Knees In and Heels Up in the Back Squat
Dana is 34 and has trained six months, three classes a week. Her back squat is 115 lb for 5 with coach-watched depth just below parallel, and she reports no pain. On video her setup looks like this: stance slightly wider than her shoulders with toes pointed nearly straight ahead. On the descent her knees track over her toes until the bottom, where they drift inward and both heels lift about a centimeter. Her torso stays upright, and on the way up her hips shift back before her knees extend. She sprained her right ankle twice as a teenager and says both ankles feel 'stiff in the morning.' Today's workout is 5 rounds of 10 back squats at 60 percent plus 12 box jumps, and she asks whether she can add 10 lb to the bar.
1. What are the primary faults, what is the most likely limiting factor, and how would you test that during the session?
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Faults. Two show up at the bottom: knees converging and heels lifting, with the hips shifting back on the ascent. The upright torso and forward-heel lift point to the center of mass moving forward, not a simple strength problem.
Likely limiter. Ankle dorsiflexion, consistent with two ankle sprains and morning stiffness, plus hip external-rotator and glute control at depth. The stance is also wide for toes pointed forward, which forces the knees into a narrower track than the feet.
Test it. Elevate both heels 1-2 inches on plates and repeat a few reps. If the heels stay down and the knees track, ankle range is the limiter. If valgus persists, it is control or strength. Add a knee-to-wall ankle test on both sides for a quick asymmetry check.
Why the test matters. The fix differs. An ankle restriction is addressed with mobility and a heel lift or narrower stance; a control problem is addressed with tempo, cues, and load management. Cueing 'knees out' harder against an ankle restriction just produces a different compensation.
2. What setup changes and cues would you use, and which common cue would you avoid?
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Setup changes. Narrow the stance to roughly shoulder width, turn the toes out 10-15 degrees, and let the knees follow the toes. If ankle range is confirmed as the limiter, use a small heel elevation or squat shoes for now.
Cues that work here. External and tactile beats shouting. 'Screw your feet into the floor' creates external rotation and arch support. 'Spread the floor apart' keeps the knees tracking. A light band around the knees gives a target to press into, but use it as a temporary reminder, not a permanent fixture. A 3-second-down, 1-second-pause tempo goblet squat gives her time to feel the bottom position without load.
Cue to avoid. Repeatedly yelling 'knees out' at a lifter with an ankle restriction. It treats a symptom, adds tension, and often pushes the heels further up.
Sequence. Mobility first, then a repositioned stance under light load, then build. Do not stack a new stance, a new tempo, and a load increase in the same set.
3. What do you decide about her request to add 10 lb for today's workout, and what do you change, if anything?
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Decision: no load increase today. The 60 percent work is meant to be repeatable across 50 reps. Her fault appears at the bottom and worsens with fatigue, so adding load increases the exposure to a position you are trying to change.
What to change instead. Keep the load where it is or drop slightly, and give her one constraint: all 10 reps in a round at a depth she can hold with heels down and knees tracking, even if that is an inch higher than usual. If she cannot hold it, elevate the heels or reduce to a goblet squat for the round. Keep the box jumps low with step-downs to protect the ankles.
Why. Depth and load are not the goals of today's session; the goal is a repeatable position. She can add weight once she holds heels-down, knees-out squats for three sets of 10 under fatigue - usually a few weeks of mobility work, not one session.
Follow-up. Give her two ankle drills for home and recheck the knee-to-wall test in two weeks.