This belief stems from a study that is over 30 years old (a 1978 Duke University study that found that keeping one leg vertical as much as possible reduced shear forces at the knee during a squat). The truth is, leaning too far forward increases the chances of increasing your risk of injury.
In 2003, research from the University of Memphis confirmed that knee stress increased by 28% when the knees were able to move in front of the toes while squatting. However, hip stress increased by nearly 1.000% when efforts were made to prevent forward knee movement.
Although many believe otherwise, our knees are actually not that weak. Science investigated the level of knee degeneration in weight lifters with a background of at least 17 years of experience. The study did not show a worsening of the level of degeneration of that age that coincides with the population that does not perform this type of training.
In fact, it has been shown that weight lifters have a higher cartilage thickness than non-lifters: The idea behind this is that when squatting there are anabolic, biochemical and structural adaptations of the cartilage tissue, leading to increased tolerance to mechanical stress and therefore protective effects against changes degenerative in both cartilage and meniscus.
Benefits of Knees Going Over Feet
If your most comfortable squat doesn't show much knee travel, that's fine. But if your most comfortable squat position shows significant knee displacement, that's also acceptable. There are many reasons to allow forward knee movement when squatting.
Prepares us for daily movements
Allowing the knees to roll over the toes can make the knee joints stronger and more resilient. Sometimes the knees go further than the toes in daily life, so train for it.
There are many occasions in everyday life where the knee goes over the toes, such as going up and down stairs and sitting on the toilet. Building strong knees that won't buckle under these daily demands requires that we regularly expose them to healthy amounts of stress. We will be more vulnerable to injuries and accidents if we always avoid certain positions, rather than if we expose ourselves to those positions in low-risk environments.
develop athleticism
Squats and lunges are knee-dominant movements, which means it's normal for the knees to move forward and bend as we lower down the rep. One of the reasons we train these qualities in the gym is that they are essential to staying athletic and mobile, especially as we age.
When we walk and run, your knee repeatedly moves forward over your toe with each step you take. The hips, knees, ankles, and feet work together in this process. When movement in any of these joints is disturbed, the entire pattern is disrupted and movement becomes less fluid.
Squatting with your hips back and knees upright alters the default way your body moves in and out of the gym. If we can't tolerate the knees moving past the toes, we won't be able to safely run, jump, or perform other movements necessary for sports and daily living.
It is necessary in some bodies
Everyone moves differently, and bodies come in different shapes and sizes, all of which affect how we move and position ourselves. We can improve mobility, learn proper form, and get stronger, but we can't change the shape of our joints or the length of our bones.
Someone with very long legs, for example, is going to have a hard time squatting without their knees going over their toes. Taller people or those with longer legs will have more forward knee movement than those with shorter legs.
If we have a large tummy or breasts, the opposite may be true and you will naturally reach your hips further back and see less forward knee movement as you squat. The important thing is to work with the movement of the body while maintaining proper squat form.
Protects the hips and back
When we limit forward knee movement, it can actually cause damage to other parts of the body. If we adjust one thing, like where the knees are, another area of the body will be looser or have to work with the load.
Moving the hips back to prevent forward knee movement transfers more force to the hip joint and sometimes to the lower back. This temporary change can eventually lead to pain and problems throughout the body.
When should they not pass in front of the feet?
Despite the benefits of allowing your knees to roll over your toes, it's not for everyone, at least not right away. As with everything we do in the gym, if we do it too soon or do something we're not ready for, we can run into trouble.
Those who may have had knee injuries in the past, have arthritis or are coming off of something like a knee replacement, it might be beneficial to keep your knees behind your toes.
Another general rule of thumb is to never get over joint pain during training. If any movement causes knee pain because it goes over the toes, it would be best to make sure the knee goes over the toes.
Stronger legs can be developed with exercises that do not cause pain. Box squats, split squats, step ups, and posterior chain exercises (deadlifts or glute bridges) can all be good options. At the same time, make sure you learn to use your feet and regularly work on ankle and hip mobility.
Over time, the ability to squat and lunge with the knees under the toes can be retested under the guidance of a trainer. Ideally, restricting forward knee movement will be a temporary solution that we use only when necessary.
safe squat technique
When it comes to this exercise, it's important to realize that there's a right and a wrong way to let your knees roll over your toes. A good squat starts with feet firmly planted on the ground. It's important to grip the ground with your toes and keep your heels on the ground throughout the repetition. If we bring the knees past the toes and the heel leaves the ground, the technique (and the knees) will be affected. This can happen when we start the squat by going down. First we bend the ankles, shooting the knees over the toes without moving the hips.
Instead of that movement, it's better to think about sitting back and down as we begin the squat movement. The hips should move back as the knees move forward. Squatting like this allows you to keep your feet on the ground and evenly distribute the load across all joints in your lower body.