Complete guide to squats
Squats are as easy as sitting down and standing up again, right? If only! While squats are a hugely functional strength-building move for your lower body, good form is essential to avoid injury.
Nail it, and you’ll build strength in your glutes, quads, and hamstrings, while also working your core and posterior chain. This will not only give your workouts a power boost, you’ll feel the benefits of balance and mobility in your everyday actions.
Nail your squat form
Ready to squat like a pro? Let’s get your form right first.
· Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your feet pointing straight out or within a comfortable 30-degree angle range.
· Now you’re going to squat as if you’re about to sit down: hinge at the hips to push your butt out, put your weight into your heels, and lower your body down.
· Your spine and chin should remain neutral throughout the movement. Your chest is upright, and your weight is on your heels.
· As you squat down, your knees should maintain a consistent width (not cave inward.) Keep a nice, wide space between your knees and inner thighs.
· Squat down as low as you can without losing your form.
· To return to the top of your squat, push through your heels, squeezing your glutes as you rise back into a standing position.
What about your hands? They can be in any position: you might hold fists together in front of your chest, or arms out in front of you to maintain balance – whatever feels comfortable. Just remember, it’s your lower body driving this movement.
How to modify squats
Even if you’ve never done squats as an exercise, you’ve done them in your daily life – every time you sit on the sofa or the toilet! So the best way to learn the correct form and build strength is to practice with something familiar.
Squat to seat
Stand directly in front of a solid seat or bench. Following the same form as above, squat down to sit on the seat. Take a moment to reset your form, then lean forward slightly, put your weight into your heels and stand up tall. When you’re confident with this, progress the move by squatting down only until your butt taps the chair – when it does, that’s your cue to stand tall again.
Squat progressions
Ready to build even more lower-body power? Once you’ve nailed basic squats, take it up a level with these progressions.
Jumping squat
Set up your form and squat down as you would for a basic squat, but as you rise you’re going to explode upwards – jumping your feet off the ground. Aim to land softly on your toes with some give in your knees to protect your joints.
Weighted squat
Once your bodyweight squat form is locked in, just grab something heavy to up the intensity and challenge your strength. You can do weighted squats with a dumbbell in each hand by your side, or hold one dumbbell or kettlebell in both hands at chest level (also known as goblet squats.)
Pistol squat
Regular squats are hard work, now try doing it on one leg! This is an advanced progression that will test your legs, core, balance and mobility, so take your time to work up to it. The form setup is the same as a basic squat, but you’ll be holding your non-working leg out in front of you, parallel to the floor. The ultimate aim is to then squat almost to the floor – so the hamstring and calf on your working leg are squeezed together in the squat. Good luck!
Common squat mistakes and how to fix them
If you find these bad habits creeping into your squat form, you won’t get the benefits in the right muscles and could be risking injury.
Knees caving inward
As you squat down, your knees should be pushing out and away from each other, not pointing inward and knocking together. Follow my movements in the tutorial above to keep the space between your knees open and wide, and focus on really engaging your feet to drive away from the ground. It can help to practice with a resistance band around the middle of your thighs.
Not going low enough
Yes, you should only squat as deeply as you can go while maintaining the correct form. But many people underestimate how low they can really go. This is where filming yourself comes in handy. A good aim is to squat at least to the point where your knees and butt are at the same level, without losing your posture, to get the full benefit for your strength and mobility from the exercise. If you’re really struggling to get low, you can put your heels on a slightly raised surface (like a book or a weight plate) until your mobility improves.
Posterior pelvic tilt
Also known as butt wink, this happens at the bottom of a squat when, instead of your spine staying neutral, your pelvis and lower back curve outward. This is a sign of instability and can cause injury if repeated too often. If you notice that your butt is tucking in toward the back of your legs rather than pointing out at a straight angle, you’re winking. Reset your form and focus on maintaining a neutral spine, even if that means not taking your squat as deep.
Not using your glutes
Squats are a great butt-building exercise if you’re using the right muscles. Many people are quad dominant, meaning they’re working the quadricep muscles in their thighs more than their glutes. To get your glutes and full posterior chain firing, focus on engaging your glutes – starting with a big squeeze when you’re rising out of each squat.