How many times have you been told by your physiotherapist, trainer, or coach not to let your knees go past your toes? Probably a lot! This advice, rooted in misinformation, often causes unnecessary worry about a basic movement you do daily, like getting up from a chair or kneeling.
This misleading guidance extends to gyms, where people are warned that deep squats or letting knees move sideways can harm them. This widespread myth, which I call “knee-bola,” is a big issue. In this article, I’ll discuss the effects of knee-bola when your knees go beyond your toes and why we need to get rid of this myth for good.
Most of my knee-strengthening workouts start with a five-minute sled pull. We use a small belt harness for easy pulling, but prefer handles for focus. Pulling the sled backward really works my quads, boosts my oxygen levels, and gets my blood flowing.
One tool Ben uses is monkey feet. I have one, but I’m not a fan of how it feels for knee flexion. However, I like it for tibialis lifts and hip flexion. As I mentioned, I transition from the last exercise to this one. Here, I reverse my position, lean slightly forward, and do 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps for each leg.
Ben often incorporates a good morning exercise in his training sessions, using either a barbell or dumbbell. I prefer dumbbells for a greater range of motion and combine this with a core workout. In this session, I did two sets of 20 reps of seated good mornings with dumbbells. For core work, I did knee planks and explosive mountain climbers, using furniture sliders.
One of the best things about the kneesovertoeguy’s exercises is that they leave every part of your body exhausted and focused. I felt the quad pump early on, worked on knee and hip flexion, and tibialis exercises later. Then, I did some proper front squats. Now, I can focus more on my trunk and lower back with seated dumbbell good mornings.
Have you ever been told not to let your knees go past your toes? Maybe by a physio or exercise physiologist, warning you about squats? Don’t worry, I’m here to debunk this common training myth!
Like many myths, the idea of keeping knees from going over toes has been part of fitness culture for so long that it feels true. It started in 1959 with Dr. Karl Klein, who studied knees extensively. He compared weightlifters from the 1958 Pan American Games with non-lifters and concluded that deep squats, where knees go over toes, negatively affected knee ligaments. He advised athletes to squat only to a certain depth. In 1962, Sports Illustrated picked up the study, and the myth spread.
Recent studies on knee movement might have reinforced this idea. A 2003 study by Fry and colleagues examined hip and knee forces with limited knee movement. They found that in restricted squats, where knees don’t go over toes, knee torque decreased by 22% compared to normal squats.
