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How to Squat Properly?
A complete step by step guide
We have put together a step-by-step guide on how
to squat properly and the benefits of doing
squats whenever you work out. So, you can have a
better training experience and get the most out
of your training routine.
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Table of contents
What is a squat?
2
Which Muscles Do Squats Work? Types Of Squats?
Squatting At a Glance
2 2 3
How To Do A Proper Squat A Step-by-step
Guide What Are The Benefits Of Squatting? Get The
Most Out Of Your Squats With These Squat Tips
4 6 7
Squatting Frequently Asked Questions The Final
Takeaway
8 9
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Squats are the one signature move that you will
find at the very core of every good workout
regime. They are the best way of achieving a fit,
strong body, and strengthening your leg muscles.
Squat exercises are definitely never absent
during a leg day for any fitness freak or a
lover of weightlifting. But are you sure that you
know how to do squats properly?
What Is A Squat?
Squats are one of the simplest exercises to
improve the lower areas of the body. With a
proper squat, you can work your thighs, hips, as
well as your core or the abs of your body. The
best perk of a squat is that it can be performed
anywhere and anytime without using any special
equipment. However, the incorrect way to squat
can result in some unpleasant injuries. In
terms of their use, we do squats all the time.
From bending down to pick up the keys to tying
the laces on our shoes, we are always in some
sort of squat position. The only discrepancy
between these activities and a correct squat is
that when you squat, you actively concentrate on
proper posture and muscle development.
Which Muscles Do Squats Work?

• Primarily the muscles used in squats are hip and
  leg muscles. However, if you perfect the
  squatting technique, you can engage more muscles
  than just legs
• Quadriceps thigh muscle
• Quads
• Hamstrings
• Butt
• Abductors
• Biceps calf muscle
• Straight abdominal muscle

Types Of Squats
The different types of squat exercises not only
help you get more stamina during your workouts,
but they also reflect a set of movements that you
unconsciously use throughout your everyday life.
Here are some squat variations that you do if you
get bored with doing the standard squats every
day
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• Box squat
• Sumo squat
• Squat jump
• Squat thrust
• Split squat
• Bulgarian split squat
• Cossack squat
• Single-leg squat
• Pistol squat
• Goblet squat
• Back squat
• Front squat
• Overhead squat
• Landmine squat

Squatting At a Glance
The correct way to squat will not only maximize
your efforts but it will also save you from
muscle pain or unpleasant injuries. But how to
properly do squats?

1. Stand straight and spread your legs in accordance
   with your hips' width and keep your toes facing
   forward.
2. Squeeze your abdomen while pushing your shoulder
   back slightly.
3. Put your hands on your side after stretching your
   shoulders.
4. Now take a deep breath, lower your body to the
   floor slowly and push your hips back a little.
5. Make sure to not bend your back, to prevent you
   from leaning forward when squatting, and keep it
   straight. Maintain your squat feet position while
   doing so.
6. When you reach the squat position with your
   thighs parallel to the floor and knees at a
   90-degree angle, take a pause and stay in that
   squat position for 2 to 3 seconds.

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7. Push your heels, straighten your legs slowly,
and return to the standing posture with
exhalation.
To get the best out of squats, repeat a squat for
at least 15 times in a row.
How To Do A Proper Squat A Step-by-step Guide
Before you proceed to barbell squats or squats
with weights, also known as bodyweight squats,
it is important to know how to do a squat
properly and how to stand properly after
squatting. Maintaining the correct squat position
is the key, since the perfect squat form,
whether you prefer to do sitting squats or knee
squats, can cut down the risk of getting injured
considerably. Here is everything that you need
to know about how to properly squat, and how you
can benefit from the benefits of squats while
avoiding the most common squatting injuries and
mistakes. Assume the Proper Squat Position The
first step to the perfect squat technique is to
assume the correct stance keep your feet apart
parallel to your shoulders width. Keeping
anatomical differences in mind, a reasonable
angle for feet placement can be somewhere between
5 degrees and 30 degrees. So, instead of
pointing straight ahead, your legs might turn out
slightly, but how much they do so will depend on
your individual level of mobility and comfort.
Also, place your hands on your hips. Place Your
Feet Firmly Onto The Floor Screwing your feet
firmly to the ground helps to engage the muscles,
boost alignment, and add stability. It also
prevents your arches from falling, which can
increase the possibility of your knees caving
inward when you are in the squat position. This
is also known as knee valgus. Keep Your Stomach
Muscles Tight Your upper body plays a key role in
squatting. Keep your chest up and your stomach
muscles tight. Stand up straight, push your
shoulders back and keep your chest up and
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proud. Pull your navel in your back during
expiration. This practice will help to engage
the deep abdominal muscles. This practice
eventually increases the integrity of your
pelvis and spine. Initiate The Squat As you're
about to squat, bend your knees and push back
your hips. Engage the core for the descent, and
keep it braced all the way. Instead of rushing
through the descent, just take a few seconds to
lower yourself. This will increase your muscle
tension timeframe, which will make your muscles
work harder. Inhale as you lower your hips, and
as you squat down, your knees should be tracked
horizontally above your first or second toe.
Tracking too far in can also cause your knees to
collapse inward, and tracking them too far out
can place additional stress on them. Take A
Pause When You Get Parallel When it comes to
being parallel, and how low should you squat, the
back of your thighs should be parallel to the
floor. If you cannot get parallel because of an
injury or lack of mobility, then it is better
for you to end your squat at a depth that is
pain-free for you. Sometimes people cannot
achieve the ideal parallel depth because they
squat with weights. So, when performing
bodyweight squats, make sure to use weights that
do not inhibit your full range of motion. When
you hit the bottom of the squat, pause for a
second so that you do not use the momentum to
drive yourself back up. You can also increase the
duration of your pause to add a
challenge. Drive Through Your Heels And Stand Up
Straight Make sure your feet remain planted for
the duration of the squat while paying special
attention to driving back up your heels. This is
going to fire up your posterior chain the
muscles located in the back of your body,
including your hamstrings and glutes. Make sure
that your entire foot stays rooted firmly on the
ground instead of picking up your toes when
driving through your heels.
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Most importantly, you certainly do not want to
hold your breath. Therefore, exhale on the way
back up, too. Make sure you breathe all the time.
Inhaling on your way down and exhaling on your
way up is vital. Make An Impression When
Finishing When you stand up try to place your
pelvis in a neutral position. Just be cautious
that you are not hyperextending. And also make
sure that you do not make the common mistake of
forcing your hips too far forward. This can
potentially make you lean backwards and stress
your lower back.
Repeat this process 10 to 15 times in a set and
make sure you complete a total of 3 sets. You
can choose to stretch your arms in front of you
to keep yourself even more balanced during a
squat. This way you can add more stability to
your squat form, especially if you are still
learning how to do a squat.
What Are The Benefits Of Squatting?

• Not only do squats strengthen the muscles, but
  they also have several other advantages. Find
  out what other benefits of squats you can avail
  by doing them on a daily basis
• Squatting, regularly, helps support proper
  posture.
• It helps burn calories. An approx. 64 kg person
  can burn up to 133 calories by doing 15 minutes
  of intense squatting.
• Squats also improve stability and flexibility.
• This exercise also strengthens the heart
• One of the most important squats benefits is that
  it helps prevent injuries.
• Squats maintain joint health and strong bones.

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• Squatting benefits also include enhancing the
  ability and speed to jump. In other words, it
  improves overall movement speed.
• Another squat benefit is the improvement in blood
  circulation and digestion of the body.
• It also helps in the building of muscles.

Get The Most Out Of Your Squats With These Squat
Tips
Now that you know how to squat, lets a take a
look at the most common techniques to avoid when
trying to perfect the squat technique Stay In
Your Comfort Zone Lower your hips only as far as
you comfortably can. When you feel the
uneasiness in your knees or your hips, stop right
there and use that limit as your end-point. A
Solid Base Is Compulsory A proper squat exercise
requires you to start with your legs slightly
wider than the shoulder-width apart. Using a
narrower posture not only helps you to target
your outer thigh muscles, but it also reduces the
stability of your foundation and places extra
pressure on your knees. It's often hard for
people to get the appropriate depth in a squat
because they have tight hips and ankles. For
these individuals, squatting with a slightly
raised heel puts their mechanics in a favorable
position to work around their mobility
limitations. Squat shoes allow people to get the
depth required and not place their hips and
ankles at risk. Look Ahead Keep your eyes and
head positioned straight. Avoid looking up and
down way too much. This will help you keep your
neck in a neutral position which eventually
helps achieve a correct squat form. Keep The
Spine Neutral Avoid rounding your back or
shoulders and keep your spine in a neutral
position. Only Squat What You Can Handle Do not
go searching for how to squat more if your form
can not handle heavyweight. Your squat muscles
will benefit more from squatting if you do it
properly with a proper form. If you lift too much
weight, you can end up giving yourself bad squat
form. Moreover, lifting more weights can strain
your hips, knees, and
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lower back, which can cause injuries. However
using a lifting belt can reduce the stress on
your muscles and enable you to do more weighted
squats. Brace Your Core Activate your core and
create a tension in your abs. Think of your core
muscles as an internal weight belt that is
holding everything in place. And keep your core
muscles engaged throughout the squat exercises.
Squatting Frequently Asked Questions
Take a look at these most frequently asked
questions regarding squatting and benefits of
squatting if you want to know more about
squatting properly How does squatting help with
losing weight? Squats burn numerous calories,
which helps to shed fat and develop muscles. As
you build muscles, your metabolic rate
increases, which in turn helps you to burn your
stored fat. Can squats make a person
shorter? Yes, they can. Squats can make the body
a little shorter due to a minor compression of
the spine, but the impact is only temporary and
is totally reversible by lying flat or doing
stretching exercises, according to fitness
experts. What are some good squat
alternatives? If you are facing difficulties when
hitting the squat rack because of your hip or
knee injuries, you can target the muscles you
have been trying to by doing exercises like
banded lateral walk, staggered stance deadlift,
glute bridge, good morning, single leg glute
bridge, donkey kicks, and banded hip drive, etc.
The Final Takeaway
Squats are one of the most common and beneficial
lower-body exercises for your fitness. Though
there is a lot to unpack on how to do a proper
squat, the advantages of learning how to squat
properly are immense.
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To conclude, anyone who wants to squat can do so
but doing it properly is what matters the most.
If you follow the procedure closely, you can
easily master this extremely simple yet highly
effective exercise. So, get up and squat down to
achieve your goal of a fit and fabulous body.
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