Your Bad Squat is Destroying your Knees | SOFLETE

A lot of people learned how to do squats completely wrong and wonder why their knees and back hurt when they are doing them. Doug and Christian clear up any misconceptions and show you how to perform a squat properly.
For more fitness tips check out the SOFLETE Performance Podcast!
Doug IG: @dougtheelephantslayer
Christian IG: @thefu_bar
Soflete IG: @sofletehq

[@jakesandlin2727]

Would be helpful to see him do some squats with weights

[@READYRESPONDERFITNESS]

It's always the high school gym coach haha Power Cleans next?

[@Ophio117]

If you talk about the sins of a high school gym coach, you have to talk about power cleans at some point.

[@SOFLETE]

@@Ophio117 power cleans are definitely coming soon.

[@nathanronin2933]

pro tip : watch series at KaldroStream. I've been using it for watching all kinds of movies lately.

[@stetsoncase7970]

@Nathan Ronin yup, have been using KaldroStream for months myself :)

[@41681josh]

I needed this video 15 years ago. Good stuff !

[@thorsky2754]

Same! Back in the late 90s there was not a lot of education around squats. I weighed 180 lbs and was squatting 460 lbs with probably awful technique. Wonder why I have disc problems now....

[@racer89gt]

Aja Barto taught me knees out two years ago and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m not going for world records but my squat has great depth and stability now. Great video

[@marksinclair2592]

I was fortunate enough to have a coach that knew what the hell he was talking about I wasn’t the strongest guy but the cue to pretend you’re screwing your foot into the ground and keeping knees out has helped me improved by a long shot. Upright torso and proper breathing. I still remember being a freshmen when I would pancake my squats and my mobility was terrible.. great video man!

[@saikatghosh8072]

To ho

[@SXSOHI]

Thank You for making this video, my high school gym coach taught us knees in and toes straight but now I know the right way to do it, y’all might have just saved me from future problems, thank you

[@saikatghosh8072]

Hi

[@brianfoley4328]

Another outstanding video...I've been doing this wrong for much too long...got the scars on the knees to prove it...this is great advice, Thanks.

[@markd1059]

Was Kelly Starrett your HS gym coach? Thanks for making this vid because the “feet forward for everyone” philosophy is horrendous

[@robcommorat2084]

I can only imagine how much stronger I would have been if I had do these exercises correctly and how many surgeries I could have avoided

[@Liftocrat-actual]

You guys should also follow squat university. Dude has TONS of great info.

[@rebelmaderighteous]

Preach

[@tylerad90]

Damn, I have been fucking up squatting since middle school. Great vid

[@ryantrudell4686]

Good video guys - subscribed. Keep pumping out the content!

[@stonebody]

Finding the foot position for each person that gives them their best mechanics is key. And your presentation starts the process. Perhaps a follow up video could help.

[@michaelsheridan4958]

Science-based analysis is very helpful. Please explore all lifts with similar format - Christian, looking for a comfortable functional shoe; would you please advise which you use here?

[@SOFLETE]

These are Reebok Nano 7s, they work well for me and they have held up to abuse.

[@rykehuss3435]

Butt wink is not caused by "inactive glutes". You cant inactivate glutes during a squat anymore you can inactivate chest during a bench press, the weight simply wouldnt move an inch if you 'inactivated' those muscles. Its caused by lack of hamstring mobility. Butt wink is normal if you squat deep enough. As long as its not excessive (or present when you havent even broken parallel) it wont be an issue.

[@danseb43]

Disagree. They are correct. You most definitely CAN have minimal glute activation during a squat. Especially at the bottom of the movement when people either go too "ass to grass", dove bomb into the hole, or literally release glute activation at the bottom for a mini dive bomb to bounce the weight out of the hole.

[@giannislampadoxitos9170]

Good job guys thanks!

[@GcD9179]

Maybe it's the camera angle but Doug's knees seem to be out beyond his feet, almost bowlegged. Is that right?

[@SOFLETE]

Doug only talks like he rides horses. His knees SHOULD be tracking over his toes, which might look a little bow-legged.

[@vaibhavthorat_3869]

What about the width? Stance?

[@stuartbailey6369]

GOOD INFORMATION " THANKS!

[@danieldangelo4636]

So the quads don't lift us out of the hole when ass to grass?

[@SOFLETE]

No, hip and glute drive is the primary mechanism for getting out of the hole.

[@chrismozee3166]

Lol it’s mostly the a$$. Classic Doug lol

[@Buzz_Kill71]

The screen cap Looks like that "Jack squat" bank commercial!

[@JinnDante]

Squating atg does not mean you have to fold yourself in two. Watch the elite weightlifters and weightlifters in general

[@ronaldkennedy2401]

Awesome.the world needed another squat tutorial.

[@ToraJutsu01]

Glutes and adductors according to recent research.

[@justabigbuhckdontlookatmeb8080]

2:19 nice g string

[@bilbojumper]

He's purposely showing us what a bad squat looks like the whole time right?

[@Kenny02120]

need flexible ankles too. that’s how you avoid buttwink and allows you to get ATG

[@SOFLETE]

Absolutely. We will probably do a video in the future specifically on ankle mobility and squatting.

[@Ophio117]

Team power belly sound off

[@alpharomeo1772]

Just do deep squat. Go all the way down and then up. It’s natural and gives full range of motion and is injury free. I found people who use western toilets 🚽 can’t deep squat as their muscles remain tight.

[@jordan19862000]

Barbell squats are so overrated. Much better ways to target all of those muscle groups than loading the spine with all of that weight

[@sweetchildofnine6677]

U dont have to squat to grow leg muscles, but it's an incredible exercise

[@partymariner]

RunSwanson I agree...esp if you’re lifting by yourself...you usually compromise form. I just use sandbags and KB goblet squats for leg day now!

[@sweetchildofnine6677]

@@partymariner I lift by myself and I never compromise form when squatting. It ain't hard at all to get a good squat workout in by yourself

[@hanskazan7403]

the quads dont do anything? its al glutes and hamstrings when you come out of the bottom? the quads extend the knee so the quads are def working the hamstrings is the one you dont work as much , yeah maybe with a lowbar squat when you sit way back and goodmorning the weight but highbar not somuch

[@TheDpandolfo86]

Great advice...but it looks like I am the only one that will call this out. These guys need to work on legs a little more. I thought the video was starting out as like a joke bc their legs are so skinny and they are giving advice on squating.

[@SOFLETE]

We're a functional fitness company, not a bodybuilding company. Both people in this video can squat close to 500, which is plenty strong enough for every activity except competitive lifting / strongman. Christian has a standing box jump that is within 1" of the current world record. At a certain point, leg bulk is detrimental to most performance goals. If you want enormous legs more power to you, but we've known athletes with gigantic legs who couldn't even put their feet on the pegs of a motorcycle without discomfort due to bulk.

[@intenttoinjure]

ATG is the problem

[@FlyTour69]

That is incorrect.

[@KavasPVP]

It's the solution to the problem

[@SOFLETE]

With the requisite mobility and technique, not at all.