Hey guys, i have a problem with my knees caving in when i squat heavy. What can i do to remedy this problem? Am I going too heavy? My squat is atg so it’s not like im trying to go too heavy. Just today, i was going for 20 reps with 225lb, but my knee began caving in more and more that at around 15-16 reps i had to stop because it was getting too dangerous for my knee. What’s my weakness? What can i do to fix it? Thanks
From this brief note, all I can guess at this point is you have some flexibility limitations or you may be going too heavy for 20 reps. Not quite sure.
Try doing a one second pause at the bottom of the squat and try to keep tight and knees out on the way up. If you still have the same problem, then probably it’s flexibility related. Otherwise you’re likely trying to “bounce” out of the bottom as you get which makes it harder for your knees and core to stay stable. Same thing happens to me on occasion with submax weights.
Just something to try until one of the vets has a better idea!
Warm up with some bodyweight one-legged squats. That forces you to put as much weight on the outside of the leg and foot as the inside, which is what was causing the same problem in me.
If balance is a problem, stand in front of the Smith Machine with the bar at hip level, and rest your fingertips on it for balance as you go up and down
One of 2 things could be happening. Either you’re not focusing on pushing your knees out through the entire lift, or your glutes, hips and hammies are weak. When your knees come in all the stress is put on the quads.
You could have tight/overactive adductors and weak abductors (glutes). You may also have flexibility issues in your lower leg causing your foot to over-pronate and ultimately your knees to cave in.
Or it could just be that you don’t have the form down very well and therefore it breaks down as you get more tired.
Since I couldn’t tell you exactly what it is unless I watched you in person, I will give you suggestions to fix all of these problems.
First, aggresively static stretch your adductors and do glute activation work before squatting. Also do single leg exercises such as enhanced ROM split squats or lunges that help target your glutes.
Second, to fix any lower leg problems, stretch your soleus aggressively several times each day. Also perform dorsiflexion exercises on a regular basis. This over time will help prevent your feet from over-pronating. You may also have flat feet which could cause them to pronate. If this is the case you may need to look into orthotics.
Third, to help reinforce the proper movement pattern, get a light band and put it around your legs. Put it around your knees while squatting and make sure you are pushing out on it hard enough to keep it from falling down around your ankles. Only do this with light weight to reinforce the motion, don’t do this on your actual work sets.
I know this is going to sound stupid… but have you tried to force your knees out while squatting?
I had the same problem. Try pushing your feet out, like sliding them away from each other, when you’re squatting up. Worked well for me.