Knee pains when squatting!?

As 2013 is coming to an end, I have been thinking about the amount that I have learnt and achieved within the past year and what impact it has had on my life.

I’d say the biggest thing I’ve learnt in 2013 is the importance of flexibility, and joint strength.

Some people think that these things are just the extra boring bits which aren't REALLY necessary… but when it comes to fitness and your training then these factors are so essential.

Everybody is built a little different and it is extremely important that you explore your own individual body structure to find how you work when training so that you can avoid injury and get the best results from all of your hard work! For me, this meant discovering my joint weaknesses, tight muscles, and spending time strengthening, stretching, and re-aligning myself.

Yes this meant time out from lifting heavy weights, but without taking the time to focus on these factors, I may have ended up with an injury which could have put me out of training for months. And there is no way that I would have reached the point which I’m at now if I’d have neglected my flexibility and joint strength.

SO… you cannot expect to achieve optimum muscle strength, power, and size (and therefore reach your goals) if you do not spend quality time working on your:

Flexibility:

Your entire musculoskeletal system benefits from having good flexibility and it is essential for joint health.

Flexibility is so important for injury prevention. It is surprising how many people suffer from aches and pains in joints that are purely caused by tight muscles! By increasing the range of motion in your muscles, you increase your ability to perform exercises correctly, and decrease irritations in joints and ligaments.

When I started strength training I experienced knee pains when squatting. I immediately stopped squatting and stuck to alternative exercises (which unfortunately weren’t as effective as a good ole squat!).

After a while I was frustrated that my pain was holding me back, and I was curious and worried as to why I felt pain. So I went along to a physio and whaddaya know!? The pain was being caused by joint weakness and my tight and neglected muscles which were pretty much NEVER stretched!

Joint strength:

As well as having tight muscles, I also had a hip – knee – foot alignment which wasn't ideal, along with weak knee joints!

I now have a whole joint strengthening and muscle stretching programme which I perform regularly, and I no longer experience discomfort in my knees.

It would be useful if more fitness role models talked about the importance of different body structures and advised people to do their research before going in to lift very heavy weights. I myself found that my body just wasn't aligned correctly to be able to deal with the heavy weight in a squat position and I was able to correct my posture before injury occurred.

Don’t take risks with your body. Listen to it! You can usually tell the difference between good pains and bad pains – as soon as you feel those bad pains then stop exercising immediately and check that everything is OK before continuing.

PLEASE NOTE! – My knee pain was caused by these factors but may not be the reasons for YOUR knee pain! If you are experiencing any joint pain then you must consult your doctor or physiotherapist!