Squats, lunges, leg press, all seem easy, right? Well, that’s what I thought until I started to pay more attention to how people were doing this time and time again, wrong! I saw this guy throwing two 45’s on each side of a smith machine, and with slight flexion of his knees completed what he thought was a squat. It was just ugly!
I wish I could say he was the only person, but he wasn’t. Lunges, squats, and leg presses are awesome exercises for your legs, but if done improperly, they will absolutely destroy your knees. But hey, that’s what I am here for. To ensure that you complete the exercise right and get the best results!
When performing squats, lunges, and leg presses, take a look at your position in the negative phase (in these exercises that is the down part). Ask yourself these three questions; are my knees tilted forward? Do I feel pain in my knees during and after this exercise? Do I feel unstable? If you answer yes to any of these questions, you definitely need to make some changes.
If your knees are tilted forward during any of the exercises, you are probably carrying your weight on the balls of your feet which is not a good thing. What you want to do is shift that weight back so it’s evenly distributed along your feet.
You want to have the majority of your weight on your heels. What I like to do is have my toes pointed toward the ceiling which reassures that my weight is not on the balls of my feet. For the leg press, you should place your feet higher on the platform to prevent any tilting of the knees.
Stability is also important during these exercises since your legs are taking on a significant amount of weight. To ensure your stability during lunges and squats, you want to keep your chest up, head straight, and butt out. These focus points will provide balance and stability throughout the exercise.
Feeling pain during exercise is the last thing you want, especially knee pain. If you are feeling pain in your knees, you really need to check your stance. If your legs are not at least shoulder width apart, it will become very hard to keep those knees behind the toes.
What I always like to do is have my feet wider than shoulder width. This makes it much easier to see where my feet are in comparison to my knees. This wider stance also gives me better control throughout the full range of motion.
Trust me, squatting, lunges, and leg presses seem simple and self-explanatory, but they are not! Do them incorrectly and you will be injured. Do them right and you will be accomplishing some of the best leg workouts in the gym!!!
-Phil