The squat is a functional movement that uses many of the body’s muscles and joints, including the legs, glutes and core. Practising squats can make many aspects of daily life easier, from getting out of a chair to taking the stairs. There are lots of ways to perform squats, starting with mastering a wall sit, progressing to a bodyweight or air squat, and building up to weighted squats. Keep reading to learn about the main squat variations and the benefits of each.
Squats can be a great way to keep fit and build muscle, but it’s important to get your form right and master the basics before getting carried away. Whether you’re working out at home with your bodyweight or at the gym with lots of equipment to choose from, squats can help you build strength to benefit you in everyday life.
What are the main types of squats?
Many people think a bodyweight squat is the most basic way to perform the movement, but Leicestershire-based personal trainer and gym owner Cliff Saul said people should actually start simpler with a wall-sit. “A lot of people lack the mobility to actually do a squat effectively. Maybe they lack ankle mobility or they’ve got tight hips, and so they overcompensate with their lower back or hurt their knees while squatting,” he said. This leads to lack of stability. For this reason, he suggests mastering a wall-sit where your quads are parallel to the ground and you have no pain for 30 seconds as a starting point. From there, you can build up with different types of squats:
- Wall-sit: Position yourself with your back flat against a wall and your feet roughly 12 to 18 inches away. Keep your weight evenly spread across the feet and the knees in line with the middle of your feet. Brace the core and keep the ribs down. Breathe steadily.
- Bodyweight box squat: A squat in front of a box or bench so that your bottom lightly touches the box before you stand back up.
- Bodyweight squat: A classic squat, lowering the bottom as if you’re about to sit on a chair and returning to standing.
- Goblet squat: A squat while holding a dumbbell or kettlebell with both hands in front of your chest.
- Barbell back squat: A squat with a barbell across the back of the shoulders, usually performed in a squat rack.
- Barbell front squat: A squat while holding a barbell across the top of your chest and shoulders.
- Overhead squat: A squat while holding a weight above your head with arms straight.
If you struggle with any type of squat, try using a leg press machine, which will offer a lot of the same benefits of squatting.
What muscles do squats work?
A squat is a compound movement, meaning it works multiple joints and muscle groups. The primary muscles worked in a squat are the glutes, quads, hip flexors, hamstrings, calves, adductors and core.
How to perform a basic squat
Everyone’s bodies and proportions are different, meaning there’s no one perfect squat form. Some people might feel better with their feet slightly further apart and toes slightly turned out. Taller people with long femurs (thighs) often find squats easier when holding a weight in front of their body or slightly elevating the heels with small plates.
To perform a basic bodyweight squat, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the toes slightly turned out. Sit the bottom down, hinging at the knees and hips. Maintain a tall chest and keep the knees tracking over your middle toes. Push the floor away through the feet to stand.
Make sure your knees don’t cave in and only go as low as you can with good form. If you end up doing what’s known as a “bum wink” at the bottom of the squat, where your tailbone tucks underneath you, don’t go so low.
What are the benefits of doing squats?
Improved longevity
A squat is a fundamental movement and mirrors what many of us do in our daily life, be it getting off the sofa or crouching to pick up a child. “If you can get as strong as possible in squats, it will boost your longevity and help you sustain health and wellbeing,” Saul said. “I really do think that the better you can squat, the better your life will be past the age of 60.”
Fat loss
The fact that squats use so many muscles in the body also means that they burn a decent amount of calories. Squats help you build muscle, and the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate, meaning the more calories you burn at rest.
Reduced injury risk
Strengthening the muscles of the legs, glutes and core can reduce the risk of injury from other activities, such as running. Training squats can also help you be more stable in everyday life, reducing the risk of falls, and they also help minimise muscle imbalances.
Stronger bones and joints
Strength training has been proven to improve bone density, which is important for all ages but especially as we get older. Squats also work the tendons and ligaments around joints.
Better mental health
Both resistance training and cardio have been proven to boost mental health, and squats are a fundamental exercise that can boost your mood.
Fewer aches and pains
Many people suffer with aches and pains in their backs and knees, and building strength through the legs and core with squats can help minimise these issues.
Improved mobility
Squats can be a great way to see your mobility progress. You may start with tight knees, hips and ankles, but in time find yourself moving more easily and able to get your bum lower at the bottom of your squat.
What are the benefits of doing squat variations?
After you’ve mastered the basic squat, why not try some variations? Making progress in your workouts requires a concept called “progressive overload,” which is where you gradually make your exercises harder either by adding resistance or performing more reps. To make squats more challenging and work different parts of the body, try the following.
Goblet squats
Choose a weight you could perform no more than 15 reps with. Aim for three sets of eight to 12 reps.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell or kettlebell close to the chest with your elbows pointing down.
- Squat down with control, keeping your torso upright and the knees tracking slightly outwards.
- Drive up through the mid-foot to stand and repeat.
Goblet squats are a great way to make bodyweight squats more challenging and work the muscles harder. Holding a weight at the front of the body can also help some people keep their torso more upright.
Barbell back squats
Choose a weight you could perform no more than 10 reps with and aim for three sets of eight to 10 reps.
- Position yourself in a squat rack with the bar racked just below shoulder height.
- Position the body under the bar and unrack the barbell with it sitting on the upper traps. Hold on to the bar either side of your shoulders. Take a step back.
- Take a deep breath and brace the core before descending, bending the hips and knees together.
- Maintain a neutral spine and keep the knees tracking over the toes.
- Drive through the mid-foot to stand and repeat.
Back squats are one of the main compound lifts in the strength-training world and are a fantastic way to build strength in the upper body and core.
Overhead squats
Overhead squats can be performed holding different types of weights above the head, be it a barbell, dumbbell or medicine ball. Pick a weight where you could perform three sets of eight to 10 reps.
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and hold a weight above your head.
- Keeping the weight in place and your torso upright, brace the core then squat down.
- Drive through the mid-foot to stand and repeat.
Overhead squats require greater core stability and work the upper body too.
Tips for performing squats safely
Going too heavy too soon or performing squats with poor form can lead to injury. “Try not to ego lift,” Saul said. If you’re using a barbell, ask someone to spot you or use the safety arms to catch the weight if you can’t get all the way back to standing. With any form of squat, be sure to brace the core muscles and keep breathing.
A lot of people find their knees hurt when squatting, but that knee pain is often actually caused by weakness or tightness in the hips or ankles, Saul said, so make sure you’re working on whole body mobility. If you find your knees caving in when you squat, Saul recommends putting a resistance band below the knees which then requires you to push the knees out against the resistance.
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