Squat has always been called "the king of fitness training", and there has even been a saying that "no squat, no fitness". Squat has always been an important training action in strength training, especially for strengthening the muscles of lower limbs. However, as a strength training action, squat will make you more vulnerable in training compared with other strength training methods. For example, many exercisers hurt their knees during squat training. In fact, it is not because squat training is too dangerous, but the cause of injury is more about yourself. So how do exercisers who often squat properly protect their knees from injury?

1, keep a healthy posture.

In addition to the posture of fitness training, the correct body posture in daily life is also easily overlooked. Although these poses don't need to bear weight or too much force, they often take a long time and have a great influence on the joints in our bodies. Just like many people's knees are uncomfortable, sitting often can lead to aggravation. This is because the knee joint itself is bent when we sit down. Although there is no force, if this continues for a long time, it will often cause a burden on the knee joint. So in order to protect the knee joint, we try to keep our legs straight and relaxed when sitting.

2. Avoid overstretching your knees, and don't stretch and lock your knees when squatting.

In fact, the most common way to hurt the knee is knee hyperextension, that is, the knee joint is locked. Many people straighten their legs after squatting, which will squeeze the patella very high. Moreover, after the knee is overstretched, our thigh muscles can't be used, so all the weight will be exerted on the knee, especially when the weight is heavy, the pressure on the knee joint will exceed the bearing capacity of the joint, and then the knee will be worn.

There is also a more terrible situation, that is, the spring leg squats, that is, the knee suddenly straightens when squatting. In this way, your knee may break in the opposite direction, and even if it doesn't, it will strain the tendon tissue of your knee. Therefore, under normal circumstances, we suggest that when squatting, the knee should not be completely locked and straight, but slightly bent, so that the thigh muscles can protect the knee, thus reducing the risk of joint wear and injury. If you have to straighten your knees in order to exercise your hips better, I suggest that players stand firm, support the ground with their toes, and let their calves replace their thighs, which will provide follow-up protection for your knees.

Step 3 find the rhythm of squatting

Many beginners will shout when they get barbells, without any consciousness or intention to think about how to do better. This not only affects the balance of the body when squatting, but also may be injured due to excessive load, resulting in slight movement of the body, leaning forward or backward. Speed, or rhythm, is not only a factor that beginners need to consider, but also a factor that some middle and senior athletes must pay attention to. Mastering rhythm helps to control movements, improve squat skills, and make people more aware of their body's spatial position, thus avoiding random training. In the process of squat, the centrifugal movement (that is, the process of barbell pulling from bottom to top) lasts for 3~4 seconds, which can keep the rhythm of the whole squat stable, and the interval between peak contraction and downward pressure is 1 second.