When Squatting Hurts: How to Train Around Knee Pain Without Avoiding Squats
Knee pain during squatting is one of the most common reasons people stop lower-body training altogether. The issue, in most cases, isn’t the squat — it’s the way the body is distributing load through the movement.
When certain muscles become underactive (typically the glutes and hip stabilisers), the knee joint is forced to take on roles it wasn’t designed for. Over time, this leads to irritation, discomfort, and a lack of confidence with bending movements.
Why This Routine Works
This routine is designed to:
• Reintegrate dormant glute and hip muscles
• Improve coordination between hips, knees, and feet
• Reduce reliance on knee joint stabilisers
• Restore smoother, pain-free squat mechanics
Rather than forcing range of motion, the focus is on muscle sequencing and control. When the correct muscles engage earlier in the movement, the knee no longer needs to compensate.
How to Use This Session
• Stay strictly within a pain-free range
• Focus on slow, controlled repetitions
• Use this routine as a warm-up before squats or leg training
• Can also be performed as a short standalone session
Consistency matters more than intensity here. Over time, as muscle activation improves, squat depth and comfort naturally increase.
If knee discomfort persists, professional feedback can be invaluable — often just one session is enough to identify and correct movement inefficiencies.
Train the muscles, protect the joints, and keep moving forward.
— Cyn