really give advice on through a KZbin comment. I'd tend to bias towards doing more unilateral work to help to decrease the asymmetry in strength, but without getting into greater detail of the situation, it is tough to say.

[@yungturtz6234]

My goodness this video is absolute magic, since lockdown and being in the gym I've developed crazy knee pain, just been binging your videos and I think my squat pattern is well on its way to being fixed! Also, thoughts on flats v heels? I can't decide

[@PRsPerformance]

Great to hear man! And as far as flats vs heels, here is an article I wrote that dives deep into that topic... powerliftingtechnique.com/heel-or-flat-shoes-while-squatting/

[@vintersorg5501]

How would you apply this to a high bar squat where you look forward/up?

[@PRsPerformance]

So I don't teach a high bar, SSB, Goblet squat, or low bar any different. They are all squat patterns, just with different load distribution. So there shouldn't be much difference between someone's high bar vs. low bar outside of how they have to counter balance the change in weight bias.

[@vintersorg5501]

@@PRsPerformance So essentially stay upright, look forward/up and then lean over while you descend straight down? I saw that you were Saftey-Bar squatting and looking forward and down in you squat-variation video, would you recommend that instead?

[@PRsPerformance]

I don’t teach looking forward/up or forcing uprightness. Head position will be dictated by a lot of different factors, so there is not one size fits all.

[@RudeReaper]

Sad that i learned this AFTER my knee problems. Had to literally google "knees foward during squat" to find this.

[@PRsPerformance]

Hopefully this helps then in getting back to some pain free squatting!

[@RudeReaper]

​@@PRsPerformancedefinitely does its like learning to squat all over again

[@angelquizhpe2473]

So you think heels over flats? (high bar)

[@PRsPerformance]

That is completely based on each person. More just notating in this video that flats do not fix the supposed knee issues people think they do. I wrote this article below that fully dives into the variables going into shoe choice. In fact, I would 100% hope for everyone to be able to squat in flats, but for many that's not possible due to joint restriction. powerliftingtechnique.com/heel-or-flat-shoes-while-squatting/

[@silentcharisma]

Hey man. I have been binging your videos lately, and you have great content. It's a shame this has only 22k views. Viewers are not motivated to watch hour long videos, plus the content you present is fairly static (single camera angle). I don't mean in a bad way, but in terms of getting more user visibility and engagement, you could revisit these videos and create smaller chunks with better editing and camera angles. Your channel will grow immensely.

[@PRsPerformance]

So I target a very specific niche on purpose, so much of that is intentional versus being more appealing to a general audience.

[@silentcharisma]

@@PRsPerformance i see. Keep up the good work

[@alejandrocubillas8093]

Lol'd at the Apeman strong shirt

[@PRsPerformance]

Kudos for noticing, was trying to add in that subtlety haha!

[@ESSENCE000]

Will this technique apply to the hypertrophy bodybuilding training squats as well? Or is this mainly for the powerlifting squats?

[@PRsPerformance]

It applies to all squats.

[@bernardocaetano4652]

It's sad to see some teachers in my PT course cueing and teaching us that sit back and also teach to not have the knees in front of the heels. Portugal is still so behind in terms of teaching movement and understanding programing, it's sad af. I've been passing my kness way in front of my toes and my knees never had a single problem smh 🤣

[@PRsPerformance]

Well it is not just Portugal, I think that is still very common practice at that level of teaching unfortunately.

[@anthonymaloney6838]

“I’m nothing without this suit” “If you’re nothing without this suit you shouldn’t have it.”

[@PRsPerformance]

Touche

[@bernardocaetano4652]

Bahahaha just saw that I commented this a while a go, steve sometimes I forget some cues and revisit your videos #sorrynotsorry

[@PRsPerformance]

Love it!

[@emgmin]

"sit back" is why my low back hurts so bad. 🙄🤦‍♀️

[@PRsPerformance]

Very common from that lumbar extension and anterior tilt usually associated with "sitting back"!

[@emgmin]

@@PRsPerformance YES! I've been focusing on my anterior tilt for weeks but thinking of keeping my tailbone behind my heels just works so much better! Going to train this afternoon can't wait to execute this new information! 🙌🙌

[@afafadsbbrs5503]

12:32 what to do

[@PRsPerformance]

🫡

[@queenbeedeadlifts3489]

Does hip back cue have any advantage when it comes to Bodybuilding? As in I have a friend who is into bikini and she initiates with hips as she experiences a good stretch and she feels glutes really well. Someone like her would benefit from such a squat?

[@PRsPerformance]

No. A squat is a compound movement that to be done correctly requires the integration of so many different muscles, not a glute isolation exercise. She would be much better suited to isolate the glutes with other exercises, while using the squat to build overall lower body strength and size. Her glutes will get bigger by squatting more weight than they will by trying to somehow feel her glutes more by pushing her hips back with most likely lighter weight. Many powerlifters have noticeably better lower body development than most bodybuilders for a reason.

[@bobbylosanno6630]

Around 7 minutes where you show issues... All apply to me currently

[@PRsPerformance]

Well then hopefully this helps!

[@ShaunSilk-ew7cy]

This guy is the shiz! Wow, this is like the squat bible.

[@PRsPerformance]

Thank you!