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How to Squat
The squat is a lower body exercise used in weight training. It is also a competitive lift in powerlifting and an essential movement in the sport of weightlifting. The exercise focuses on the quadriceps and gluteus, but it also involves the hamstrings, the calves, and the lower back. The squat is often called “the king of exercises” because it “is capable of inducing more and faster muscle growth than any other exercise” (Dr. Fred Hatfield).
The squat is performed by bending the legs at the knees and hips, lowering the torso between the legs, and then reversing direction to stand up straight again. The torso remains relatively upright throughout the movement and acts as a supporting structure; this is unlike the deadlift. Proper technique is critical, otherwise serious injuries can occur. The back must be kept straight and never rounded, otherwise excess strain can be placed on the spine and cause serious injury. Lifting belts can be used to help support the lower back.
Weighted Squat Tutorial
Squatting Safety
Experts are divided on how squats can be done safely. Some believe the squat must not go too deep, beyond the point where the thighs are parallel to the floor, otherwise excess strain will be placed on the knees. Others believe that thighs actually touching calves is acceptable, provided the knees do not travel farther forward than the toes. Still others believe that the knees may travel slightly past the toes. It does seem well agreed upon that the knees should not travel more than a few inches beyond the toes, and that they should stay in line with the toes, not buckling inwards or outwards.
The feet should be flat on the floor, with even distribution of weight between the heel and the ball of the foot during eccentric muscle action. In order to reach a range of motion beyond parallel, individuals without sufficient ankle flexibility may try putting a flat board beneath the heels to artificially improve their flexibility. Similarly, a wedge shaped board may be used, allowing the entire foot to remain in contact with a single surface, improving stability over the first technique.
Both methods are short-term fixes and require that regular stretching and a full range of motion be employed to maintain and increase flexibility to the desired levels, with the ultimate aim to eliminate the use of the boards. In the sport of weightlifting, a specifically designed squat shoe that has the heel elevated by an encased wooden block is commonly worn. Some experts discourage the use of a board or heel because it may lead to a breakdown of proper form. In any squat, even one performed without these depth-increasing aids, the lifter should take care to exert force from the heel of the foot and not from the toes during concentric muscle contraction in order to maintain balance and keep the focus on the muscles of the thigh.
Heavy barbell squats are best performed in the presence of one or more spotters, who can help to safely return the barbell to the squat rack at the end of the set, if the lifter is unable to do so. The world record for the squat is 1220 lb (553.4 kg), performed by Mike Miller.
Squat variations:
- Back Squat: In the back squat, a barbell is held across the upper back.
- Hack Squat: In the hack squat, a barbell is held just behind the legs.
- Overhead Squat: In the overhead squat, a barbell is held overhead at full extension in a wide-arm snatch grip.
- Front Squat: In the front squat, the weight (usually a barbell) is held across the upper chest.
- Dumbbell Squat: In the dumbbell squat, the weights are held hanging at the side.
- Dumbbell Front Squat: In the dumbbell front squat, the weights are held resting on the shoulders.
- Box Squat: In the box squat, the lifter sits back onto a short box, momentarily relaxing the hip flexors, before contracting them and rising off the box. The use of a box sets a consistent depth and emphasizes the posterior chain over the muscles of the quadriceps.
- Pistol Squat: The pistol squat is a freestanding one-legged squat, where the non-lifting leg is held in free space.
- Split Squat: The split squat, is an assisted one-legged squat, where the non-lifting leg is placed at the ankle, on a knee-high platform behind the lifter.
- Hindu Squat: The hindu squat is a squat done without weight, where the heels are raised and the weight is placed on the toes. The knees track far past the toes. This is a controversial exercise, and it criticized for damaging the knees, emphasizing the problems historically experienced by Indian wrestlers who did hundreds daily.
- Smith machine squat. Simply use a Smith Machine. These are not recommended due to uneven pressure on the back and legs while squatting.
- Diddly Squat: What happens when you get tired. Now is the time to stop and rest.
How Deep to Squat:
- Quarter Squat: The quarter squat descends about half of the way down towards a half squat.
- Hams Parallel Squat: The hams-parallel squat descends until the bottom of the thighs (the hamstrings) reach an imaginary line drawn parallel to the floor.
- Quads-Parallel / Powerlifting: The quads-parallel or powerlifting legal squat descends until the crease of the top of the thighs and hips are at the same level as the knees.
- Half Squat: The half squat descends to a depth that is between hams-parallel and quads-parallel.
- Ass To the Grass Squat: The full or ass to the grass (ATG) squat descends past quads-parallel to the maximum that the lifter’s flexibility allows.
Squatting below parallel qualifies a squat as deep, while squatting above it qualifies as shallow. Individuals who find that they cannot safely perform the squat are advised to try the leg press instead.
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