5 Common Squat Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)

The back squat is the king of lower body movements — and one of the most technically demanding exercises in the gym. Because it loads the entire posterior chain, core, and quads simultaneously under a heavy barbell, small form errors get amplified into significant injury risk over time. Most squat problems aren't random; they follow predictable patterns rooted in specific mobility deficits, muscle weaknesses, or cueing errors. Here are the five most common, and what actually fixes them.

Knee cave (valgus collapse) is the most commonly seen error, particularly among newer lifters and during high-fatigue sets. The knees track inward as you descend or ascend, placing shear stress on the medial knee structures. The primary driver is weak hip abductors — specifically the gluteus medius and minimus — which fail to externally rotate the hip under load. The fix: band-resisted squats (place a light resistance band above the knees) to cue external rotation, and direct hip abductor work like banded clamshells and lateral band walks. Cue yourself to 'screw your feet into the floor' as you stand — this promotes external rotation without consciously thinking about your knees.

Butt wink refers to posterior pelvic tilt at the bottom of the squat, where the lower back rounds under load. It's partially driven by limited hip flexion range of motion — when you can't go deeper without the pelvis tilting, the spine compensates. It's also exacerbated by squatting below your current mobility threshold. The fix has two components: first, find your depth limit (the point just before butt wink occurs) and train to that depth consistently with a slight heel elevation if needed. Second, work on hip flexor mobility and ankle dorsiflexion daily — both are upstream causes of limited squat depth.

Forward torso lean is common in lifters with tight hip flexors or ankles, or those using a narrow stance that doesn't suit their hip anatomy. Excessive lean shifts the load onto the lower back and reduces quad activation. The fix is often ankle mobility work (ankle circles, wall stretches, elevated-heel squatting) and experimenting with stance width and toe angle — slightly wider stance with toes turned out 30–45 degrees allows many lifters to stay more upright with their torso. High-bar squat positioning also tends to produce a more upright torso than low-bar for most people.

Heels rising is an ankle dorsiflexion issue. When the ankle can't flex enough to allow the shin to travel forward over the foot, the heel compensates by rising off the platform. Short-term fix: heel elevation (squat shoes or a 10-lb plate under each heel) reduces the dorsiflexion demand while you work on mobility. Long-term fix: banded ankle mobilizations daily — loop a band around a rack at ankle height, place it on the front of your ankle, step back so the band pulls forward, and drive your knee out over your toes repeatedly. Consistent daily work here typically produces noticeable improvement within 4–6 weeks.

Starting with the hips rather than breaking at the knees simultaneously (or 'hip-first squatting') often causes lifters to good-morning the squat out of the hole, loading the lower back rather than the legs. A proper squat should initiate with a simultaneous knee and hip break — sitting back and down, not just back. Cue yourself to 'push your knees out and sit between your feet' at the start of every rep. Video your side view periodically and compare: your hips and knees should begin flexing at roughly the same moment.