Uneven / Asymmetrical Knees Squat, Sumo deadlift

[wayacrucis]

Hey all. Just a brief introduction. I am 25 years old, been training since I was 16. Started competing in bodybuilding at 20 years old and I am currently 25. I introduced the main lifts in my program when I was 17 and squats always just felt “off.” I should also mention that I am 6’0. Anyhow, I’ve managed to build a decent pair of wheels from RDLS, Lunges, Hack squats, leg presses, etc. Recently I tried incorporating squats into my program again and basically noticed why that feel “off.”

Basically during a squat my knees flare out at different angles, despite having my feet placed symmetrically. This is not due to mobility or a strength difference from side to side. Basically the second I start my decent down into a squat, my right leg ends being more “under” my body while the left is more out. The exact same pattern occurs whether I am squatting my body weight, the bar, 225lbs or 315lbs - does not matter. I ended up going to a chiro, had x-rays and basically discovered that my spine is fully straight, my pelvis is even and that I do not have a leg length difference. However, there is a structural difference in my feet. The difference is that my left foot has an arch - albeit a small one, while the right does not. I overpronate on both sides, but much more so on the right, and the overpronation on the right foot is due to the actual structure of the right foot itself - in the sense that it lacks an arch altogether.

So I was given hard rigid orthotics and they’ve helped significantly. Though despite wearing the orthotics, the difference in knee flare is still there. My knees do not collapse whatsoever while I squat - so I am a bit confused as to why the knees would still flare out unevenly during the squat if my right knee is not buckling in? I understand that the structure of the right foot differs from the left, but if both are kept in a neutral state with the orthotics, and I am able to use my external rotators to push my knees out without one side buckling in, shouldn’t the squat be even?

I also went on the leg press to test this out and it’s the same thing. My left knee will flare out more so than the right - so I figured it has to be from the feet and not the hips or anything else. What I’ve noticed is that if I externally rotate the right foot by 15-20 degrees more than the left foot while squatting, leg pressing, etc the difference is almost completely gone. Anyhow, I have attached two videos for you guys to see.

I am wearing sweatpants in both videos, so the knees are not completely clear, but if you pause the video at the bottom of the squat it’s clear that the left knee sticks out more so than the right. It’s not a HUGE difference, we’re talking a 15% difference, but unfortunately the slight difference has been taken a toll on my right knee. The right quad is overworked compared to the left and is always tighter. The right knee is also constantly taking more of a beating simply because it’s being loaded more. Am I missing anything here? Can anything else possibly be causing this aside from the feet? If not, is my best option to basically squat with an asymmetrical stance? (right foot slightly more externally rotated compared to left?

[Gorilladiesel]

Your videos are thumbnails.

[wayacrucis]

Fixed!

[Adam Franklin]

You should try low bar squats to depth instead of high bar. In general, full depth low bar squats are easier on the knees than high bar quarter squats. The decreased moment arm on the knees in low bar compared to high bar should minimize your asymmetries, whether they be structural, functional, or just poor technique. If switching to low bar doesn't completely solve the issue, I would recommend an asymmetrical stance so that your femurs are symmetrical.