Knees and Squats

I used to be able to squat 250-280. "I am not a big kid" But now I cant even do 125 3x without my knees killing me. Any kind of advice like other exercise's or a stance I can do while squating to take the pressure of my knees. Thank you guys!

I dont know what to say! to help someone help you better you might want to list a few things. did you take a long break from lifting? when did this start? injury? how old are you? BTW welcome to the board.

I lifted on and off for 2 years. Never really had anykind of knee problems. Just sore all the time I played 3 sports in high school and one in College so alot of wear and tear but nothing to serious!

Try going very light on squats, or taking them out of your routine alltogether for awhile. Meanwhile, get some Glucosimine, and Chondrite. This will help with any joint problems. Also, once you feel confident to resume heavier squats try using knee wraps. This will take pressure off of your knee joints, and put it towards your quads. I had the same problems with my knees, and after doing these things they feel much better. There not totally healed, but I continue to use the Glucosimine, and at least I can do some decent squats.

Send JuiceJunkie a pm and ask him about the kind of knee wraps he is using. I believe he was having a problem and swears by these particular wraps.

Go get 'em checked by a doctor. That happened to me a few years ago, it was tendonitis. Took forever to get over and flares up a little. Ice your knees down, take ibuprofen. Lay off squats or any leg lifts for awhile.

Do you do leg extensions???? Those things destroy me bro....I was running into problems with my knees and I stepped away from the squat rack for a bit and made leg presses my priority motion for leg day. When you do them (squats OR leg presses) concentrate on pushing with your heels and not your toes or the balls of your feet. After 6 weeks or so of no squats but still hitting leg extensions I am able to do heavy squats again. Still hurts when I do sets of 5 a bit but not unbearable. BTW I didn't really lighten up when I went to leg press, I still pushed myself to failure and continued lifting heavy. You should start light with them though to see how much you can handle.

Hey Hardball.......Try to perform some box squats. This excerise will teach you proper form and help you gain strength. Set a flat bench or aerobic steps behind you to the height that your butt can touch while performing a regular squat. Start out with just the bar, no weights. Set your feet a little more than shoulder width, point your toes outward. Keep your head and chest up. Squat as you would normally, except allow your butt to touch or actually sit on the bench or steps. Than push off the floor, focusing on pushing you feet flat through the floor. It is important to keep your head and chest up and sit your butt back. Perform this for 10-12 reps. Add some weight and repeat. As you add weight, you may notice that you can squat deeper, so lower the bench or the aerobic steps. Do 3 sets with weight. Let me know how you do bro. Good luck.

Thank you for all the good advice guys!