Squats are one of the ‘big 5’ compound exercises fundamental to strength training. This ‘king of all exercises’ uses almost all the muscles in your legs (thighs, hips, buttocks, quads, and hamstrings) while strengthening the core at the same time.
Table of Contents
- How to do squats
- Why do Squats?
- How deep do you have to squat?
- Are deep squats dangerous?
- Tips to improve your squat form and depth
How to do squats
It is important to have a correct form, to avoid hurting your spine and knees over time. At Studio X, we recommend beginners to work on their form with only their body weight before adding weights to their strength training.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your toes will be pointed outwards slightly.
(For squats with a wider stance, the toes will point out more. But a shoulder-width stance is the sweet spot for power and balance) - Stand up tall. This means that you lift your chest a little. Look at a point straight ahead, don’t look at the floor or the ceiling.
- Push your butt back and put your weight on your heels and mid-foot. Keep your knees in line with your feet and don’t let them cave in.
- Sit back slowly, as if on an invisible chair. Stretch your arms out in front of you for extra balance. Or use an actual chair if you have mobility limitations or poor balance.
- Pause slightly at the bottom of your squat.
- Lift up, pressing through your heels. Don’t lock your knees when you reach the top, but keep them slightly bent.
Why do Squats?
The first reason is for your everyday activities. Squats are a functional movement that you need for lifting heavy objects, such as furniture or (grand)children, but also for balance when climbing stairs, bending, or even something as simple as getting up from a chair.
Doing squat exercises regularly is good for preventing injury. By strengthening your leg muscles, pressure will be taken off your knees and ankles. People with knee injuries often avoid squats, but studies show that doing proper squats will actually strengthen the knees and improve stability. It can also alleviate lower back pain associated with poor posture and muscle weakness.
Squats are a great way to build leg muscles. This compound movement targets several muscles at the same time, with the main focus on the glutes and quads. Guys who want massive thighs or ladies looking to get that bubble butt, do your squats!
Furthermore, research shows that 6 sets of squats seem to drive responses of growth hormone and testosterone, which play a significant role in stimulating muscle growth and tissue regeneration. Some bodybuilders swear by doing squats before upper body exercises, to help muscle growth in those areas as well.
How deep do you have to squat?
Squat depth is a much-discussed topic in gyms, with people giving different answers. The truth is that a deep squat gives the best results, no matter which goals you are trying to achieve.
- For competitive powerlifters, the squat has to be below parallel to even count (hip crease lower than the knee).
- For bodybuilders, research shows that deep squats are best for building the quads, glutes, and adductors.
- Strength training: You will get the strongest at the range in which you train. This means that if you do half squats, you will increase the most strength in that range. Deep squats will increase your strength at a longer range of motion.
- Vertical jumping athletes (basketball, volleyball, soccer) will benefit from quarter squats, but even more from deep squats to reduce muscle imbalances and decrease the chance of injury during the jumps.
Are deep squats dangerous?
No, deep squats are not dangerous. A review of 164 studies concluded that they do not contribute increased risk of injury to passive tissues. In fact, deep squats are safer than leg extensions, because knees can handle a downward force much better than a sideways force.
Furthermore, it is a myth that knees shouldn’t travel over the toes. The knees will almost always move past the toes to reach full depth. However, the more forward movement of the knees, the more stress is placed on the knee. Less forward movement requires increased hip torque.
As long as there is no extreme trauma or injury to the knee, allowing the knees to move over the toes can actually be beneficial in improving and restoring natural real-world dynamic movement and function.
Of course, incorrect squats (heels lifting, rounded lower back, knees caving in, leaning forward excessively) can hurt you. Deep squats require hip flexion and ankle mobility. Compensation in these areas will lead to improper technique, which can lead to injury. Working on mobility and form is important before moving on to weights.
Tips to improve your squat form and depth
Warm up with walking on the treadmill, leg swings, glute bridges and lateral squat stretches.
Choose footwear that allows you to push through the heel and midfoot. Running shoes are generally not great for squatting. Thin-soled shoes or barefoot works better.
If you can’t go below parallel, without your heels lifting off the ground, you must work on ankle mobility. Perform calf stretches, calf raises and half squats regularly to see improvement.
If your knees cave inwards, you could try hip mobility exercises like 90/90 hip rotations.
If your torso is leaning forward or you struggle to keep your lower back straight (tailbone is tucking), you may benefit from thoracic mobility exercises like the cat-cow stretch.