Should your knees pass your toes when you squat?

SHOULD YOUR KNEES GO PAST YOUR TOES WHEN YOU SQUAT?
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your @anchor.here coach is looking at so much when they watch you squat in the gym or studio.
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spoiler: yes, it’s ok for your knees to travel past your toes 🤯
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one of the reasons we have a health clinic located under the ANCHOR roof is because our team does such a great job of identifying proper movement patterns vs. movement deficits.
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when we see it, then we can correct it by proper coaching cues and/or referring to the proper practitioner right away.
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our overarching goal is quality movement that enhances muscle + joint & overall health and leads to fitness longevity.
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#Repost @dr.jacob.harden ⬇️
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This whole myth started when 📊researchers saw that restricting knee travel decreased stress on the knee, which sounds great in theory. But that came at a cost, which happened to be a greater demand for hip mobility and forward folding of the torso, which increases hip and low back stress.
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Also, while stress is higher with the knees forward, that's not necessarily a bad thing. That stress is still well within the body's stress capacity, meaning you can handle it just fine. So you're not doing any damage by letting the knees come forward.
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Here's where restricting knee travel can be helpful. 👉 If you have knee pain currently, especially in the front, keeping them back can be a great TEMPORARY measure to let things calm down. And once they do, it's ok to work back into a more forward position. Also, if you want more glute or low back work, and have the hip mobility, you can also keep them back, but just going to a low bar position tends to work just as well.
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So if you're pain free or want quads of the gods, don't be worried about your knees crossing your toes. It's perfectly ok and will often make for a much more comfortable and efficient squat.