Do you really need to wear knee pads when doing squats?
The vast majority of knee injuries happen without your knowledge. It does not mean that there is no knee injury or pain, which means that there is no hidden danger of knee injury.
Squats, the phase where the knees go over the toes during a full squat, tend to occur after the legs are in contact with the legs, that is, the bottom pause phase, not during the squat. For shallow squats and half squats, due to the center of gravity and movement posture, the knees can easily exceed the toes during the squat. Then we can find a very interesting phenomenon, that is, when the dangerous stage of squatting and full squatting occurs, as long as you do not exert force, then your quadriceps and biceps will exert force together. When the danger phase of half squats and shallow squats occurs, only the biceps femoris are immobilized, and the quadriceps femoris and gluteus maximus are almost dormant. From this, you can find out which position is safer in the event of danger.
Squats and shallow squats are more likely to cause your knees to compress, depending on the position and range of motion. Because according to the relationship between the amplitude, your center of gravity will automatically lean forward, and the knee joint will naturally bear more pressure. And full squat and squat, under the same waist and abdominal strength, unless you want to commit suicide, the center of gravity is rarely leaned forward, and the pressure on the knee joint is less. Relatively speaking, for the waist, there is more pressure on the hip joints, and the squat and half squat are relatively easy to weigh. One of the most dangerous signs here is that your strength is growing much faster than your joints. The existing strength of the joint simply cannot adapt to your strength level.
How to squat properly
1. Feet shoulder-width apart, behind hands, like an old man walking.
2. If you squat naturally, you must squat to the lowest level
3. Then stand up again, and then you can repeat this action continuously
4. You can use the timing method or counting method, such as: 1-minute squat, 2-minute squat or 50 squat, 80 squat. Knee pain can be determined according to your physical condition and lifestyle habits
As we all know, the knee joint is a very important weight-bearing joint for us, and its correct position determines whether the hip joint and above are correct. We think that if there is a problem with the foundation, there will be a lot of potential problems in the superstructure, so the lower body is very important to us. But many small partners will experience pain and bounce in the front of the knee joint when walking, running, and weight training.
An important muscle on the front of our thigh, the quadriceps, wraps around the patella and terminates at the proximal end of the tibia. It controls the movement of the patella up and down, maintains the correct position of the patella, and allows it to move normally within the intercondylar fossa of the femur. It is very important to maintain stability in front of the knee joint. Regular training can really help us improve lower body strength and athletic performance. Our problem in training may be some wrong postures in life, maintained for a long time, causing our body to not have the conditions for exercise, so this shortcoming will appear in training, because life is a part of training. If you don't get this right, you may have no problem training, but your body isn't doing the right movements, and that's the problem. In life, there will be many people who work for a long time. It seems like a habit to feel comfortable with Erlang's legs crossed. And yet, that's the comfort. If things go on like this, you will gradually bring some changes in the alignment of the lower limbs and abnormal functions. When we hold this position for extended periods of time, it can lead to an imbalance in the strength of the muscles in the inner and outer thighs, changes in the shape of the legs, and an increased risk of injury during exercise.
When this change occurs, the femur is adducted and rotated, and the tibia is abducted and rotated, creating a knee buckle. As the quadriceps stops excursion, the migration force to the patella increases, and the gap between the lateral patella and the femoral intercondylar notch decreases. Repeated flexion and extension of the knee causes friction and pain, and also causes excessive pressure on one side of the meniscus and laxity of the knee ligaments. That is to say, long-term wrong actions lead to the appearance of leg shape problems, and the imbalance of muscle tension cannot maintain the correct position of the patella, so how to solve it?
One Attention Four Actions to Improve Pain
First of all, the first and most important point is to improve your attitude towards life. Much of the damage comes from our living habits. We need to sit correctly, not to cross our legs, not to sit between our legs, so as to solve the fundamental problem.
1. Second, warm up before exercising, because long-term wrong posture leads to continuous muscle tension. Relaxation is conducive to promoting blood circulation in the muscles, allowing nutrients to reach the tissues that need to be repaired, and speeding up the elimination of metabolic waste, which can effectively relieve muscle stiffness and fatigue. In addition, it can also help restore the normal physiological length of the muscles.
2. Stretching the inner and front muscles of the thigh can increase the range of motion of the muscles and joints, effectively relieve the lack of joint movement caused by muscle tension, and promote the next activation training.
3. Activate the weak slender muscles, buttocks and outer thighs, and then activate the inhibited muscles, so as to balance the muscle strength of the antagonistic muscles and keep them relatively stable during exercise. When we exercise, agonists, cooperators, antagonists, and stabilizers work at the same time. Power imbalances can lead to changes in joint position, decreased stability, and incorrect movement patterns, greatly increasing the chance of injury. Therefore, inhibited muscles must be activated and awakened.
4. The last step of integration, emphasizing the ability of motor control and coordination between multi-joint muscles and high neuroplasticity, is very useful for establishing good movement patterns. After these four steps, this problem can be solved very well.
Do you really need to wear knee pads when doing squats?
Related article: How to choose knee pads scientifically
If you look closely at the gym bags of competitive powerlifters, you'll find a lot of fantastic objects. In addition to weight straps and wrist straps, you'll also find knee pads.
Knee pads are made of heavyweight stretch polyester or cotton canvas that wraps around the knee to increase the athlete's stability and strength when lifting heavy weights. These benefits are backed up by sports science research, which is why knee pads are also frequently included in the backpack of the average fitness enthusiast.
However, just because a knee brace works, doesn't mean you should use it. First, a study published in the Journal of Strength and Fitness Training by exercise physiologists at California State University, Fulton, showed that using knee braces reduced quadriceps activity by nearly 20 percent, mainly because It provides elastic potential energy. This can cause problems if you're trying to build muscle and strength.
Second, exercise scientists at the University of Chichester, UK, found that tying the knee area tightly with a knee pad when doing squats changes posture, which not only changes the muscles targeted, but also compromises the integrity of the knee, increasing the risk of injury .
In short, unless you're a power lifter trying to complete just one squat with the heaviest weight in a competition, using a knee brace may be more of a harm than a benefit.
Sure, wearing knee pads can help you move heavier weights, but your knees will eventually pay for it.
