The 4 Biggest Squat Mistakes (And What Actually Matters)

Lifting Technique
Written By City Strength HQ

When it comes to squatting, social media has done lifters a disservice.

There’s a lot of noise out there - “knees caving in is bad”, “you must stay perfectly upright”, “you have bad ankle mobility”, or “that squat doesn’t count unless it looks a certain way”.

The truth is far more nuanced.

At City Strength HQ, we coach movement based on function, not internet dogma. Here are four of the biggest squat misconceptions we see all the time — and what’s actually going on.

1. Knee Valgus (Knees Caving In) Isn’t Automatically Bad

One of the most common things people panic about is their knees coming in during the squat.

But here’s the reality: it’s not inherently dangerous or wrong.

In many cases, the knees drifting inward is simply your adductors doing their job. The adductors (inner thigh muscles) contribute to hip extension, especially as you drive out of the bottom of a squat.

So for some lifters, that inward movement is not a flaw - it’s part of how they produce force.

There are even elite lifters whose knees visibly come in under load, and they’re perfectly fine because their system tolerates it well.

The key question is not “do your knees cave?”, but: do you experience pain or loss of control?

If yes, it may be worth adjusting. If not, it may simply be your natural strategy.

2. “Force Your Knees Out” Is Not Always a Good Cue

The cue “knees out” gets thrown around constantly in strength training.

But forcing an exaggerated outward push can sometimes:

  • Disrupt your natural bar path

  • Reduce force production

  • Make the movement feel less stable

Cues like this come from equipped powerlifting, where lifters use squat suits and knee wraps that physically force them inward. They have to aggressively push out just to stay aligned.

Most modern lifters are not in that environment.

So instead of forcing positions, we often get better results by letting the lifter find a stable, strong path - not an artificially exaggerated one.

3. It’s Probably Not Your Ankles

One of the most common self-diagnoses we hear:

“I can’t squat deep because I’ve got bad ankle mobility.”

In reality, this is rarely the main issue.

More often, it’s a balance and centre-of-mass problem, not a structural limitation.

A simple change in:

  • foot pressure

  • torso angle

  • hip position

  • or even just placing the heels properly

can completely change squat depth instantly.

We’ve seen lifters go from “I physically can’t squat” to full depth in minutes just by adjusting how they organise their body over their midfoot.

4. Not Squatting to Depth Means You’re Leaving Gains on the Table

This one is simple.

Half reps might feel easier. They might even let you lift more weight.

But they also:

  • reduce range of motion

  • limit muscle stimulus

  • and often build poor movement habits over time

Depth matters because it defines what the squat actually trains.

If you’re consistently cutting range, you’re not getting the most out of the movement - no matter how strong it looks on Instagram.

Squatting isn’t about forcing textbook positions.

It’s about:

  • control

  • tolerance

  • force production

  • and consistency over time

What works best is what you can repeat, progress, and recover from.

Want Help Improving Your Squat?

If you want structured programming that works, download the City Strength HQ Training App and start training with us.

👉 Train smarter here: https://citystrength.programs.app

And if you’re struggling with knee comfort, squat stability, or just want to build a stronger setup, supportive equipment like knee sleeves can make a big difference.

👉 Shop squat essentials: https://www.citystrength.com.au/collections/knee-sleeves

City Strength HQ