How to Squat

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Introduction

Learning how to squat is useful as it applies to your every day life; however, I do not think everyone should be squatting with a barbell. Their are a variety of ways to squat- one of which is kettlebell squats, which has its place for certain people. In this article I will go over some of the benefits of each movement and how to execute them.

Different Variations

• barbell low bar squat

  • good for those who are naturally stronger in the hips/low back/glutes/hamstrings

  • allows for more of a wider grip on the bar

  • usually a more forward position when squatting

  • requires more shoulder mobility to hold the bar that low on the traps

• barbell high bar squat

  • good for those who are naturally stronger in the knees/quads/glutes

  • allows for more of a narrow grip on the bar

  • typically a more upright position in the squat

• safety bar squat

  • not demonstrated in the video, but this is very good to teach you how to stay upright and prevent a forward lean; helps to strengthen the upper back and thus not lean forward in the squat

  • strengthens the trunk very well

  • useful to use without a belt; has a good carryover to low bar squat

  • really targets those glutes and quads

• front squat

  • great for quads and also helping to teach you to also stay upright, similar to the safety bar squat

  • useful to use without a belt; has a good carryover to high bar squat

  • not useful for everyone, it requires some wrist mobility and tricep flexibility - keeping those elbows up

• kettlebell squat (goblet squat)

  • useful for everyone and anyone particularly good for at home workouts

  • great all around squat that strengthens all the leg muscles

  • not sport specific, a general movement that anyone can do

How to Start

Starting with a machine assisted squat first is not a bad idea some examples at your gym is:

• hack squat

  • below is a photo of a hack squat machine which really targets the quads. A lot of people have naturally strong quads and not so strong hamstrings and glutes. I think this is a great machine though to really test how strong your quads are and to also add some size to them

  • If you are into hypertrophy training, growing the size of the quads then incorporating the hack squat is a great idea

  • Not all gyms have the hack squat because it’s a niche focused movement, but if you do have access to it i’d strongly encourage it

    

• leg press

  • the leg press targets the quads, but also a lot of glutes

  • I think this is a good exercise for those in knee rehab, you’ll find a lot of physical therapists have their clients recovering from some sort of knee or hip incidence will be placed on the leg press with light load

  • its a simple to use and easy set up that generally is a ego booster for a lot of people compared to the hack squat

    

goblet squat

• the easiest exercise that you can choose to do

• start with sitting in a chair and standing up with a load in your hands

• great for at home workouts or circuit training

Another way to start is simply starting with the barbell, but some notes to keep in mind:

• Shoes:

  • converse: the most affordable choice that offers no give and is closest to the floor

  • go shoeless or any flat shoe

  • adipowers: one of my favorites and my choice of shoe, has a great reputation and offers strong support for heavy squats

• Breathing:

  • you always exhale when you exert force, which is when you are coming up from the squat. Inhale before you squat, squat, then exhale as you come up

  • learn how to brace your trunk to ensure efficiency and help you move more weight

• Focus on your form with barbell training

  • a lot of people might have trouble with knee, feet, and hip placement. it’s useful to record your squats and see how you are squatting to fix any underlying issues

• Fancy equipment not necessary

  • less is more. you do not need fancy equipment

  • using too many fancy equipment may be holding you back. simplicity is key, learn how to get stronger overall as a human before trying to be a fancy person

  • you should earn your way to fancy equipment

• Get a trainer

  • hire a trainer who is qualified to teach you and understands biomechanics and form; not all trainers know how to barbell squat especially barbell squatting heavy loads

• Avoid comparing yourself

  • you have to understand that genetics plays a big role in how fast you progress, and you need to focus on yourself

  • avoid comparing yourself, and be your own hero. the success is in the progress

  • what works for someone else will not work for you

  • you may adapt better to more volume, higher intensity, lower intensity, more frequency, etc. their are a lot of variables that are involved and will determine how quickly you progress in the movements

  • practice patience and humility - your progress is your progress, understand that this is a very subjective movement. Not everyone will squat the same, and not everyone will respond the same to different modalities

• Find a coach

  • Find someone who is qualifies to train you and teach you because having a second opinion/eye is very useful especially for technical movements like a squat, bench, deadlift, or any other weightlifting movement

Conclusion

We covered a lot, and I hope these tips are useful and valuable so you can start small and grow from there. Consider subscribing to the substack for programs done for you, and more in depth tips on training so you can continue to train smart and support this page.

Be well.

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