1Knee moves inward on the way down
What you see: The top knee caves in as you lower back to the floor.
The fix: "Turn that knee out on the way down." Slow the lowering to three seconds.
Form guides · Legs and hips
The step-up: own the way down, too.
Most people do the up half well. The way down is where the knee goes wrong.
What good looks like.
A step-up is climbing a stair with intent. It trains each leg on its own and carries straight over to stairs, hiking and getting out of a car. The fault a trainer catches most is not on the drive up, it is on the lowering. In Brad's words to a client: "you gotta turn that right knee out on the way down."
- A box or step low enough that your thigh is no higher than level when your foot is on it.
- The whole front foot on the box.
- Drive up through the top leg, not by pushing off the bottom foot.
- Stand fully tall at the top, glute squeezed.
- Lower slowly, with the top knee still tracking over the foot.
- Head up, chin in
- Tall at the top
- Top knee over the foot
- Whole foot on the box
The faults a trainer sees most
What goes wrong, and the cue that fixes it.
The cues in quotes are the words Brad Glaser uses with his own clients.
2Pushing off the bottom foot
What you see: The back leg does the work and the top leg goes along for the ride.
The fix: Lift the toes of the bottom foot. If you cannot get up, use a lower box.
3Leaning forward
What you see: The chest folds over the top knee.
The fix: Stand tall over the top foot and drive straight up.
4Box too high
What you see: The hip hikes up and the low back bends to get the foot on top.
The fix: Drop the height until the hips stay level.
Make it easier, make it harder.
Easier
- A lower step, like a single stair.
- Hold a rail or a wall.
- Bodyweight only.
Harder
- Dumbbells at your sides.
- A slower lower.
- A higher box, only while the knee and hips stay on track.
Move within a range that feels comfortable, and stop any exercise that hurts. Have a health condition, or been inactive a while? Ask your doctor what is right for you first. VeraForma is coaching, not medicine. It does not diagnose, treat or cure anything, and it does not replace your doctor or physio.
Let your phone check it.
Prop your phone up and train. VeraForma's camera draws the line on your body and names what it sees, with the number it measured.
Free: your reps counted out loud, and the common standing faults shown right on screen, with the fix in your set report. Go Premium and it speaks the fix while you move: "Knees out." "Chest up."
Scan to open it on your phone.
Free: your movement screen, Phase 1 of your programme and all of nutrition.
More form guides
Built by Brad Glaser · NASM Master Trainer · NASM-CPT, CES, PES · 20+ years · has certified 100+ personal trainers.
He owns a personal-training studio in Southern California. The same method he uses standing next to a client, built into the app.
Train it right, free.
Scan to open it on your phone.
Free account, no card. Brad's questions. One squat on camera. Then your results.