Why Do Squats Hurt? (And How to Fix The Problems)
Do squats hurt your back? What about pain in your knees? This pain-free approach will fix your squat, increase strength, and prevent injury.
A squat is often considered “one of the best” movement for fat loss and muscle gain because it uses the major muscles, and is also avoided by many of the world’s smartest trainers.
The traditional back squat is one of the most well-known and timeless exercises, and also one of the most controversial.
No matter how you view the back squat, squatting is an essential movement, regardless of whether you perform it with weight on your back.
Most of the disagreements focus on the safety of the movement. Some people believe that it’s too easy to get hurt doing squats. And, if you’re avoiding them, odds are you’re either worried about the same outcome or already have experienced some injury or pain while performing them.
However if you can’t sit down (which is what squatting is) without hurting yourself, then the worst thing you can do is avoid the movement entirely.
Whether you want to squat with a weight on your back is up to you, but don’t let that stop you from cleaning up little mistakes that are causing pain or limiting your workouts.
If you want to move better, and see better results from your workouts, here are some basics to ensure you don’t get hurt while doing one of the most fundamental human movements.
Why Do Squats Hurts?
Part of what makes squats great is also what connects them to injuries. Squats are a compound exercise, meaning that many major muscles are involved in the movement. Everything from your quads, hamstrings, glutes, back, and even your abs light up when you squat.
While those muscles are all involved, you don’t necessarily want them doing the heavy lifting. And, that’s why a great movement for your lower body can easily turn into something like back pain.
If you want to move pain-free and keep tension on the muscles designed for the movement, you simply need to recognize where you feel “off.”
And, it’s important to recognize that the way you squat is dependent on your body. There’s not even one squat depth that’s universally correct, how low you should go depends on your body. (Remember personalisation is a vital part of exercising.)
Whether you back squat, front squat, goblet squat, or perform single-leg variations, these tips and cues will ultimately make you better at squatting, identify weaknesses, and help prevent injury and pain.
The Problem: Weak Grip
Most people barely take hold of the bar and activate the muscles that are designed to keep your body safe. Most people try to spend a lot of time finding a comfortable spot on their upper back for the bar. In doing so, they miss a key first step.
The Squat Fix: When you set up for a squat, you want to grip the bar as hard as possible and try to pull your elbows under the bar. If you just drop into a squat, you’ll feel unstable during the movement.
More tension in your hands and upper back create full-body tension. This tension will help you squat down with greater control and protect your spine and lower back. Not to mention, the activation of these muscles will also help you produce more force and lift more weight without getting injured.
The Problem: Leaning Forward
A popular squat cue is to keep your chest up and for a good reason. If you’re bending too much at your hips, it’s very hard to keep tension on the muscle in your lower body.
Falling forward transfers the weight away from your quads and shifts more to your glutes and hamstrings or potentially your lower back.
The Squat Fix: We could say this about every exercise, but start by dropping the weight and ensuring that your body can handle what you’re lifting. With squats especially, your body sends you lots of signals that scream, “This is too much!” Folding in half as you lower and sit down is one of those signs.
Then, work on keeping your elbows pulled down (facing the ground) and your chest up. This will ensure that the torso remains more upright throughout the lift.
You’ll also want to focus on your flexibility and mobility. Tight ankles, hips, and upper back will prevent you from hitting a good squat pattern. And, this will only get worse as the weight increases.
The issue could also be linked to weak core muscles (your abs) or weak quads. Instead of putting a bar on your back, strengthen your knee extension and stability with exercises like step-ups, Bulgarian split squats, and lunges.
The Problem: Poor Ankle Mobility
Ankle mobility is an issue for most because, well, most people don’t work on it. And, our reliance on stabile footwear makes your feet feel comfortable while compensating for the ability to build stronger, more durable, and more mobile ankles.