Newsletter 2025-2-2
Topics Covered:
Why I teach a knees-in squat
How to load the glutes fully
Exercise tutorial for full body tension
Options for continuing to master lower body athleticism
Why do my clients and I squat with our knees in?
If your first thought is, "That's crazy! Isn't that terrible for your knees?!" you are not alone.
And I promise I'm not advocating for just letting your knees collapse inward and hoping for the best (we'll get into those details later).
First, in order to understand why you should squat with your knees in, you need to understand why you've been told to squat with the knees out.
Thigh Bone in Line With Shin Bone
When loading the legs, the knees should be tracking over the toes, which would mean that the leg bones are facing the same direction.
When they're not facing the same direction, it can look like this:
An example of knee valgus, the position we’re all trying to avoid.
You'll notice in the photo above that the feet are pointed slightly outward while the knees are going inward.
This misalignment is what leads to twisting and shearing forces on the knee ligaments, putting you at risk of injury.
So how did the brilliant fitness coaches who came before us make sure we avoid this position? By cueing the knees out so that they face the same direction as the foot.
An example of how most people are taught to squat. Notice the knees pointing outward to match the feet pointing outward.
Why "Knees Out" Doesn't Make Sense
While this pervasive cue does solve the issue of knee/foot misalignment, that's about all it solves.
When it comes to the rest of the body, shoving your knees out while squatting conflicts with how we're supposed to move.
Let me explain...
It's Not How the Glutes Load
When we load the glutes without thinking about it, like a basketball player taking a jump shot, the knees do not drive outward.
If you're not an anatomy nerd like me, no problem. Here's an easy breakdown of how the glutes load.
Picture a bow and arrow. In order for the bow to launch the arrow, it has to stretch back first. That's what we'd consider loading.
Muscles work the same way. And that lengthening or stretching under tension (the pulling back of the bow) is called loading.
The glutes load through 3 main actions:
The trunk and thigh coming closer together
The thigh bone rotating inward
The thigh bone moving inward toward the center of the body.
This is why you see these actions show up naturally in athletes when loading the glutes (see photo above); it's how the body moves.
The "knees out" cue doesn't respect this.
Yes, the squat will always involve #1 (you can't squat without your trunk bending toward your thighs), but shoving your knees out causes the thigh bone to travel and rotate outward.
The result? Glutes that can't fully lengthen/load.
And like any muscle that's "tight" or stuck in a shortened position, it causes problems.
Low Back Compression & Sciatica
The muscle fibers of the glute max and some of the deeper muscles (e.g. piraformis) attach at the base of the spine and wrap around the buttocks.
If these muscles can't lengthen, they stay compressed inward, putting pressure on that base of the spine.
Picture the muscles in the top image shortening inward, and imagine the pressure that puts on the low back.
This is why the ability to internally rotate the thigh correlates with freedom of the sciatic nerve.
Lack of Access to the Glutes
As I mentioned above, if the glutes can't load properly, they also can't contract properly (you can't go somewhere if you're already there).
And when we have limited access to the glutes, other parts of the body are forced to take over to accomplish a physical task.
We call this a movement compensation.
Parts of the body that try to do the job of the glutes involve the quads (front of the thigh) and the low back.
So if we follow the trail of compensations, your knee and/or back pain could be traced back to those "knees out" squats.
Avoid Middle Age Hell
"Middle age" used to start in your 40s. Now, people in their early 30s are complaining about nagging joint pain.
If you have some life experience under your belt, maybe you've already tasted what I call Middle Age Hell:
Starting your day with back, hip, knee, or shoulder pain
Hitting the gym, but struggling to walk comfortably
Getting injured trying to be physical outside the gym
Always feeling like you need to stretch, but stretching doesn't actually solve anything.
And if you're not yet middle aged, you've probably heard people describe some of those bullet points as the stuff you have to look forward to.
I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to be a stereotype you'd see in a chiropractic commercial.
A Solution
What if one single change could:
Reduce pains and stiffness associated with shortened glutes
Unlock freedom of movement outside the gym
Made your legs and butt powerful and athletic
Would you try it?
Enter the OKF Squat
OKF founder, Devon Brown, performing the OKF Squat with the safety bar.
f you're newer here, OKF stands for One of a Kind Fitness.
It's a strength training system that has modified conventional lifts and resistance exercises in a way that strengthens movement patterns like walking, running, and jumping.
As a certified OKF coach, so much of the resistance training I do myself and with clients are based on OKF principles.
In fact, I consider the OKF squat to be one of the greatest full body exercises we can do.
"I don't get it. Didn't you say the knees going inward was bad?"
No.
I said that the knees and toes facing different directions is bad. Those are two different things.
In fact, this is one of the things that makes the OKF Squat unique.
Instead of turning the knees out to line up with the feet, the OKF squat turns the feet in to match the natural direction of the knees.
And as a result, the glutes can load fully and naturally while avoiding misalignment at the knee. Voila.
This is not safe for the knee. Notice the outward foot position and compare it to the previous image of the OKF Squat.
This reconciling of glute loading with knee safety is just one feature of this exercise.
There's a bunch of other magic hidden in the OKF Squat.
What Else Makes the OKF Squat Different
Decompressive Breathing
A hallmark attribute of the OKF system is the ability to manage internal pressure by breathing into tension. By working to lengthen the midsection while holding tension, we use our breathing to counter the compressive load that heavy weights can otherwise have on the spine.
Full Body Connections
No muscle group works in isolation. Even though it's a squat, we are always looking for stability around the shoulder, rib cage, and pelvis. In order to achieve this, muscle groups throughout the entire body must be co-contracting to support the whole system. It's not an OKF squat if the rest of your body is lazy.
Ball-of-Foot Pressure
While traditional lifting has you driving through the heels, we recognize that doing that repeatedly translates into our movement habits outside the gym. And landing, twisting, and driving through the heels is going to make you slower and more injury prone. In the OKF Squat, pressure stays between mid-foot and ball-of-foot for maximum carry-over to real life movement.
Feel the Connections of the OKF Squat
Here is a common place to start when looking to develop connected stability throughout the full-body (i.e. the tensions we want to feel while squatting).
Supine Breathing Mechanics
Lie on your back with knees and hips bent at 90 degrees. Toes pointed in the air.
Actively "suck" the thigh bones into their sockets, using the heels to slightly pull the ground toward your butt.
Allow the shoulders to "float" toward the ears slightly, until you feel the armpits can "breathe" and the chest feels active.
Imagine your spine shifting back in space toward the ground, broadening the back of the rib cage
Note: Avoid flattening the low back
Gently bear down with the midsection, and breathe expansively while maintaining that tension.
You might be able to imagine how these tensions, when applied to a squat, allow these positive adaptations to take place.
And if you're not quite getting the hang of it, don't be discouraged. These details require a lot of body awareness, and it's normal for the process to take a while.
Mastering the OKF Squat for a Pain-Free, Athletic Body
If you want to incorporate this exercise and others that help your body adapt to the way it's supposed to move, there are always options.
Option 1 - The OKF Instagram Page
Cost: Free
Guidance: Low
There aren't a ton of detailed tutorials here, but you may be able to piece some things together on your own and get some results. Note that the page is currently under construction with minimal posts available, but that will change soon. You can follow OKF here.
Option 2 - Online Foundations Course
Cost: $249
Guidance: Medium
Features:
Lifetime access
Detailed video tutorials of exercise progressions
Sample daily workouts and weekly routines
Option to add OKF reactive balls (U.S. shipping only)
You can check out the program here.
Option 3 - 1:1 Coaching
Of course I'd love to help you myself, but there are also a handful of other certified OKF coaches that you can check out as well if you're interested.
While I can't speak to other coaches' prices or coaching offers, the info below reflects my own.
Cost: $500 - 800 per month (depending on package)
Guidance: Very High
Features:
Session recordings
Unlimited text/email access to me
Option to add written weekly exercise programming
Optional to add supplemental resources for sleep, recovery, and stress management
My application process is easy and has no obligation. It exists so you have an opportunity to figure out if it's the route you want to go down.
You can apply for 1:1 coaching here.
"But I don't want to lose my squat gains!"
You're an adult, and you can do as you please.
But if you're in pain, or your body doesn't move the way you want it to -- have you tried other solutions?
If so, have they worked?
Is your current squat such a big part of your identity that you wouldn't try a solution to help you move better and reduce pain?
A solution, mind you, that still involves squatting -- just in a different way.
"I want to learn, but the program and the coaching are a lot of money."
Believe me, I know that investing big chunks in being taught or coached can feel like a gamble (I wrote a detailed IG post about it).
And it's much easier to spend money when the reward is immediate.
But think about a habit you've developed that gives you no instant gratification, but has seriously paid off in the long run.
Whether it's eating well, saving/investing money, or the little sacrifices you make for your children -- we all know what it's like to trust in the progress we can't always see.
Once again, you're an adult. And I don't think you should spend a dime on something that you don't want.
But if you do want it, it's because deep down you know you're investing in an experiential education about your body that no one can ever take away from you.
The Squat PR That Got Rid of Back Pain
I was working an office job, and I hadn't been very good about getting up from my desk that week.
It was a Friday, and my low back was reminding me of all the sitting I'd been doing.
Not an injury, but the pain was real. It was a deep throbbing sensation that felt like my sciatic nerve was being compressed on my right side.
I decided to go to the gym and do my lower body workout anyway.
After a proper warm-up, I progressed my OKF squat until I hit a PR (personal record). That means I lifted a weight that was heavier than I'd ever done before.
Now it's true that many people successfully work out in spite of pain.
But how many people that you know have shattered their own personal best -- in the midst of serious sciatic pain -- doing a conventional squat?
I know zero.
I remember that day because it confirmed to me that the OKF Squat is as therapeutic as it is athletic.
And that's how our strength training should be.
It shouldn't be an either/or battle between being strong and being mobile. Or lifting heavy vs relieving pain.
If you train properly, moving well and without pain + being strong and athletic are two sides of the same coin.
And my squat PR is my piece of anecdotal evidence for that.
I hope this helped you understand the principles behind why I train squats the way I do.
And why I move better at age 37 than I did in my 20s (aren't I supposed to be getting weaker and stiffer as I age 🧐?).
If you have thoughts or questions, you can always find me on Instagram. Or feel free to email me at griffin@thenorthstarbody.com
Have a great one,
Griffin
