Whenever I take someone through a new gym programme for the first time, I find myself wishing there was a resource I could direct them to with all the information they need on each element of their training. This is my attempt at creating such a resource for the squat. If it’s well-received I will make similar guides for other exercises.
This won’t be a step-by-step guide through the act of squatting. This would be much better demonstrated in a video, not to mention the fact that writing 1000+ words about squatting would probably make it easier to overthink the exercise. Instead, I’ll be focussing on those nitty-gritty decisions that will get the most out of your squat workout.
Part 1: Before You Squat
This part will focus on things you should know about squatting before you even set foot in the gym. Part 2 will be focussed on things you need to know to get the most out of your squatting session.
- Part 1: Before You Squat
- Why Should I Squat?
- What Muscles Are Worked by the Squat?
- Am I Ready to Squat?
- How Low Should I Squat?
- Squatting to Parallel
- “But When I Try To Squat Low, I Feel Like I’m Going to Fall Over…”
- Do I Need to Be Completely Upright?
- Do I Need Weightlifting Shoes?
- Should I Squat Barefoot?
- What Kind of Squat Should I Do?
- But Aren’t Squats Bad for My Knees?
Why Should I Squat?
It’s a fundamental movement pattern, which means it is a blueprint for a number of other key movements such as:
- Sitting and standing;
- Jumping and landing;
- Decelerating suddenly from a forward sprint;
Any task that requires moving up and down using our legs!
What Muscles Are Worked by the Squat?
- Quadriceps (muscles at the front of the thigh);
- Glutes (muscles of the bum);
- The muscles of the feet and ankles;
- The supporting muscles in the upper and lower back.
The squat is a compound movement, so it works a large number of muscles and joints at the same time. This means that squats demand a lot of energy expenditure and can have a cardio effect. Talk about great bang for your buck!
Like any exercise that loads the spine, it can have a key role in strengthening this area by teaching you how to brace and stand tall against weight. This type of loading can have additional benefits on other structures of the body (learn more here).
Squatting also trains a large range of motion at the ankles, knees and hips, so it can potentially help you preserve and improve mobility.
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Am I Ready to Squat?
Squatting has a bit of a hardcore image in the fitness industry – everyone from bodybuilders to powerlifters to Crossfitters will brag about how they can’t walk down the stairs after squat-day. Squatting can cause fatigue and soreness because it involves a loaded stretch of the muscles of the lower body, but it’s also fully scalable to the individual and does not need to cause agony. Anyone can learn to squat.
How Low Should I Squat?
You may have seen videos of very mobile people practically touching the floor with their butt during a squat – also known as an “ass to grass” squat. However, this is not necessary to reap the rewards of squatting.
The aim of the squat is to sit as low as you can without either:
- Folding through your spine;
- Caving in at the knees;
- Lifting your heels.
These are sometimes known as compensations, and may occur because we’re trying to squat low just for the sake of it.
Don’t be so obsessed with squat depth that you overlook where that mobility is coming from.
Vernon Griffith
The reason we cut off before any of these things happen is because it can put us into weaker, less stable positions and also change the working muscles of the exercise. You shouldn’t just go low for the sake of going low, although you can improve your squat depth over time.
Squatting to Parallel
Squat depth varies, but I encourage clients to work towards a parallel squat where possible. This is where the crease of the hips is parallel with the knee. This provides a clear landmark so you know that your squat depth is consistent regardless of what weight you’re lifting.
It’s also a range where most people will start to feel some bony contact between their hips and thighs, so you can get some instant physical feedback without having to film all your reps.
“But When I Try To Squat Low, I Feel Like I’m Going to Fall Over…”
Squatting is a balancing act, with you aiming to keep the weight over the middle of your base (feet). If too much of your weight goes back, you’ll fall on your bum. If too much of your weight goes forward, you will faceplant the floor. Most of the time, people will stop descending when they feel themselves losing balance – this is what stops people from squatting to parallel most of the time, as opposed to weakness or tightness.
When you squat, your centre of mass (around your hips) travels back while your knees and shoulders travel forwards to act as a counter-balance. The better you are at getting your knees forward, the less your shoulders need to travel forward, and therefore the more upright you will be.
You can make your squat even more upright by holding weight in front of you – but we’ll come back to that soon.
Do I Need to Be Completely Upright?
No. A squat involves you sitting into your hips, so you will not be completely upright. As squatting is about weight distribution and mobility, different people will have different torso angles at the bottom of their squat. That being said, working on becoming relatively more upright will keep the squat more knee-dominant as opposed to hip-dominant.
Do I Need Weightlifting Shoes?
You may not need them, but I would recommend them for most people.
The heel of a weightlifting shoe will enable you to get your knees forward more, leading to a more upright squat. This can be especially useful if you have limited ankle mobility. While you can improve your ankle mobility, it isn’t always a quick process, and you can still work on it once you have lifting shoes.
More importantly, a squatting shoe provides a solid, stable base under your foot. By comparison, most training shoes are spongy and designed to compress for comfort and to reduce impact forces from other activities like running. This is like trying to squat on a mattress – not a great foundation.
Should I Squat Barefoot?
Probably not.
Some people can do this pretty well, but it depends. Squatting barefoot deprives you of any heel elevation, meaning you need good ankle mobility to pull it off. It also means that your feet muscles are now solely responsible for creating the stability I mentioned above. If you are not used to training barefoot this can lead to an unstable squat, arch-cramping, and discomfort.
In my opinion, there are other exercises you can perform barefoot with much less risk and much more benefit. If you insist on squatting barefoot, go slowly and build up gradually.
What Kind of Squat Should I Do?
Bodyweight squats – an important tool for mastering technique, building mobility, and increasing your tolerance.
Goblet squats – holding the weight in front provides an extra counterbalance that makes it stable and easy to perform when starting out. As your legs get stronger, holding the weight at chest level will challenge the back muscles to keep you upright. This is a great extra benefit but may eventually shift the emphasis away from your legs.
Back squats and Front squats are generally considered the most effective long-term options for squatting. The barbell is close to the body, making for an economical set-up, and there’s virtually no limit for loading the barbell as you get stronger. The balance element can be a little trickier than goblet squats though.
Front squats are fairly similar to goblet squats, so they can be more quad-focussed and more upright. Similarly, the upper back will be the weak link, albeit at higher thresholds than for goblet squats.
Back squats tend to encourage a little more forward-lean in the upper body, owing to the balance we mentioned earlier. This increases the involvement of the glutes and hamstrings. They are generally a stronger lift than front squats.
These differences are not always borne out by the research in a statistically significant way, so you’re probably better off varying them between programmes or sticking to the one that fits you best.
There are other forms of squats, and different types of barbell, but for now, lets keep things simple.
But Aren’t Squats Bad for My Knees?
While everyone’s circumstances are different, studies are generally positive about parallel squats and knee health. A lot of people are concerned that squats will harm the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), but shear forces through this ligament have been found to be low during squatting.
Besides, avoiding loading a joint through it’s full range of motion is often how it becomes weak and prone to discomfort in the first place.
Hopefully this information has helped you prepare for your next squat session. In part 2 we’ll be discussing the specifics of the squat workout, including:
- Warming up;
- Setting up your squat rack;
- Foot and hand positioning;
- Bracing;
- Squat programming.
See you there!
I hope this information helps you make the decisions in preparing for your squat workout. Sign up to our newsletter for the specifics of the workout itself.
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