Bear Squat Exercise Guide: How to Master Bear Squats

The bear squat is a bodyweight exercise that combines a core workout with a squat exercise. This full-body exercise targets muscles in your lower body—such as your glutes, calves, quadriceps, and hamstrings—while also working muscles in your upper body like your biceps, triceps, shoulders, back, and core. Once you've mastered bear squats, consider practicing other squat variations such as the Bulgarian split squat.

There are several notable reasons to incorporate bear squats into your workout plan.

1. 1. Bear squats offer a full-body workout. The range of motion used during this exercise engages your entire body, making bear squats a great exercise to incorporate into any strength-training program.
2. 2. Bear squats are a convenient home workout. Bear squats do not require any gym workout equipment. They're a bodyweight workout perfect for practicing in your home gym.
3. 3. Bear squats are a great mobility exercise. This exercise builds strength in your hamstrings and calves. Strong leg muscles can help prevent knee pain and improve mobility.

Both bear squats and regular squats are effective exercises for building muscle in your glutes and legs. They're both used in bodybuilding workouts for their powerful ability to tone the lower body. The biggest difference between regular squats and bear squats is the position of the body. You perform regular squats by standing up with your feet set shoulder-width apart before lowering your lower body into a sitting position. Bear squats, by contrast, are performed on all fours. This position places greater tension on your core and engages muscles in your upper body.

For bear squats, begin by performing 2–3 sets of 8–15 repetitions. Choose your sets and repetitions based on your ability to maintain good technique throughout.

1. 1. Get into an all-fours position with your knees and toes flexed and in contact with the floor. Your hips should be over your knees. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders.
2. 2. Grip the ground with your hands and rotate your shoulders outward to engage your lats. Your pelvis should be slightly tucked and your ribs should be down. Pre-tension your shoulders and hips while engaging your core. Your chin should remain tucked throughout the movement, as if you were holding an egg under your chin.
3. 3. Push your hands and toes into the ground to lift your knees off the ground. Your feet should be hip-width or shoulder-width apart. All repetitions should begin from this starting position.
4. 4. Keep your arms straight and sit your hips back by bending your hips and knees to push your hips towards your feet. Shift the majority of your bodyweight toward your lower body while keeping your arms straight. Pause at the bottom position.
5. 5. Push through the balls of your feet and straighten your hips and knees until you end up in a push-up position.
6. 6. Repeat the bear squat for your desired number of repetitions.

If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program, but you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based on your individual needs. Always select a weight that allows you to have full control of your body throughout the movement. When performing any exercise, pay close attention to your body, and stop immediately if you note pain or discomfort.

To see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program. Your results will ultimately be based on your ability to adequately recover from your workouts. Rest for 24 to 48 hours before training the same muscle groups to allow sufficient recovery.

Throw on some athleisure, fire up a MasterClass Annual Membership, and get ready to sweat it out with exclusive instructional videos from Nike Master Trainer and GQ fitness specialist Joe Holder. Want to improve your cardiovascular endurance? Give Joe’s HIIT workout a go. Trying to get a little swole? He’s got a strength training workout for that. From fitness tips to nutrition hacks, Joe will have you feeling healthier in no time.