Fix Your Squat: 3 Squat Myths That Need To Die

This also explains why these myths appeared in the first place:

Let’s get down to it

Trying to copy one “perfect” squat form for every body type can cause more harm than good (people have different builds, postures, mobility, and injury histories).

The result is often people giving wrong advice, much like an albatross might say to a penguin “flight is easy, just flap your wings like this”, or a penguin might say to an albatross “it’s perfectly safe to swim under this ice, just your breath for 15 minutes”.

Consequently, good form should focus on engaging the right muscles and moving safely, not just mimicking how a squat looks on someone else.

Furthermore, forcing a “textbook” squat that’s not right for you can make your body seek mobility from the wrong joints or overuse small stabilizing muscles, increasing compensation injury risk.

In particular, three myths are very prevalent:

1. “Your knees mustn’t go past your toes”: this cue originated to help people sit back instead of bending only at the knees, but knees can and often should go past toes, for example when doing a deep and/or pistol squat. The real key is to keep your heels down and properly load your glutes while maintaining good hip and ankle mobility.
2. “You must stay perfectly upright”: forcing a straight torso if your build or mobility doesn’t allow for it can cause back pain. A forward lean can be perfectly fine—especially for people with long femurs or shorter torsos—as long as your glutes and core are working properly.
3. “There’s one correct squat depth”: there’s no universal rule about how low to go—it depends on your structure, injury history, and control. aim to move through the largest range of motion you can safely manage. Both deep and parallel squats have value depending on your goals. Also, even those who can squat deep can still benefit from using partial squats to target weak points, while others may stop at parallel to protect their knees or maintain control.

For more on each of these plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

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Squat Variations for Painful Knees (No More Pain!)

Take care!