How to Squat

Kyle Hunt

Hunt Fitness

 

The squat is king. There really is nothing else in the gym that produces better strength and muscle gains than the squat.

This is not breaking news. You have probably heard this before, but the squat really is the most useful exercise in the weight room. There is no excuse not to incorporate the squat or a squat variation into your programming. Not only do they build muscle/strength in the quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves, they also help maintain lower body mobility.

In my opinion the squat is the most difficult of the three powerlifts to master. When executing the perfect squat you have to think about proper bar placement, feet position, hip movement, knee travel and more.

There is a lot going on.

To make it easier to master, I have broken it down into three steps just like I did in the How to Bench Press article.

Let’s learn how to squat!

 

Step #1: The Setup

A well-executed squat starts before you even get under the bar. The set up is very important. You want to set up and take the bar out of the rack the same way every time. Consistency is key.

First, grab the bar with the narrowest grip you can manage without hurting your shoulders or wrists. This will ensure that you remain tight throughout the lift. As the grip widens, it becomes harder to create upper back tightness. I do not recommend the “hands on the collars” grip a lot of bodybuilders use.

A grip slightly wider than shoulder width is going to be best for most people. You want to grip the bar at a distance that will allow you to keep your wrists straight and elbows underneath your shoulders. Upper back and shoulder mobility will be a limiting factor here. In the end, do what’s comfortable and always work to get into a better position.

Make sure when you pull yourself under the bar, the bar is centered on your back. I know this seems like an obvious statement but you would be surprised at how many people squat with the bar uneven. If available, always use a bar with a center knurling for squats. This will help you make sure the bar is centered but it will also provide extra “grip” so the bar doesn’t slide on your back.

As soon as you get into position, get tight. Squeeze the bar and create tension across your upper back. Always remember to get tight before loading your spine, even with warm-up weight. A great quote I once heard was “treat every weight like it’s heavy”.

Once you are under the bar, have yourself centered and “tight”, it’s time to take the bar out of the rack. This is essentially a six inch squat.

 

Step #2: The Walk Out

The second step of the squat is often times the least thought about.

This should go without saying but always step backwards out of the rack. Never walk the bar out going forward. This would require you to re-rack the bar by stepping backwards, which is a bad idea.

Just like the setup, it’s important to walk the bar out the same way every time. Repetition builds perfection.

Take short deliberate steps. Do not walk ten feet away from the rack, anything more than 3 steps is a waste of energy. Take a couple steps and try to put your feet in the position you want to squat in.

Remember to stay tight the entire time. I can’t emphasize this enough.

Foot placement is going to be highly individual. However, most people are going to find a stance that is slightly wider than shoulder width is going to work best. This will depend on your individual biomechanics and bar placement. If you have longer femurs you will likely need a wider stance.

Most people will benefit from pointing their toes out to a small degree. This allows for better knee tracking. The knees should “track” directly in line with the feet, so the femurs and the feet are in line. Toes pointed out 15-20 degrees will be optimal for most people. A wider stance squatter may want their toes pointed out slightly more, around 30 degrees.

Once you get your feet set, you want to create tension in your hips. This can be done with a couple different “cues”. My personal favorite is to think “screw your feet into the floor”.

 

Step #3: The Squat

Your eyes should be directed straight ahead, slightly down or slightly up. Do NOT crank your head back and look up at the ceiling like your high school football coach told you to do.

Pick a spot in front of you and don’t take your eyes off that point. The most important thing here is to stay focused on the spot you choose. Even if there is movement around you, you should not lose focus while you are squatting.

Before starting the downward motion, take a huge breath. Inhale as much air into your stomach as possible and then hold it.

This is called the Valsalva Maneuver. This creates intra abdominal pressure, which protects the spine under heavy loads and creates better force transfer during the movement.

Your descent should be as fast as you can maintain control and tightness. Do not “dive bomb” in an effort to try and get more of a stretch reflex at the bottom. This will cause you to lose tightness and miss lifts once the weight gets heavy.

As you are descending, focus on pushing your knees out and keeping your chest up by forcing your elbows down.

Always use a full range of motion, never squat high. Once your hips go below parallel reverse the movement and stand back up. Stand up as explosively as you can while maintaining control. Drive your elbows forward.  Keep your air in until you are about ¾ the way up then you can let it out.

The most common sticking point (the spot where they miss the lift) is going to be just above parallel. Stay tight, maintain a good position, and drive your hips forward to finish the lift.

 

Low Bar vs. High Bar

Bar placement is going to depend a lot on individual biomechanics. Everyone is built differently.

The low bar squat is most often associated with powerlifting whereas the high bar squat is more known as an Olympic weightlifting squat. The high bar squat is more common to your average fitness enthusiast.

Generally speaking, the low bar position is going to allow most people to lift the greatest amount of weight. That is why at a powerlifting meet you will see the majority of the lifters squatting low bar.

If you are a powerlifter, I would recommend at least learning the low bar squat. Once you learn it, devote some time training it. This does not mean you have to ditch the high bar squat.

However, with all that being said, there have been a lot of big squats out of the Olympic lifting community. I personally squat high bar even in competition. I am built better for the high bar squat in my opinion.

Overall I don’t think it really makes a difference. If you are not a competitive powerlifter I suggest squatting with the bar placement that is most comfortable. From a “training” standpoint, both variations are equally effective.

The high bar requires a more upright stance and tends to work well with people who have short femurs like myself. The low bar squat allows for more forward lean and is best suited for lifters with longer femurs. Obviously this is an oversimplification and there is more to it that.

 

Assistance Exercises to Build the Squat

To be honest, the best way to get better at squatting is by squatting. That is true of all movements but out of the three powerlifts I feel the squat is least benefited by assistance exercises.

However, with that being said there are a couple assistance movements I like. Feel free to do these movements in addition to the traditional back squat. The squat is a movement that responds well to frequency. That is one reason why there are so many “squat every day” type of programs. While it’s unnecessary to squat every day, I would deem it quite beneficial to perform a squat and/or a squat variation more than once per week.

 

My Top Squat Builders

Front Squat

Paused Squat

Box Squat

 

Bonus Video: The Best Exercise for Developing Muscle and Strength

 

Other Articles You Might Like

1. How to Bench Press
2. How to Use Percentages and the RPE Scale
3. So, You Wanna Be a Powerlifter? | Tips For Your First Powerlifting Meet
4. Nutrition For The Strength Athlete
5. The Ultimate Guide to Daily Undulating Periodization (DUP)

 

Get My New Book: Absolute Strength