Human body is mystery and working as a personal training pro, I can’t help but notice not every one of us is the same. So make it simple, don’t do it, if you feel pain after the training.
Why you should squat
Think about daily life and how many times you have to squat. Picking something from the floor, going to a grocery store and taking something from a shelf requires the squat movement. Also this is a compound exercise that means 2 joints have to work to complete the movements. Not only is this so functional, but also they need more calories to do it compared to single joint movement.
Feeling pain while squatting
If you are in pain while squatting, generally you shouldn’t do it. No pain no pain doesn’t apply in this case. However, before you give up on squatting altogether, try these exercises that may be fine with knees or ankles.
Squat with Swiss Ball
Having a ball on your back against the wall, starting position is elbows on the center of the swiss ball and go down. Normally you should squat down to where your thighs are parallel to the ground. Make sure that your feet are away from your body to begin with, therefore your knees don’t go too forward.
TRX assisted Squat
This is also a good way to teach yourself to keep the spine neutral while squatting. you can try slightly leaning back and use the arms in the going up phase.
Sit to Stand Squat
You can certainly start with sitting down completely, and as your strength gains, your butt touches slightly on the bench (not completely sitting down) then stand up. If this is too challenging, you can try with a taller bench / chair.
Squat with limited range of motion
They say “you should always use the full range of motion for the optimal muscle gain”. Forget about it if you are in pain. You still gain some muscles while squatting with limited range of motion. Then you can gradually increase the range of motion.
The key is you shouldn’t feel pain during and after the training.
Clarification with physio and the personal trainer can help you gain those muscles and re-educate your body to move functionally.