Why the squat is worth learning
You squat every day. You sit down on a chair, stand up from a low seat, get in and out of a matatu. The gym squat is the same movement with a load on it. Done well, it strengthens your thighs, buttocks, back and core, and it keeps you able to get off the floor when you are older.
The squat has a reputation for hurting knees and backs. In reality, poor technique and too much weight too soon cause problems, not the movement itself. Let us go through it step by step.
Start with the setup
Foot position
Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart, or a little wider. Turn your toes out slightly, usually 15 to 30 degrees. There is no perfect stance, because hip shape differs between people. Try a few positions in a bodyweight squat and pick the one where your hips feel free and your heels stay down.
Grip your floor
Imagine your foot as a tripod: the big toe, the little toe and the heel all pressing into the ground. Keep that pressure during the whole rep. If your heels lift, your weight has drifted forward and balance gets harder.
Brace
Take a breath into your belly (not your chest), tighten your abdominal muscles as if someone were about to tap your stomach, and keep your ribs stacked over your hips. This is your brace. It protects your spine under load.
The descent and the stand
- Release your hips and knees together. Do not just bend the knees.
- Sit down and slightly back between your legs, as if lowering onto a low stool.
- Keep your chest up and your whole foot on the floor.
- Let your knees track in the same direction as your toes.
- Pause at the bottom of your range, then push the floor away and stand up, hips and shoulders rising together.
Breathe out near the top, then reset your breath and brace before the next rep.
How deep should you go?
A good target is to lower until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor, meaning your hip crease reaches the level of your knees. Deeper is fine if you can keep your back flat and your heels down. Shallow squats are not wrong, but they train the legs less and are often chosen because of mobility problems that can be fixed.
Your depth depends on your hip structure, ankle flexibility and limb length. 2 people with perfect form can look different at the bottom. Choose the depth you can control, not the one you saw on social media.
If you cannot reach parallel without your lower back tucking under (sometimes called butt wink), try these:
- Widen your stance a little and turn the toes out more.
- Put a thin plate under your heels, or wear shoes with a small heel.
- Use goblet squats to learn the movement before using a bar.
- Work on ankle and hip mobility with a few minutes of stretching before training.
Choose your variation
- Bodyweight squat: the starting point. Do sets of 10 to 15 with good control.
- Goblet squat: hold a dumbbell at your chest. The counterweight makes it easier to stay upright and sit deep. Excellent for beginners.
- Back squat: the bar sits across your upper back. It allows the heaviest loads. Use safety pins in a rack.
- Front squat: the bar rests on the front of your shoulders. It demands an upright torso and strong upper back.
- Box squat: sit back to a box or bench at the depth you want. It teaches depth and control.
Common mistakes and fixes
Knees caving inward
This often shows weak glutes or poor foot pressure. Push your knees out over your toes, and think of spreading the floor apart with your feet. A light resistance band above the knees during warm up sets teaches the feel of pushing outward.
Heels lifting
Heels rising means stiff ankles or your weight is too far forward. Raise your heels on a small plate, work on calf and ankle mobility, and consciously press through the middle of your foot.
Rounding the lower back
A little change in spinal shape is normal at the very bottom of a deep squat. A lot of rounding while under load is a warning. Lower the weight, brace harder and reduce depth until you can control the position.
Chest falling forward
If your torso tips forward and your hips shoot up initially, your legs are doing less and your back more. Try front squats or goblet squats to reinforce an upright torso, and strengthen your upper back with rows.
Bouncing out of the bottom
Dropping fast and bouncing uses momentum instead of muscle. Control the descent over about 2 seconds and stand up with intent.
A sample squat session
For an initial month, try this 2 times a week:
- Warm up with 5 minutes of easy cycling or walking.
- Bodyweight squats, 2 sets of 10.
- Goblet squats, 3 sets of 8 to 10, rest 90 seconds.
- Split squats or lunges, 2 sets of 8 per leg.
- Plank, 3 sets of 20 to 30 seconds.
Add 1 to 2 kilograms each week when all sets are clean. Move to a barbell when your goblet squat is solid and you can control a heavy dumbbell for 10 repetitions.
A note on pain
Muscle tiredness in the thighs and glutes is normal. Sharp pain in the knee or lower back during a squat is not. If it appears, reduce the weight, check your form on video, and if it persists for more than a few sessions, see a physiotherapist rather than pushing through.
Key takeaways
- Keep your whole foot on the floor, brace your core and let your knees follow your toes.
- Aim for thighs parallel or lower if you can keep a stable back and flat heels.
- Goblet squats are the best way to learn the movement before using a barbell.
- Fix knee cave, heel lift and rounding by lowering the weight and working on mobility and glute strength.
- Progress slowly, adding small amounts of weight only when every rep is controlled.
