Squats are one of the most beneficial lower body exercises you can add to your fitness routine. Whether you’re just getting started out on your fitness journey or you’re already someone who hits the weights 6 times a week, knowing how to squat properly can really step up your game and take you to the next level.
There’s a huge difference between just grabbing weight and crouching down and performing an effective, perfect squat. Squats may seem simple, but there are a bunch of different things that can go wrong while you’re doing them which can lead to an ineffective lift, or even worse, some kind of injury.
In this article, we’ll go over how to do a proper squat, provide some common mistakes when doing squats, and offer you some variants to really tap into your lower body muscles and get you strong.
What Muscles do Squats Work?
Before we dive into how to perform a squat, knowing what muscles are being activated when performing the movement is important so you can tell if you’re engaging the right parts of your body.
When doing a squat, the primary muscles that should be driving the lift are the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. The secondary muscles used in squats are the calves, abductors, and hip flexors.
If you have a hard squat day and do them properly, you’ll feel it in your entire lower body. That’s just your body’s way of telling you that you dug deep and really gave it your all!
How to Do Squats
There are 4 steps that involve proper squatting. If you’re just starting out with squats, you’ll want to perform them without any weight. Once you’ve advanced past the basic movement, you can use a barbell placed high on your trapezius muscles, or use dumbbells held up by your shoulders horizontally.
To do a squat, follow these steps:
- Starting Position:
- Feet: Your feet should be shoulder width apart and facing outwards slightly. You want them to be angled anywhere from 15-30 degrees away from your body. This stance will help you get more depth to your movement.
- Core: Brace your abdominal muscles to help keep your trunk stable.
- Chest and Shoulders: Avoid rounding your back by keeping your chest and shoulders back. A neutral spine is your best bet for a good squat.
- Arms: If you’re doing a squat with no weights, extend your arms out in front of you. If you have a barbell, make sure it’s on your traps and your hands are wider than shoulder width. For dumbbell squats, keep the weights up around your shoulders.
- Descent:
- Hips and Knees: Push your hips back like you’re sitting down. With your hips back, start to bend your knees and lower your body downward.
- Depth: A good squat will have your thighs at least parallel to the ground. If you can go lower that’s awesome, but make sure the rest of your form is correct before going further.
- Knees: Your knees should be over your toes for the whole movement. Knee injuries are very common during squats, so you want to pay extra attention to where they are during the lift.
- Weight Distribution: Your weight should be evenly distributed across your feet during squats. You might feel it a little more in your heels, but you should never feel off balance.
- Ascent:
- Drive Up: After you’ve gotten to your lowest point, drive back upwards through your heels to the starting position. Keep your chest and core engaged throughout the whole movement.
- Hips: Make sure your hips are extended at the top of your movement, but thrust them forward too far.
- Breathing: Exhale as you reach the top of your lift. Proper breathing is crucial when it comes to weight lifting!
- Repetition: Repeat the movement until you’ve done the desired amount of reps. Make sure that you’re not overworking yourself, as that’s a surefire way to get hurt!
Common Squat Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Here are some common mistakes that may arise when squatting and some tips on how to fix them:
- Knees Caving In:
- Problem: If you’re asking yourself why do my knees hurt when I squat, this tip is for you. Improper squat form puts excess pressure on the knee joint, so if you’re doing them wrong it’s a common place to feel pain.
- Solution: Strengthening your glutes can help take pressure off of your knees. Making sure that they stay over your toes during squats will also help with knee pain.
- Rounding the Lower Back:
- Problem: Butt winking, or rounding your lower back when squatting, is a very common problem with the movement that people experience.
- Solution: Engaging your core and maintaining a neutral spine is the best way to avoid lower back pain when squatting. Working on hip mobility and hamstring flexibility will also help keep your lower back safe!
- Heels Lifting Off the Ground:
- Problem: Poor weight distribution can lead to your heels lifting off of the ground.
- Solution: Make sure you’re paying attention to where you feel pressure in your feet during squats. You should be balanced on the middle of the foot and your heels. Ankle mobility and weightlifting shoes can help with heel problems during squats.
- Excessive Forward Lean:
- Problem: Leaning forward too much can put strain on your lower back.
- Solution: Strengthen your core and upper body if you find yourself leaning forward too much during squats. You want a straight chest and back throughout the entire lift to do it properly!
Advanced Squat Variations for Experienced Lifters
Squat variations can really fortify your lower chain and electrify your workouts. Try some of these variants once you’ve mastered the basic squat and you’ll see your progress increase in no time!
- Front Squat:
- Overview: Front squats emphasize your quads by shifting the barbell from the back of your shoulders to your front.
- Key Points: High elbows and a tight core will help with front squats, as they demand more of these muscles.
- Bulgarian Split Squat:
- Overview: Bulgarian split squats are great if you really want to hone in on your quads, glutes, and hamstrings. They are done by placing one foot behind you on bench or elevated surface and only using one leg.
- Key Points: You really want to pay attention to keeping your knees over your toes with these, as a good amount of pressure is put on the joints.
- Goblet Squat:
- Overview: Goblet squats are performed by holding a dumbbell under your chin with your hands facing up like you’d hold a goblet. They’re great for folks who want to do a more advanced squat, but don’t want to move onto barbells just yet.
- Key Points: Make sure your feet are pointed outwards and your weight is distributed properly. Because the weight is not as intense, it can be easy to get complacent with goblet squats, but proper form will help you get all you can out of your lifts!
Get Your Squat On at City Fitness in Philadelphia
Whether you’re just starting out with squats, or are already an expert at them, City Fitness in Philadelphia is a great place to get some squats in and get strong! Our Club has everything you need to get your squat on and get your lower body strong!
Check out our class schedule if you’re interested in group fitness classes at one of our City Fitness locations. Group classes are a great way to meet people in the community and learn proper form. If you have any questions, please reach out to the closest City Fitness to you.
City Fitness is also delighted to offer all newcomers a Complimentary Experience that allows them to come and check out any of our locations for a day at no cost to them. Come take a class and hit up the sauna when you’re done!
