How to squat without knee pain

Knee pain during squats is the number one reason beginners stop training legs. The usual response is to stop squatting altogether or to buy knee sleeves. Neither fixes anything. Most of the time the knee is complaining about how you squat and how fast you added weight, and both are fixable in a few weeks.

One line first and then we move on: if the knee is swollen, locks, gives way, or hurts walking downstairs for more than a few days, see a physiotherapist before you do anything in this article.

Why knees hurt when you squat

The knee is a hinge between two long levers. It gets unhappy when the hip and ankle do not do their share. Four patterns cause almost all beginner squat pain.

• Knees caving in on the way up, especially on the last reps. The kneecap tracks sideways and the inside of the knee gets irritated.
• Dropping fast and bouncing out of the bottom. The tendon below the kneecap takes the whole load in a split second.
• Weight going up too quickly. 20 kg to 50 kg in three weeks is common on the Smith machine, and tendons adapt slower than muscles.
• A stance too narrow for your hips, which forces the knees forward over the toes to get any depth.

The five fixes

Fix 1: widen your stance and turn the toes out

Stand with feet a little wider than shoulder width, toes turned out 15 to 30 degrees. For most people this lets the hips drop between the knees instead of the knees travelling far forward. Try three widths with a bare bar and keep the one where the bottom feels easiest.

Fix 2: slow the way down

Count 3 seconds on the way down, pause for 1 second at the bottom, then stand up at normal speed. This alone removes the bounce and makes the muscles, not the tendon, control the weight. You will need to drop the load by about 20 percent to do this. That is the point.

Fix 3: squat to a box

Put a flat bench or a plyo box behind you so that your thighs are parallel to the floor when you sit on it. Sit back, touch lightly, stand up. The box teaches you to send the hips back first and gives you the same depth every rep, so the knee never gets surprised.

Fix 4: push the knees out

Think of spreading the floor apart with your feet on the way up. If your knees still fall in, loop a light resistance band just above the knees for your warm-up sets. It reminds the glutes to work.

Fix 5: sort out your shoes

Soft running shoes let the ankle wobble and the knee follows. Squat in flat shoes, or in socks if your gym allows it. If your heels lift off the floor at the bottom, put 2.5 kg plates under them. That is a cheap test for tight ankles, and a fix at the same time.

A 4-week rebuild

This is what I give someone whose knees ache at 40 kg but who can do a bodyweight squat without pain. Squat twice a week, leaving at least two days between sessions.

From week 5 add 2.5 kg a session as long as there is no pain the next morning. If the pain comes back, drop back one week in the table and stay there for an extra week.

Alongside this, add 3 sets of 12 on the leg curl and 3 sets of 12 on the hip thrust or glute bridge each leg session. Strong hamstrings and glutes take load off the front of the knee.

What does not matter much

Whether your knees go past your toes. They will, and they should, in a deep squat. Whether you use high bar or low bar. Whether you wear a belt. Knee sleeves feel warm and that is nice, but they do not change how you move. Fix the five things above first and buy the accessories later, if at all.

Most people who follow this are back to squatting their old weight pain-free in six to eight weeks, and lifting more by the end of three months because they are finally squatting with the hips instead of the knees.