squats --> knees to the side VS knees forward

[liquidmonkey]

been doing squats for 2 years now with my knees to the side, ie, feet bit more than shoulder width and feet angled around 30 degrees.
i always do a full squat, ie, down till my thighs are straight.

lately i have seen some people doing squats with their feet should width BUT their knees are pointing straight.

is there any method that is better than the other?
whats the benefit or non-benefit between the two?

[Matthew Bryduck]

Well, there are two possible reasons why these people could be doing this. The first reason could be they just don't know any better. The second reason is, they are trying to put more emphasis on there quads (mostly the tear drop). Hope this helps.

If you were to try this, which I do necessarily recommend. The reason being you could potentially put to much load on the patella and injure it. I have done this and it a very lengthy recover ESP if your active.

Matt

been doing squats for 2 years now with my knees to the side, ie, feet bit more than shoulder width and feet angled around 30 degrees.
i always do a full squat, ie, down till my thighs are straight.

lately i have seen some people doing squats with their feet should width BUT their knees are pointing straight.

is there any method that is better than the other?
whats the benefit or non-benefit between the two?

[Allen Cress]

One will target the quads more, but it will depend on your hip and ankle mobility if you can do these without putting to much stress on your knees. Wider stance will invole more hip action and closer stance will emphasize the outer sweep of quads. It all dependant on the individual. There is no right or wrong when it comes to the width of your stance when squating as everyone is different. However I do recommend varying it up a little if your goal is overall developement.

[chris mason]

If your knees are going forward you are stressing your knees more than you want to. Your knees should always be pushed out (even with a narrower stance) and you should always sit back to the degree possible when squatting. Olympic lifters are known for narrow stance squatting which definitely places the knees in a more forward position, but if you watch the best of them you will note their knees tend to push out as they squat down (some will move them in and out of they ascend) and they sit back such that their knees do not travel too far forward over their feet.