Genu valgum question

[Mike Donze]

When you have lifters with mild Genu valgum, do you have to make adjustments to their squat stance? Have you ever noticed it having any impact on the mechanics of the lift? Thanks for your time it is much appreciated!

[Mark Rippetoe]

Mildly valgus knees may be due to collapsed arches. Once these are corrected with shoeing, no further corrections are necessary other than enforcing knees-out positioning.

Why do you ask?

[Mike Donze]

Mildly valgus knees may be due to collapsed arches. Once these are corrected with shoeing, no further corrections are necessary other than enforcing knees-out positioning.

Why do you ask?

My knees seem to have inward angle more than what I would consider normal. Just by observing other people. One knee gives me trouble very frequently. In turn I find myself constantly micro managing my squat stance.

My observations have been that when I go a a touch wider than recommended I feel more comfortable but my knees want to track inward after I come out of the hole.

When I bring the stance in, I need more outward toe angle to keep my femur and pelvis from binding up in the bottom. This in turn feels like my knees are twisting quite a bit. Finding a happy medium seems impossible.

If the knee is starting in an already inward position would it make since that a slightly wider stance would be necessary to avoid femur and hip impingement in the hole? Or possibly wider combined with slightly more forward toes to keep the knee tracking true over the foot direction.

Of course I may be and idiot and completely wrong on all this stuff. That's why I came to you. Thanks RIP.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Video?

[Mike Donze]

form check 290 - YouTube

April 28, 2017 - YouTube

This one may show the knee angle more clear

[Mark Rippetoe]

Who told you that you had valgus knees? Post a video of what you consider to be a correct squat.

[Mike Donze]

Who told you that you had valgus knees? Post a video of what you consider to be a correct squat.

I was told to bring my stance in and shove my knees out more. I started having a lot of posterior knee issues after that. However, it's likely that I overcompensated in effort to fix things. That's when I started observing other people stance and knee angle. It appeared that my knees where slanted in significantly farther than theirs. I suppose I could be surrounded by bow legged people.

I was hoping that those squats were nearing correct.

[Mike Donze]

Who told you that you had valgus knees? Post a video of what you consider to be a correct squat.

Sorry. To answer the first question. A doctor when I was playing sports in high school told me I had slightly "knocked knees" and tight hamstrings. That's was supposedly causing hip flexor tendinitis. So I needed to stretch more. Hindsight, I think I just needed a barbell and squat rack.

[Mark Rippetoe]

There is nothing wrong with your knees, or with this squat.

[Mike Donze]

There is nothing wrong with your knees, or with this squat.

Ok. Thank you for your help!