If your knees aches with squatting, you’re not alone. Most knee pain during squats is not a weakness or flexibility issue. It’s usually an execution problem.
When you start a squat by bending your knees first, your knees shoot forward. This places excessive, unnecessary shear stress on the patellofemoral joint (your kneecap). To protect your joints, you need to distribute that weight to your hips, glutes, and hamstrings. These are the largest, strongest muscles in your lower body, and they are built to handle the load.
The easiest way to make this shift is with one simple mental cue: Sit the butt back and down.
By initiating the squat with your hips rather than your knees, you instantly recruit your hips. This takes the pressure off your kneecaps, allows you to squat deeper, and builds real lower-body strength without the wear and tear. Watch the full breakdown here to see this adjustment in action.
Correcting your squat mechanics is the fastest way to eliminate pain and keep training consistently.
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