Leaning Forward In The Squat & How To Fix It

Introduction

Do you have a tendency to lean forward on your way up out of the bottom of the squat? Don’t worry, many people do. This squat fault is often referred to as a good morning squat because of the similarity of positions you reach during the ascent. Opening the knees up too quickly, having the hips rise up first, and the chest lean forward before finally opening the hips at the top to complete the squat.

This method of standing up is essentially shifting the majority of the work towards your posterior chain. Mainly your hips and back. If your back is always hurting after squatting, this could be a reason. Does this “need” to be changed if you are squatting “well” and nothing hurts? Well no, not necessarily. If you have built up a tolerance and train with a specific loading pattern it can remain fairly safe so to speak. You are just not really squatting. This good morning squat is not the most efficient. But maybe even more importantly, this fault is often a sign of a strength imbalance.

Why Does It Happen

This happens mainly because the quads are weak relative to the hips. To be able to maintain posture in your squat on the way up, your quads/knees need to be strong enough to open from a small, closed angle in the bottom position. By raising the hips first (opening the knee) and shifting the weight forward (without a real rise in bar height), you are taking work off the knees and transferring it to your hips and back.

There are a few other possibilities that can cause a lean forward but are, in my experience, less often the case. Examples would be; weak trunk strength and seeing a collapse in the upper back on the way up out of the squat, too much knee cave on the way up causing the hips to shift back, or a lack of control/balance at the turn over of the squat and letting your weight shift towards your toes on the way up.  

How To Fix It

The first and most obvious way to fix this problem is to just squat the way you want it to look when squatting. Practice squatting with good posture at weights that you can remain doing so. It does not need to be complicated. This will undoubtedly make your weights lighter to start and that is okay. If you still want to train heavy, you have to make sure that your high quality reps far outweigh the number of reps with improper form. 

One of my favorite things to do for corrections is to add tempo work. Slow eccentrics and long pauses work great. It is always easier to maintain posture on the way down. Making this the focus of your exercise with a 5 second eccentric is a logical way to train the proper position. Pauses are a great way to ensure good turn over in your squats. I primarily like pauses for making sure the foot remains balanced but it can also serve to make sure you do not rush out of the bottom. You can focus on leading the ascent with the bar and shoulders rather than the hips.

Lastly, if we know the quads are part of the problem, train your quads. The accessory work you do should focus on your weaknesses. Bulgarian split squats and heel elevated goblet squats are great options because they make it easy for the lifter to maintain posture and target the specific muscle that needs training.