“Knees Out” or “Knees In”? Volitional Lateral vs. Medial Hip Rotation During Barbell Squats

Abstract

Chiu, LZF. “Knees out” or “Knees in”? Volitional lateral versus medial hip rotation during barbell squats. J Strength Cond Res 38(3): 435–443, 2024—Medial or lateral hip rotation may be present during barbell squats, which could affect the hip frontal and transverse plane moments. Male (n = 14) and female (n = 18) subjects performed squats using their normal technique and with volitional medial and lateral hip rotation. Hip net joint moments (NJM) were calculated from 3-dimensional motion capture and force platform measurements. Statistical significance was set for omnibus tests (α = 0.05) and Bonferroni’s corrected for pairwise comparisons (α t-test = 0.0056). Normal squats required hip extensor, adductor, and lateral rotator NJM. Lateral rotation squats had smaller hip extensor (p = 0.002) and lateral rotator (p < 0.001) NJM and larger hip adductor (p < 0.001) NJM than normal squats. Medial rotation squats had smaller hip extensor (p = 0.002) and adductor (p < 0.001) NJM and larger hip lateral rotator (p < 0.001) NJM than normal squats. These differences exceeded the minimum effects worth detecting. As gluteus maximus exerts hip extensor and lateral rotator moments, and the adductor magnus exerts hip extensor and adductor moments, these muscles combined would be required to meet these hip demands, supporting previous research that has established these muscles as the primary contributors to the hip extensor NJM. Lateral rotation squats reduce hip lateral rotator and increase hip adductor NJM, which may be hypothesized as preferentially loading adductor magnus. Medial rotation squats increase hip lateral rotator and decrease hip adductor NJM; therefore, this variant may shift loading to the gluteus maximus.