STOP Doing Squats Like This (SAVE YOUR JOINTS!)

Want to keep your joints healthy and maximize your strength? Here are 4 key barbell squat form mistakes that you’re likely making without even realizing it. In this “squat tutorial” video, I dive into what those are, and how to fix them, so you (finally) master the squat technique. By the end of it, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge of proper squat form, enabling you to achieve a safer and stronger squat right away.

The first mistake has to do with your hip structure and how it affects what the optimal foot width and foot positioning is for your squat. To figure out what your optimal stance is, get onto all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders, knees under your hips, and ideally with your feet against a wall. From here, try to sink your hips back into heels as deep as you can without rounding your lower back. Make note of how that feels and how far you could go. Then, play around with it until you find that sweet spot position that feels the best and allows you to get the deepest without rounding at your lower back.

Stand up and make note of how far apart your feet were. Then, either with your bodyweight or under the bar, squat down with your toes and knees straight out and see how that feels. Experiment and find what foot angle feels best and enables you to squat the deepest, which will now be your ideal squat stance.

Next, a common barbell squat form mistake: butt wink. Although it may be fine for some individuals, for others it can put a lot of harmful forces on their spinal discs. So, you’re going to use a screening test created by back pain Dr. Stuart McGill. Do 10 cycles of back extension and flexion with the Olympic barbell — and if there’s pain, butt wink will most likely be an issue for you.

There are two things you can do to minimize butt wink for a “cleaner” squat technique. The first is to simply limit your range of motion. However, oftentimes butt wink is an ankle mobility issue. To improve this, try squatting with your heels on plates or use lifting shoes and see if that helps. If it does, great, continue doing that while working on improving your ankle mobility.

The next mistake covered in this squat tutorial has to do with your feet. Try standing up on one leg with your other knee bent behind you. Are you able to hold this for at least 25 seconds without falling over? Without adequate stability from your feet, your body will seek for it elsewhere, often leading to compensations that can cause excessive stress on the lower back and other areas especially with heavier loads.

To help improve your foot stability, there are two things we can do. First, as per back pain expert Dr. Stuart McGill, the leaning tower drill. The second thing you can do is pay attention to how you distribute your weight as you’re squatting. Before you squat down, grip the floor with your feet and spread your weight across these three points; your heel, and the base of your 1st and 5th toe. Then when you perform your squat, make sure each of these 3 points remain in contact with the ground with the weight distributed evenly among them.

The last mistake has to do with your bar path. A common mistake lifters make is letting their chest fall forward and hips rise up during the ascent. This shifts the bar forward from the mid-line, which can place more stress on the lower back. Although weak quads relative to your glutes may play a role in this, it seems that suboptimal motor recruitment patterns are the main culprit. That means you’ll have to re-learn the squat. The goal is to get your hips and chest rising at the same rate to keep the bar path straight up and down. To accomplish this, for at least a few weeks, swap out your regular sets of squats for double paused squats.

You will likely have to lighten the weight considerably to break out of old habits, but after a few weeks of this, the proper squat form will start to feel more natural and is when you can switch back to regular squats if you wish.

Hopefully you now see the importance of the finer details when it comes to each and every exercise you do. It’s not just about choosing the right exercises but also performing them in a way to get the most out of them while avoiding any potential injury or setbacks down the road. It’s so important that you get this right from the start and it’s why I focus so heavily on that not just within the YouTube videos I put out but especially in the Built With Science programs I offer.

For those who want to maximize your efforts and start transforming your body today, take my analysis quiz to see what step by step program is best for you and your body below:

ANKLE MOBILITY DRILLS:

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[JeremyEthier]

Comment below what other exercises you'd like me to cover and I'll get on it 👇! Hope this one helps. Happy Squatting! Cheers!

[iansnipes]

Implementing correct form in my exercises has shown me how weak I truly am.

[romainrichard]

"If you want a lifetime of good health, you would be wiser to not smoke, wear your seatbelt, brush your teeth, and avoid butt wink" S. McGill. Such a great citation, haha

[TruePhil]

1. Hip width, toe positioning,
2. No but wink, stop when winking starts, improve ankle mobility
3. Pressure on heel, ball of big toe and pinky, tripod formation. Use knees, ankles, and hips to get bar weight straight down
4. Bar path straight up and down, hips and chest rise at same rate, try double pause squats 8:38, tuck elbows in sides, squeeze shoulder blades together, pull bar down into traps, drive upper back up into bar in concentric phase.

[troupistraining]

This kind of nuanced, scientifically-grounded advice is what lifters need! And congrats on getting the legendary Stuart McGill on!

[GokuTheGreat]

TIMESTAMPS
0:23 Hip Structure
2:08 Butt Wink
4:43 Feet Positioning
7:28 Bar Path

[Scheboygan]

I’m 6’4 and this helped a lot the wider stance let me go down and helped me be able to do so much more weight actually

[SimpleeCece]

For some reason it seems like every time I’m struggling with something or trying to figure something out that is fitness related, you post a video shortly after. Thank you for all the hard work that goes into your videos. They’re a huge help!

[margauxtbh]

I just started gym a month ago and I review these videos every night to make sure I have a correct posture the next day.

[riveralvarez]

Great video, you are making my days better with these educational things, keep going strong. I started to work again on my body before summer, now in much better shape. Exercising can be hard sometimes but It always makes me feel better. Last year I had almost 400 lbs in body weight. One day I just started moving more, then slow running then I started doing weighted exercises and I was eating clean by following meal plan I got from Next Level Diet. Today I have 250 lbs and I am happy like I never been in my life.

[DreamhopMusic]

I have squatted incorrectly for years, no wonder my hips have been so sore. Thanks for the tips!

[RebornFromIsolation]

This video helped me so much, man! I’ve been trying to squat for years, but now, with this vid and me finding my optimum squat stance, I’m now able to perform a proper squat. Thank you, brother! With tears in my eyes, I’m grateful!

[frankthe_tank]

finally someone that realizes every person has the “perfect squat” for them as an individual. Anthropometry is huge and so many people are stuck in the mindset that there is only one way to do things. This video would have saved my knees years ago. Awesome info.

[Ailieorz]

There's a lot of ankle/feet mobility and strengthening exercises that ballet dancers do which can be really helpful, also for hip mobility too. The whole base of ballet is a strong foundation through the three points of contact in the feet and turning out at the hips, everything a lifter needs, especially a sumo deadlifter or someone with a wide squat like me.

[JeffHuynhFitness]

These tips are absolute game-changers when you’re starting out 💯👌🏼

[lpwhjcp]

Yes! I always knew and felt comfortable with a wider/toes out form. This was the confirmation I needed.

[connr]

I’m 14 and just recently started working out at home and the gym, these videos are great for when I’m unsure if I’m doing something wrong, thanks for all the help!

[justsomeone]

Had proper bad lower back pain. Changed my squat to how you explain...

Can squat now without pain. Eased nicely, top job👌

[madmaxiemartialartsnerd]

I recently had a injury in my left groin, and it has forced me to take a break from most bar exercises and focus mainly on upper body and i want to say this video was pretty eye opening, every squatter should watch this at least once and ask themselves if they are doing these things if they are on a intermediate or lower level

[Rover_]

Thank you so much! I had lost my squat connection Long back, this one is much needed, man, your videos solve 90% of my fitness related issues. With help of your videos i could find out my hip muscle are imbalance due to one last injury, I’m working on improving stability and strengthening.