Lets keep the mythbuster fun going!
It has been previously thought that we shouldn’t let our knees pass our toes during our squat, as many certifying bodies in the personal training industry used to push. While some may still advocate this, it couldn’t be further from the truth.
We may not even notice it, but when we squat, our knees inevitably pass our toes. It was thought that it would be bad for long term knee health, and that it continues to promote issues within the knee, which hasn’t held up in the literature at all.
The original thought process was that when the knees pass the toes, the force would be bad for the passive tissues (like tendons and ligaments). After thorough research, it has been well established that the knees can pass the toes without risk of potential knee issues acutely (immediately), and down the line (1,2)!
Now, of course, as with everything, we need to avoid excessive movement, so having a stable knee joint, allowing for the knee to pass the toes just enough to maintain position is key to maintaining that knee health over time (2).
The take home for this is that the knees can certainly pass the toes, not only can they, but they must, in order to have proper squatting technique. So, just ensuring that the technique is adequate and allowing for the joints to do what they are supposed to do, is right where we come in.
With the help of our coaching, we can ensure that you know proper technique, and thus will have no worries about squatting with the knees past the toes! So, if you haven’t already, check in and we’ll see how the technique is going and if needed, how we can improve it!
Sources: