Pilates Elephants

Everyone "knows" that knees going inwards in a squat is bad, right?

It means the glutes are weak or underactive, and it's not good for the knee.

But is it REALLY?

This episode is a deep dive into the biomechanical, epidemiological, and prospective research on knee alignment during squatting, jumping, running and hopping. Our goal is to answer 2 questions:

1. Does the knee going inwards indicate weak glutes?
2. Is the knee going inwards dangerous?

Links:

• Knees going in during a squat shifts load toward the glute max here
• Knee extensor effort rises with squat depth, hip extensor effort rises with load here
• Same depth-versus-load split found again in a separate study here
• In elite powerlifters, heavier loads shift the work from knee to hip here
• Elite powerlifters hit ~23x bodyweight at the knee joint at 90% of max here
• Weightlifters share load between hip and knee; powerlifters are hip-dominant here
• Sideways knee load in a barbell squat is a consequence of stance width, not a fault here
• Elite weightlifters produce MORE frontal plane hip moment than lower-level lifters, not less here
• Elite powerlifters vary widely in how they load their joints, so there is no one ideal form here
• Lifters who fail a squat above their max show reduced extension and lower muscle activity here
• The knee falls into valgus in ~77% of ACL injuries on video here
• But knee valgus does not predict who goes on to tear an ACL here
• And the drop jump test cannot predict ACL injury in elite players here

Almost all of us foam-roll the ITB and tell clients it's tight.

Here's a richer picture, built from the anatomy: the ITB is a thickening of the fascia that wraps your whole thigh, it behaves as both tendon and ligament, it helps stabilise and lock your knee, and it backs up your ACL, contributing an estimated 13 to 40 percent of the resistance to your shin sliding forward.

Which raises a question about trying to make it "release".

PDF slides to accompany this episode here: https://breathe-edu-downloads.s3.amazonaws.com/IT%20band%20lecture%20slides.pdf

Here's how we know humans are antifragile:

• Yoga is pretty dang safe here
• But if you REALLY want a safe sport, take up breakdancing here (no, seriously!)
• Or Crossfit here
• Knees going in during a squat or lunge doesn't predict injury here
• Plus here are my TWO episodes looking at this topic here and here

But what DOES predict injury:

• Having weak hamstrings here
• Having a weak barbell squat here
• Doing too little for too long, followed by too much too soon here and here

And what protects against injury:

• Strength training is the best injury prevention here and here
• High consistent workloads protect against injury here

This is a live lecture I gave for the Diploma of Clinical Pilates.

You can download the PDF lecture notes here: https://breathe-edu-downloads.s3.amazonaws.com/Diploma%202024%20Neck%20pathology.pdf

You can watch this on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/igS35wdGQU8

Research paper cited in this episode: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11970409/

This is my conversation with Nathan on his podcast, which you'll probably love if you like Pilates Elephants.

Nathan's podcast is her: https://open.spotify.com/show/24md12qTQmTIYULyzGXmzT

Train instructors faster by focusing on “good enough to start”, not perfection.

Most studio owners overwhelm new instructors by trying to teach everything upfront. This slows learning and reduces confidence.

Instead:

• Define the minimum skill set needed to teach one class competently
• Give instructors a clear, repeatable “recipe” (exact class plan)
• Have them practice and teach the same class repeatedly
• Layer in new skills only after mastery

Key ideas:

• Prioritize depth over breadth
• Use real teaching reps + feedback as the main learning driver
• Standardize your class before trying to scale your team

Result: faster ramp, better classes, more consistent client experience

Studio owners often think they need a new trend, new machine, or new offer to stand out.

In this episode, Raphael and Heath argue the opposite.

They explain why the studios that win are not the ones chasing novelty. They are the ones with a clear style, a consistent client experience, and a team that delivers the same standard every time.

They also unpack the difference between running a food hall, where every instructor does their own thing under one roof. And running a restaurant, where the whole team delivers one clear product, as a team.

If your studio feels inconsistent, vulnerable to staff turnover, or harder to grow than it should, this episode is for you.

This lecture was delivered live for our Diploma of Clinical Pilates.

You'll also find it as a video on YouTube if you want to see the visuals. Here's the YouTube link: https://youtu.be/UATwStlLVWI

Short answer - mostly not. But in a few cases, yes.

I delve into a better way to think about contrainidications, and working with people with pain, injury and chronic conditions.

Links:

• Brinjikji et al. 2015a - disc bulge is highly prevalent in pain-free people here
• Brinjikji et al. 2015b - disc bulge is slightly MORE prevalent in people with back pain here
• Painful exercises are slightly BETTER than non-painful exercises for people with chronic pain here