Squats and balance!

[Honken]

Everytime I squat I try to make sure that my knees doesen't get past my toes (in a vertical line that is). But all my weight goes to my heels and I can't hold my balance and starts to stagger around.

Any tips (I don't have balancing problems, I train Taiji so I'm used to standing on one leg whilst having the other one kicking around for quite some time)?

[Eirik Raude]

It's perfectly alright if your legs go in front of your toes as far as I'm concerned. Just make sure that the distribution of the weight on your shoulders stays in the middle of your foot.

[Valbert]

Try putting something under your heels. I use 2.5 pound weight plates. Also, strengthen your posterior chain.

[tyciol]

Don't put things under your heels, a lot of people say that's dangerous, and as far as I'm concerned, it is pretty unnatural.

As for balance, all your weight should not be on your heels. You can put some on the ball of your foot too, people just say to focus more on the heels. If it were all on your heels, the front of your feet would be in the air and that might be a bit dangerous. To each their own.

[chicanerous]

With your feet flat on the ground, keeping your lower back tight and your abs isometrically contracted, having a straight or slightly arched back, descend as low as possible following these rules:

-- Keep weight distributed over feet in a sturdy manner
-- Do not round your back
-- Don't fall over or lose your balance
-- Sit back into the squat, leading with the hips and glutes
-- Don't let your knees cave inwards as you lower
-- Don't twist or contort your limbs oddly

Don't worry about your knees being too far forward if you're sitting back.

Your flexibility and bone structure will mainly determine your maximum depth. Proper stretching can increase your maximum depth. Elevating your heels can artificially increase your maximum depth -- continue to stretch if doing so in order to, at minimum, maintain your normal flexibility and ROM.

[Honken]

So all this talk about letting your knees get past your toes is bullshit? Becouse lot of people say that you put extra tension on your kneecap if you to that and that it can lead to knee pain or ever injuries.

[torsk]

Compleks has something about it in the myth thing I think. Read that one.

[NightHunter]

So all this talk about letting your knees get past your toes is bullshit? Becouse lot of people say that you put extra tension on your kneecap if you to that and that it can lead to knee pain or ever injuries.

It does put extra stress, but go walk up and down a flight of stairs. Your knee passes the sacred toe boundary every step. As long as form is perfect, the extra stress on the knee isn't too much to worry about.