Squat Exercise Guide: How to Do Squats With Perfect Form

Squats, also known as air squats and bodyweight squats, are compound exercises that activate muscles throughout your body. Practice squats by starting in a standing position with your feet hip-width apart. Bend your hips, knees, and ankles to lower your body towards the floor. Stand again and repeat this movement pattern for the desired number of repetitions.

For basic squats, begin by performing 2–3 sets of 12–20 repetitions. Choose your sets and repetitions based on your ability to maintain good technique throughout each set.

1. 1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips with a neutral head and neck position. Your chin should remain tucked throughout the movement, as if you were holding an egg under your chin.
2. 2. Evenly distribute your weight and grip the floor with your feet to create a stable position. Place your arms by your sides and pre-tension your shoulders and hips. Your ribs should be down and your pelvis should be slightly tucked. Engage your core. All repetitions should begin from this starting position.
3. 3. While maintaining your alignment, begin the downward movement by bending your hips, knees, and ankles. Allow your arms to travel in front of your body as you lower into the squat position.
4. 4. Lower until your thighs are parallel or slightly below parallel to the floor. You should only lower as far as you can maintain a level pelvis. Imagine that your pelvis is a bucket filled with water and you’re attempting not to spill any of it. Pause at the bottom position.
5. 5. To begin the upward movement, push your feet into the ground to initiate standing up. Place emphasis on pushing through your midfoot and heel while keeping your toes engaged.
6. 6. As you begin to stand up, keep your chest high and squeeze your glutes. Allow your knees to straighten and your hips to travel forward. Allow your arms to travel back toward your sides.
7. 7. As you finish the movement, squeeze your glutes and quadriceps while maintaining a neutral spine. At the end of each repetition, your shoulders should finish directly over your hips.

Incorporating squat exercises into your strength-training program can have several benefits.

1. 1. Squats can increase your overall strength. Squats are a full-body workout that build strength in nearly every major muscle group across your body—including your glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors, adductors, quadriceps, and lower back muscles.
2. 2. Squats can enhance your mobility. By hinging multiple joints in your body, squats can improve your ankle mobility, hip mobility, and shoulder mobility.
3. 3. Squats engage your core. With proper form, squatting activates your core muscles as stabilizers. Remember to keep your core engaged throughout the full range of motion of the exercise.

Once you’ve practiced the standard bodyweight squat, consider trying one of these more challenging variations.

1. 1. Back squat: Practice this weighted squat variation by resting a barbell against your upper back while going through the squatting movement pattern.
2. 2. Front squat: Perform front squats by placing a barbell against your front deltoids during the exercise. This variation activates muscles along your anterior chain more than a standard squat.
3. 3. Goblet squat: Practice goblet squats by holding a dumbbell, kettlebell, or medicine ball in front of your body to counterbalance your body weight during the full squat movement pattern.
4. 4. Split squat: Perform split squats by placing a single leg in front of the other and carefully lowering your body. With proper squat form, split squats can increase leg strength and enhance flexibility.
5. 5. Sumo squat: The sumo squat variation uses a wider stance than a standard squat, activating muscles along your inner thighs.

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.

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