Preparing for a Squat
Squats are a must for strong lower body muscles and better knee stability. Preparing right is key to making sure you can do the exercise right and get the most benefit.
Here’s what you need to do to get ready for a perfect squat:
- Warm up your body with light cardio and dynamic stretching.
- Start with an empty barbell and practice the technique.
- Add weight gradually and make sure your form is correct.
- Focus on keeping your core tight and your spine neutral.
- Go slow and controlled on the way down and up.
- Breathe out when you stand up and keep your chest up.
Warm up your body
Before you squat, warm up! Loosen your muscles and prevent injuries. Warm up helps you move better and increases blood flow. Dynamic stretches like walking lunges, jumping jacks, leg swings, hip circles, and arm circles are good for squats. Spend a few minutes on deep breathing or belly breaths. Relax your body and prepare for the workout. Don’t skip the warm-up step – it’s important!
Position your feet
Getting your feet into the right position is key when performing a proper squat. Incorrect positioning can result in injury.
Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, and angled out 10-15 degrees. This helps keep your knee from rolling inward, protecting your knee health. It also allows your hip joint to move during the rep while keeping the weight balanced.
Be sure to stand up straight with head and chest up. If you do need to adjust your foot position mid-rep, be extra careful when resetting and engage your core before descending.
Align your hips and back
The squat is an exercise that builds strength, coordination, flexibility and balance. It’s important to align your hips and back correctly to be effective and safe.
Start by standing with feet slightly wider than your shoulders, toes pointing forward or outwards. Inhale and as you exhale, lower your body. Push your hips back as if reaching for a chair behind you. Keep your weight in your heels. You should be able to see almost all of the sole of your foot, if not, widen your stance.
- Maintain contact between the back of your lower leg and the ground. This will create stability at the knee.
- When finishing out each rep, push through your heels like stepping onto a ledge. This will help engage your glutes for maximal extension.
- Stand up for the next repetition. Keeping an appropriate hip and back angle during each rep, followed by mindful placement when standing, helps with a safe transition into next rep.
- This optimizes benefits from a range of motion which helps build strength in peripheral joints like knees, ankles and hips.
Executing the Squat
Squatting is so essential for any exercise program! Executing it correctly is the only way to get the full benefit. Here’s how to do it right:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart and toes pointed outward.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees, lowering your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Make sure your knees stay aligned with your toes.
- Push through your heels to stand back up, and that’s a proper squat!
Now you can get all the advantages of this great move and keep those knees strong!
Bend your knees and lower your body
Bend your knees. Lower your body while keeping your chest up. Keep your feet firmly on the ground. Push back with your hips, not just bend forward with your knees. Tense your core. Lower slowly until you reach past 90 degrees. Keep your elbows close to your body to stabilize your spine. Try to keep your torso upright. This will help protect you from injury and activate certain muscle groups.
Once you reach full hip-extension and reach 90 degrees, drive up explosively with both legs evenly. Pause briefly at the top before repeating for desired reps or sets.
Keep your chest up and your back straight
When squatting, keep your chest up and back straight. Don’t lean too far forward and stay upright. Getting the right position is more than just keeping your back straight. Strengthen your hip muscles with corrective core exercises like bridges or planks.
Engage all lower body muscles – glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, abs, and lower back. Place feet wider than shoulder width, toes out at 45 degrees. Balance weight evenly between feet to be stable and evenly distribute weight.
Push through your heels to stand up
Ready to squat? Push through your heels as you exhale. Imagine a line connecting the ball of your foot to the back of your knee. Keep your weight below it. This will protect your ligaments and tendons.
As you straighten up, engage your muscles. Make a line from your head to your tailbone. Activate your feet, legs, glutes and core. Lift until you’re upright. Then, move on to the next repetition or end of the set.
Finishing the Squat
Finishing your squat is super important! It’ll ensure your form is correct and your knees safe. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you. It’ll explain the correct way to finish your squat, plus the cues you need to look out for. Ready? Let’s get started with the ‘finishing the squat’ section!
Keep your knees in line with your toes
To avoid knee injury when squatting, it’s essential that your knees stay in line with your toes. Don’t let your knees have any extra movement or press into the floor; wrong technique can cause a range of injuries.
Before you start a squat, take a deep breath and tense your core. Keep both feet firmly on the ground as you descend. Don’t let your toes come off the ground. Notice your knees compared to when you were standing. Keeping both feet flat while squating engages the muscles around your knees and keeps them in line.
When going up from the squat, press through the same spot on the floor with both feet. Keep your knees over your toes. This disperses weight evenly and reduces the risk of injury.
Straighten your legs and stand up
Once you’ve gone down in the squat, pause. Press your chest out and make sure your core muscles are tensed. That’ll protect your back from injury. After that, rise up slowly with your legs, pushing with your heels. Stand erect with a neutral posture. Keep your head forward and have a natural arch in your lower back during the movement. That’ll use all the muscles worked in the squat and ensure you do it correctly.
Avoid locking your knees
No locking of the knees when squatting! Hyperextension, an injury, can happen if you do. It happens when you stand up after a full squat or lift too much weight. Keep your knees bent all throughout the exercise. No joint locking and keep muscles engaged.
Squat Variations
Squat variations are great for switching up your workouts. Traditional squats are good for building lower body strength, but there’re many other versions to target different muscles. Let’s check out the best ones for stronger knees:
Sumo Squat
The sumo squat is a great variation! It strengthens and stretches your inner thighs, outer hips, and glutes. It also helps with knee stability, balance, and upper body muscle groups.
To do it correctly, stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart and toes pointing outward. Lower yourself as if sitting in a chair, keeping your hips flat, chest up, and shoulders back. You can add weight such as a barbell or dumbbells, but keep good form.
Creating tension is the most important part. Squeeze your shoulders over your feet, push out through your heels, and keep your knees over your toes. Reach full extension at the top, and keep your core tight. Take deep breaths in and out, and draw your navel towards your spine with each breath.
Overhead Squat
Overhead squats work your whole body, from head to toe. They mainly target your back, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, abdominal muscles and shoulder muscles.
You need more core strength for stability when you keep your arms overhead after lifting the barbell from the squat rack and hold it with wider than shoulder-width grip.
This exercise is good for building strength and coordination. It’s demanding on the shoulders and back if not done correctly – so start light!
To do an overhead squat:
- Set the barbell on a rack
- Stand with feet slightly wider than hip widths apart
- Flex ankles/knees/hips into a half squat position
- Lift chest up and keep it that way
- Reach up with both hands and grab the barbell
- Inhale deeply before starting the lift
- Drive heels backward & hips forward until fully standing
- Keep barbell over head throughout
- Press shoulders down away from ears
- Exhale as you slowly return to starting position
- Avoid letting knees track towards toes
- Repeat
Pistol Squat
The pistol squat is a step up from your regular squat. It takes balance, strength, and control to make it seem easy. You start by standing on one leg with the other out in front, slightly bent. Then lower your body as much as you can, weight evenly distributed on both feet, until you land between your two feet. Pause there, then press back up, driving through your hips. Do 8-10 reps, then switch legs.
Pistol squats are great for athletes and trainers. They promote strength, balance, stability, mobility, and athleticism – all crucial elements of any sport. Also, they help build strength in specific movement patterns that can help with sprinting and jumping. Just be sure to use the right form. If you’re unsure, ask a pro trainer or check out our guide!
Squat Benefits
Squats are superb! They help build strength and endurance in your legs and core. Plus, improved balance and flexibility? Yes, please! Squatting also boosts mobility, posture, health, and fitness.
Let’s explore the advantages of squatting more closely:
Strengthen your core
Squats are a must for any exercise routine. They target the legs, feet and core muscles. Balance and coordination are also necessary.
By doing a proper squat, your abs, lower back, glutes and hip muscles will be engaged. Squats can reduce lower back pain and improve your posture.
They also help you jump higher – great for activities like basketball, volleyball or track and field. And lastly, squats can help you reach higher fitness levels faster.
Improve balance and coordination
Squatting can help improve balance and coordination – both in sports and everyday life. Balancing while squatting teaches us how to move our body more efficiently, plus strengthens muscles that support our joints. This helps prevent injury while lifting weights and during physical activities.
Squatting involves bending and stabilising at the ankles, knees, hips, spine and shoulders, all at the same time. This full range of motion improves movement mechanics. Improved balance can reduce lower back pain due to better posture when standing or taking part in activities.
Squatting uses every muscle in the lower body, from quads to glutes. It forces us to stay tight from head to toe and increases proprioception (body awareness). This is important for safe movement in daily activities, like climbing stairs, running or just walking:
- Climbing stairs
- Running
- Walking
Increase mobility and flexibility
Squats can do wonders for your body! They help increase mobility and flexibility. Plus, they improve balance and coordination. Squatting also opens the hips, mobilizes the spine, and reduces pain. Additionally, it activates core muscles and targets other muscles like glutes and leg muscles.
Squats are one of the best exercises for those wanting to strengthen their legs and knees, build muscle mass or just generally boost physical performance. Doing squats is an effective way to work multiple muscle groups in a short amount of time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What muscles do squats target?
A: Squats primarily target the quadriceps and glutes, but also involve the hamstrings, calves, and core.
Q: Does squatting help with knee pain?
A: Yes, when done properly, squats can help strengthen the muscles around the knee joint and reduce knee pain.
Q: What is the best way to do a squat?
A: The best way to do a squat is to stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, keep your chest up, and lower yourself slowly until your thighs are parallel with the floor. From there, push through your heels until you return to the starting position.
