Correcting squat weakness

[Drifter]

I'm making sure my form is tight (head up, shoulders together, sit into squat, push out with feet etc.), but I'm finding my knees are coming in when it starts to get heavy. I've read on here before that it's a weakness and there are exercises that I can do to correct this. Any info would be appreciated.

On a related note does it matter where your toes point while squatting? I've heard to keep them facing forwards but have seen a lot of powerlifters with their toes pointing in all sorts of direction.

Thanks

 

[Liftbig]

1. your quads may be stronger than your glutes/hams and over powering them, this can cuase the knees to come in
2. your hips are weak and cuase the knees to come in(i have the same problem sometimes)
3. i point my toes forward, my training partner points his slighty out. if you point them forward its harder to get down but you get more pop. and if your point them out more its easier to get down to parrelell, other then that i thinks its the preference of the lifter and where he feels strongest.


bring up your glutes and hams. and for the hips you can drag sled sideways, do abduction/adduction exercises and ultra wide sumos

 

[Drifter]

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately I have no access to a sled and with all the snow we have here it would probably be way too easy

Do you have any recommendations for adduction/abduction excercises. And would it be better to swap sumo's for squats every other week or do them along with squats.

 

[spatts]

Drifter, check out Projects thread to flapwrlftr about his squat...he has the same issues and has found a couple tricks to get over his weakness through the hips/hams.

 

[clint]

point your toes slightly outward and try to imagine pushing the floor apart when you are coming out of the hole.

clint

my hangout http://www.weightliftingdiscussion.com/cgi-bin/wdb.cgi

 

[Drifter]

Clint, thats pretty much what I've been doing and it's not helping too much.

Spatts, thanks. I've started doing pullthroughs in the hopes it will help and will start with the sumo also.

 

[spatts]

I use Zercher squats to help my sumo pull and I do them ATF. That may be another option, if your hip flexability will allow for it.

Also kneeling squats.

 

[Drifter]

Spatts, I had no problem finding out about Zercher squats but I've never seen nor heard about kneeling squats before. Do you think you could give me a quick rundown on how to do them?


On a side note, those pullthroughs are great. My hams and butt have been sore for 2 days now. Plus I get all sorts of strange looks from the other people working out.

 

[spatts]

LOL...those are the two comments that EVERYONE makes about pull throughs.


Kneeling Squats

These are Kneeling Power Squats (at least that's what I call them). I have a belt around me rigged up to bands and looped around the power rack so I have to fight the backward pull. For regular kneeling squats, it's just the same thing without the bands...belt optional, I suppose.