How To Squat

There is no doubt that the Squat, when done correctly, is the best exercise there is for improving overall body strength. No other exercise works your body as one unit the way Squats do.

However the squat can be a notoriously difficult exercise to get right. And if it's not done correctly, then it can actually cause more harm than good!

So what exactly is a squat?

You have to bend your knees whilst standing with the bar on your back until your hips come lower than parallel i.e until your hip joint comes lower than your knee joint when looking from the side. Then stand upright again, that completes a squat.

Some common variations of the Squat include:

• Olympic Squat. High bar position, close stance & deep.
• Front Squat. Barbell rests on your front shoulders.
• Overhead Squat. Whilst holding the bar overhead.

To learn the truth about how to build great muscle throughout your whole body, CLICK HERE!

This article deals with the low bar Squat.

What are the benefits of The Squat?

The Squat is a full body exercise because every muscle works when you Squat: your legs move the weight, the abs & lower back stabilize, your upper-back stays tight, your arms squeeze the bar, etc.

It Builds Muscle. You can use a heavy weight when doing the Squat. This leads to more stress being placed on the body which causes a hormonal response meaning increased testosterone levels and resulting in more muscle.

Leg Strength. Squats strengthen your legs by working them through a full range of motion.

Hip Flexibility. While you need hip flexibility for Squats, once you have this flexibility, doing Squats maintains it.

Knee Stability. Squats done with proper technique, with the hips coming below parallel will strengthen your knees.

Regarding the knees there's a myth you’ll hear a lot which states that squats cause untold damage to your knees. Because of this, some will advise you to stay above parallel, to avoid knee injury. This information is just plain wrong.

Your knee joint is actually strongest in a fully flexed or full extended position, not in-between. Partial squats only strengthen your knees & quads, not your glutes & hamstrings. This causes muscle imbalances & thus injuries.

If you have knee pain from Squats, you’re using bad technique or you lack a certain amount of mobility -squatting deep is never the cause.

Squat using a Power Rack. Set the safety pins at the height the bar gets in the bottom Squat position.  Start light, build up the weight gradually. Safety depends on technique.

Before You Start. Make sure you are well stretched and ready to begin

Unracking The Bar. Set the bar in the Power Rack at about mid-chest level. Position your feet directly under the bar. Squat under the bar & put it on your back. Tighten everything & Squat up to unrack the bar.

Take one step back with one leg, one step back with the other leg. Squat.

The correct Squat Setup. You’ll have to think about a lot of things at first. Study the tips below, start with an empty barbell, focus on your technique.

• Chest Up. Keeping your chest up makes lower back rounding impossible & tightening of your upper-back easier.
• Forward Look. Look down & your back will bend. Look at the ceiling & your neck will hurt. Look forward.
• Bar Position. Put the bar low, on the muscles of your back shoulders. Below the bone at the top of your shoulder-blades.
• Grip Width. Narrow grip makes it easier to tighten your upper-back.
• Thumbless Grip. Put your thumbs on top of the bar, next to your fingers. You’ll be able to keep your wrists inline with your forearms.
• Straight Wrists. Your back supports the weight, not your hands. Keep your wrists inline with your forearm, never bend them.
• Elbows Back. Don’t let them come forward during the Squat. Pushing your elbows back prevents elbow injuries.
• Foot Stance. A narrow stance doesn’t work for the low bar Squat. Heels should be shoulder-width apart.
• Toes Out. Point your toes out at about 30 degrees. Your toes must always follow your knees.
• Weight on The Heels. Curl your toes up if needed. Never get on your toes. Push from the heels.

Squatting Down. So you have unracked the bar correctly. All your muscles are tight & ready to Squat. The real key to the low bar Squats are the hips.

• Hips Back. Think sitting on your toilet. Hips go back first, way back.
• Knees Over Toes. Don’t let your knees travel forward in the bottom Squat position. Knees over the toes, not further.
• Keep Knees Out. Never allow your knees to buckle in. It can cause knee injury. Push your knees out.
• Low hips. Your hip joint must come lower than your knee joint. Ask someone to judge your depth or tape yourself. No Partial Squats allowed!.

Squatting Up. Your hip muscles are stretched when you hit parallel. Use that stretch to bounce from the bottom. DO NOT relax your hip muscles & DO NOT bounce off your knees. Keep your hip muscles tensed.

• Hips Up. If your hips come forward, your knees will also come forward. Drive your hips up straight out of the bottom.
• Squeeze Your Glutes. Power comes from the glutes. Squeeze your glutes as hard as you can while driving your hips up.
• Push From The Heels. Curl your toes up if needed. Don’t let your heels come off the floor. Push from the heels.
• Knees Out. Same as for the way down: don’t let your knees buckle in. Push your knees out.

If you have someone to help you improve your Squat technique, great. Otherwise look in the mirror and try to stick to the advice in this article - print it out if needs be and bring it to the gym!

• Lower Back not staying straight. Keep your chest up and feel the stretch
• Leaning Forward. This occurs when your hips go up faster than your shoulders.
• Bending the Wrists. This will cause wrist pain once the bar gets heavy. As stated above, you should support the weight with your back muscles, not with your wrists.
• Knees In. You have weak and/or tight hip muscles. Try to really push your knees out on every rep.
• Knees Forward. Try to always move from the hips: keep the hips back when Squatting down, and hips up – not forward – when Squatting up.
• Heels Off The Floor. This puts stress on your knees and causes instability. Curl your toes up and push from the heels.

If you follow the advice in this article, you will be doing squats correctly and seeing obvious benefits as a result. However, there is a lot more knowledge which it is essential to have in order to build long lasting muscles. For example, the correct nutrition advice is probably one of the most important things you need for building muscle and strength, yet so many neglect it. For this information and so much more, click below.