There is a common myth in the fitness industry that you cannot push your knees over your toes during lower body strengthening exercises. This is not the case and should be explained.
It is often said that you are at a higher chance of injuring your knees if you go knees-over-toes during your exercises. Now, I have often said that the knee is kind of a dumb joint because it will do whatever the hip and ankle tell it to. But, the knee is meant to have a degree of freedom to move and not be limited.
- There is an increase in ankle dorsiflexion when pushing your knee forward. Keeping the heel down and pushing my knee forward gives a calf stretch and improves ankle range of motion.
- There is a greater stretch of the quadriceps muscle group. The greater our ability to lengthen a muscle, the better we can shorten and contract the muscle.
- Pushing the knee forward increases the ability of the patellar tendon to tolerate higher loads at the end of its range of motion.
When we squat, the main motion is lowering our center of mass, but pushing our knees forward. Same thing with a skater squat, a single leg exercise. This exercise works knee stability along with the hip and ankle. This allows us to properly be able to use the hip, knee, and ankle in unison.
Your knees are stronger than you think, train them in their full range of motion!
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