Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned out 15-30 degrees, and arms extended in front of you or crossed at the chest for balance.

2. 2

   Initiate the squat by simultaneously breaking at the hips and knees, sitting back and down as if lowering into a chair.

3. 3

   Descend until your hip crease drops below the top of your knees, keeping your heels firmly planted and your weight distributed across the full foot.

4. 4

   Maintain an upright torso with your chest open and your lumbar spine in a neutral position throughout the descent.

5. 5

   Drive up by pressing through your full foot, extending the hips and knees together, and squeezing the glutes at the top.

6. 6

   Perform each rep with a controlled 2-second descent and a strong, deliberate ascent to build proprioceptive awareness.

Common Mistakes

• Allowing the heels to rise off the floor, indicating limited ankle dorsiflexion that shifts load forward onto the knees.

• Excessive forward lean of the torso caused by tight hip flexors or weak thoracic extensors, reducing quad involvement.

• Knees caving inward (valgus) during the ascent, revealing weak hip external rotators and increasing knee ligament stress.

• Stopping at parallel or above instead of achieving full depth, which limits glute and adductor activation.

About This Exercise

The bodyweight squat establishes the foundational movement pattern for all loaded squat variations, training the quadriceps, glutes, and adductors through a full range of hip and knee flexion. Without external load, the focus shifts to motor control, ankle dorsiflexion, hip mobility, and trunk stability, making it an essential screening tool and warm-up primer. Mastery of the bodyweight squat is a prerequisite before progressing to barbell, dumbbell, or single-leg squat variations.