There are a number of issues people can make when they are squatting. These mistakes can lead to not only decreased performance but things like back pain and knee pain.

A few common mistakes made while squatting are:

1. The Good Morning Squat
2. The Hip Shift
3. The Knees Inside The Toes
   
   

Mistake 1: Good morning squat

Let’s discuss the first mistake made while squatting, the “good morning squat”. 

What causes this to happen? 

The Good Morning Squat usually comes down to weak quads. People can generally deadlift around 20% more than they can back squat. This means that the muscles on the backside (the glutes and hamstrings) are stronger than the quads. During the good morning squat, it's common for people to control the descent and look good, but when they stand back up, they allow their hips to drift back and rise in relation to their chest, which stays at its current level. This turns the squatting movement into a hinge instead of a squat. This mistake can result in low back pain and low back stiffness due to the load and level arm placed on the spine.

How to fix this mistake:

Some of my favorite drills to correct this and bias the quadriceps are tempo cyclist squats, especially holding a weight behind your back to hammer the quads through more of a hack squat mechanism.

Elevate your heels on a 45# bumper, keep your toes on the ground, hold a DB or KB behind your back, and stay completely upright. Go down over 3 seconds, pause 1 second in the bottom and then explode up without bouncing out of the bottom. A second favorite is the 1 1/4 front or goblet squat.

You can also keep your heels elevated for this one, control the descent, pause for a second in the bottom, stand 1/4 of the way up (not bouncing), hit the bottom again, and then stand fully out of the hole. That’s one rep. Make sure you focus on driving the knees as far forward as possible and controlling the movement. 

Mistake 2: The Hip Shift

Alright, so what about the hip shift?

What causes this to happen?

This could come from many factors, including weakness, poor mobility, poor motor control in the squatting position, or a combination of all three. Here are some ways to figure it out with a test/retest and address this.

How to fix this mistake:

I like to start with ensuring proper mechanics and cue a tripod foot and then ensure proper rooting.

If this solves the problem, great! Keep practicing until it becomes automatic. If not, lay on your back and bring your knee up to the ceiling by bending your hip to 90*. See if you can get 35-45* of hip internal rotation by bringing the foot out (foot moving out = thigh bone rotating inward.) If you can’t, then check out this banded posterior joint mobilization. Make sure you’re still rooting during the squat retest.

Mistake 3: knees inside the toes squat

Finally, we have the knees inside the toes squat, also known as the “valgus squat” or the “feet turned out squat”. 

What causes this to happen?

Pretty simply, this occurs when you do not ensure proper mechanics. You should cue a tripod foot, and then ensure proper rooting.

How to fix this mistake:

The two cues mentioned above can solve a lot of problems. If the knee is in a better position after this, you can use a band pulling the knee in for some *reactive neuromuscular training* to create a stronger need to create rotational stability of the hip. However, if you notice your feet turn out, you might be looking at some ankle restrictions, and you should try the knee to wall test.

If you fail this test, then you can perform this banded mobilization and retest your squat.

If you passed that test, you might want to take a look at this test of function for the distal fibula’s ability to glide backward.

Here is how you might be able to help yourself with that if you see there is a difference side-to-side. Don’t forget to root when retesting any of these.

Correcting Improper Squat Form

Don’t let these issues hold you back! Get to work, figure it out, attack them, and load it up! Remember, when doing squats, every rep should look the same. This means every warm-up rep and set should be intentional to prime the motor control and get things moving the way you want. If you’re having back pain, hip pain, or knee pain with squatting.

Consider giving trying the tests described in this article, and then clean up any deficiencies or mistakes you find.