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legs

Bodyweight Squat

With no weight, you sit down until your thighs are level with the floor and stand back up. The movement every other squat is built on.

beginnerbodyweight

Bodyweight Squat, start position
START
Bodyweight Squat, end position
END
BEFORE YOU START1
  1. Find a spot with room to hold your arms out in front.
HOW TO DO IT

Get into position

  1. Set your feet shoulder-width apart with your toes turned slightly out.
  2. Hold your arms straight out in front at shoulder height for balance.
  3. Look straight ahead and tighten your stomach.

Check: You are standing tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms out in front.

Sit down

  1. Push your hips back and bend your knees at the same time, as if sitting into a chair.
  2. Keep your chest up and your back straight all the way down.
  3. Keep your knees pointing the same way as your toes.
  4. Stop when your thighs are level with the floor.

Check: Your thighs are parallel to the floor, your heels are flat, and your knees point over your toes. Your arms are still out in front.

Stand up

  1. Push the floor away through your whole foot to stand up. Drive your hips and shoulders up at the same speed.
  2. Squeeze your buttocks at the top and stand tall.

Check: You are standing tall again in the same spot.

That is one rep. Repeat for your set.

Breathe in and brace before you go down; lower for 2 to 3 seconds; breathe out as you stand up in about 1 second.

MUSCLES WORKED
Bodyweight Squat: muscles worked, front view
Bodyweight Squat: muscles worked, back view

quadsglutescorecalvesfront delts

Red marks the muscles doing the work; amber the assisting ones. Same body for every exercise, so guides compare at a glance.

COMMON MISTAKES4
  • Knees caving in toward each other. Strains the knee joints. Fix: Push your knees out so they stay in line with your toes.
  • Heels lifting off the floor. Fix: Keep your weight over the middle of your feet; try a slightly wider stance.
  • Rounding the lower back at the bottom. Fix: Stop a little higher until you can go deeper with a straight back.
  • Hips shooting up first so the chest drops. Fix: Lead with your chest; hips and shoulders rise together.
SAFETY1
  • If you cannot reach parallel with flat heels, squat to a chair or box and stand up from it.
RELATED EXERCISES

harder: dumbbell goblet squat, squat

variants: 1 5 rep bodyweight squats, mini band air squat, jump squat, wall sit

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