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Mark Rippetoe offers another reason why pushing your knees out as you squat is essential for optimal mechanics. When the knees track in, the femur impinges on the hip pointer, and proper movement of the hip is limited. When we squat, the standard range of motion criterion for the exercise is “below parallel,” defined as the hip joint identified at the apex of the hip angle (the “corner” in your shorts over the hip) as it drops below the knee (the top of the patella). Most people that have trouble with the squat are having trouble getting good depth while keeping their low back from rounding. Pretty much anybody can get deep if they allow the lumbar spine to relax into flexion, a phenomenon known in some circles as “butt wink”. But I have found that almost every single human being on this planet can squat below parallel with pretty good back position if their stance is correct and if they simply shove their knees out to the sides at the bottom. This is because a type of impingement occurs at the bottom of the squat that is relieved by shoving out the knees, and at the same time an improvement occurs in the way the hips work.
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