How To Squat | Movement Breakdown

Before throwing on some weights or mixing it up, lets take a look at the bare bone basics with bodyweight squats!

Bodyweight squats are a type of exercise that primarily targets the lower body muscles, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Here's some general information about bodyweight squats and your related questions:

To perform a bodyweight squat do the following:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider.
2. Keep your back straight and your core engaged.
3. Begin the movement by bending your knees and hips, as if sitting back into a chair.
4. Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground or as low as you comfortably can.
5. Push through your heels and extend your legs to return to the starting position.
6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

If you're looking for an alternative to bodyweight squats, you can try exercises like lunges, step-ups, or pistol squats. These exercises also target the lower body muscles and provide similar benefits.

Since bodyweight squats primarily use your own body weight as resistance, it can be challenging to go heavy. However, you can increase the difficulty by incorporating variations such as jump squats, Bulgarian split squats, or pistol squats. You can also use additional resistance like holding dumbbells or wearing a weighted vest as you progress your way towards a barbell or goblet squats or other more weighted squat variations.

Squats, and in particular bodyweight squats, offer several benefits to your body including

1. Strengthening the lower body muscles, particularly the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
2. Improving lower body mobility, stability, and balance.
3. Engaging the core muscles and improving overall posture.
4. Burning calories and promoting fat loss.
5. Enhancing functional movement patterns used in daily activities and sports.

It's important to perform squats with proper form to avoid injury. Make sure to maintain good posture, keep your knees in line with your toes, and avoid rounding your back. If you're struggling with weighted squats, never a better time to restart from scratch with bodyweight squats.

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