Are you doing squats wrong? If you’re not sure, you might be making one of the following mistakes. Check out these 10 common squat mistakes and learn how to do squats the right way. Squats are a great exercise for toning your butt and legs, so make sure you’re doing them correctly!
I often see people make the same mistakes over and over again when it comes to doing squats.
Mistakes that are not only ineffective but can also be harmful if done repeatedly. It’s easy to fix these mistakes though. So in this article I offer 10 tips for how you can get better at squatting.
1. Feet Too Far Apart.
When you do your squats with your feet too wide apart. You don’t engage the muscles in your legs enough-especially those in the inner thighs and glutes (butt). You’ll just end up using mostly quadriceps instead of hamstrings and glutes which will lead to injury down the road.
2) Too High Heels.
Yes flat shoes are not the only culprits anymore. A lot of women are too lazy to change into running shoes when they workout at home. Which means they end up wearing high heels most of the time. The result is that they don’t activate their glutes and use mostly quadriceps when squatting with weights. So next time you squat with heels on, make sure to take your heels off and use flat shoes.
3) Elbows In Front Of Knees.
Another thing I see a lot is that when women do squats. Their elbows end up in front of their knees. It’s really important that the elbows stay behind the knee when you’re squatting. Because it keeps your back straight, belly tight and engages your glutes and hamstrings.
4) Knees Going Inwards During A Squat.
This is really bad for the knees. Can lead to a lot of injuries and doesn’t make it more effective-it’s simply an ineffective way of doing squats. By making sure you keep your feet pointed forward. Put more weight on them and squeeze your glutes and outer hips at the top of the movement. Your knees will stop moving inwards.
5) Feet Too Close Together.
A lot of people make the mistake of squatting with their feet too close together and end up turning it into a sumo-squat (in which you do squats with your legs out wide). This is not only ineffective, but it can also be harmful when done repeatedly. Make sure that your feet are pointing forward and that you transfer most of the weight on the balls of your feet. Go slightly wider than shoulder width with your feet and you’re all set.
6) Elbows Too Low.
If you’re holding the bar behind your head the whole time, you’re probably dropping it too low. Not only does this make the exercise less effective, but it can also lead to injuries to the wrists and shoulders. Keep your elbows up high-right above your shoulders or slightly lower during squats, don’t let go of the bar behind your head.
7) Not Engaging The Glutes.
I’m not sure why this is such a common problem, but it really hurts when you train with people who don’t engage their glutes when they do squats. Really bad for your inner thigh muscles and can lead to injuries in the long run. The result of not activating your glutes is that you’ll most likely use more quadriceps and less hamstrings, which isn’t what we want.
8) Going To Heavy.
This is a common mistake that I see both men and women make. If you’re going too heavy with your squats or if you’re increasing the weights week after week, it means that you’re probably not doing your squats correctly. Make sure you’re only adding weight when your squats are consistent and perfect-if it’s not, don’t add the weight!
9) Bouncing On The Way Up.
Not only is this an ineffective form of squatting. But it also engages muscles in a different way than we want them to be engaged during squats. We want our glutes and hamstrings to do most of the work during squats-so when you bounce up, it’s really counter-productive.
10) Letting The Knees Go In When Squatting.
This is when your knee starts to move inward instead of staying behind your toes or slightly outwards. Squatting with this technique puts a lot of pressure on the inner part of your joints. Which can lead to injuries in the long run. Keep your feet pointed forward and put most of the weight on them while squeezing your glutes at the top to prevent this mistake from happening.
Squats Benefits.
Squats are one of the best exercises you can do for your body. Not only do they work a ton of muscles, but they also improve flexibility, balance and coordination. Here are just a few benefits of squats:
- Improved flexibility
- Improves balance
- Improved coordination
- Strengthened glutes
- Strengthened hamstrings
- Increased muscle mass
- Reduced risk of injuries (if done correctly)
- Improved posture
- Improved circulation (blood and oxygen flow to muscles)
- Weight loss (burns a ton of calories!)
Conclusion.
Squats are a great workout for your butt, thighs and core muscles. The problem is that many people do them wrong! 10 common mistakes can lead to injury or just an ineffective squat routine. Be sure you’re not making one of these mistakes by checking out our how-to guide below. If you have any questions about squats or want help with the best way to train your body without harming yourself, please reach out today so we can provide some personalized guidance on developing the perfect exercise plan for you!
So before you go ahead and do squats. Make sure that you don’t make any of these 10 most common mistakes. Fix them and watch your squatting improve like never before!
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