This week’s tip is a lesser-known squat form tip – one relatively small change that makes a huge difference!
Most people know that your feet should be about shoulder or hip width apart from each other… but not that your toes and knees should NOT be pointing straight ahead! Instead, they should both be angled OUT (laterally rotated) to around 15-25 degrees! (See GIF below – no need to be exact with the angle – anything between 10-40 will work for most people. Try it out with light weight first and you’ll get a feel for what angle is best for you.)
The main reason for this is that having your toes and knees turned out gives your pelvis room to tilt anteriorly (see left side of pic below), which is necessary to keep your back straight as you squat down. Having your toes and knees straight forces your pelvis into a more posteriorly tilted position(see right side of pic below), which ultimately puts an unhealthy amount of stress on your spine, significantly increasing the risk of injury.
APPLICATION: Be sure that your toes and knees are turned out (laterally rotated) as you perform a standard squat!!
Pro Tip: This same principle also applies to the standard deadlift, and any other exercise that requires squatting down while your feet are shoulder-width apart!
Related Dr. Gains YouTube Video(s):
1)BEFORE YOU SQUAT, Understand the ANATOMY Behind it! (What Muscles Squats Actually Work)
2)If You’re ONLY Doing Full Range Squats, You Are LIMITING Your Progress (Scientific Proof Provided)
Relevant Research Article(s):
1)How to squat? Effects of various stance widths, foot placement angles and level of experience on knee, hip and trunk motion and loading
Dr. Gains 
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