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Squatting is not only an amazing exercise to get stronger in the gym, it’s also arguably the most functional exercise to ever exist. Big claims I know, but it’s true!
The problem is, especially when we start to add weight, the squat is also one of the most technical lifts out there. With poor technique it can lead to knee, back or hip injury. But don’t let this stop you! On the flip side, if you learn to squat with good form, in some cases you can literally fix knee pain, improve your mobility, increase strength and increase your bone density.
So here’s a step by step guide to squatting with good form. We’ve decided to go through the barbell back squat, but the same core principles apply to virtually any squat variation.
Step 1: Stance
The number one rule of stance is that it feels comfortable. It’s important to know that your squat will look different to mine, different to The Rocks and even different to your Sisters. But in general, a good starting point is just outside hip width, with your toes very slightly pointing outwards. Your optimal stance will depend on your hip structure and the proportional length of various bones, so play around with your stance from there to see what works for you.
Step 2: Grip
Grab the bar as close as your shoulder mobility allows you to. Once you’re under the bar, drive your elbows back and your shoulder blades down. This will create a ledge on your trap muscle for the bar to sit on. Make sure the bar is on this muscle, not on your neck, shoulder or any bony points.
Step 3: Open Your Hips
The next point is when lowering into the squat, making sure that you are ‘externally rotating your femur’. Sounds a bit science-y right, but it’s actually really simple. What you’re trying to do is rotate your upper leg outwards. To do this, we can use cues like ‘push your knees out’ ‘Open your hips’ or ‘spread the floor apart’ as we lower into the squat. These are 3 ways of saying the same thing.
This will give you the ability to sit into the squat a lot deeper without your lower back having to tuck underneath you like the photo shown in Step 4 (this is called a buttwink).
Step 4: Depth
Only squat as low as you can maintain a neutral spine. Again, sounds a bit technical, but all this means is that if your back starts to bend and tuck underneath like the picture shows, then you have gone too deep. If you find that you can barely get any depth without your lower back rounding like this, you probably have poor mobility in your spine, hips, knees, or ankles.
That’s completely fine by the way! For now, squat as deep as your mobility allows you to and work on increasing your mobility over time.
Step 5: The Drive
Now for the hard part - Driving back into the standing position. The main point here is to continue bracing your core as you drive through your legs, maintaining an even weight distribution through your entire foot.
For some people, you might initially push through your heels. For others, you’ll find your heels raising and pushing through your toes. This is probably a mobility issue, but just remember - Try as best you can to push through the centre of your feet.
As you drive upwards your ankles, knees and hips should work in unison to drive up into the standing position. If they’re segmented, your knees may extend prior to your hips. Try to keep everything working together for a safe, efficient squat.
That’s the basics of the Squat! You can apply most of these principles (other than grip) to almost all other squat variations. Go forth and squat my friend! But before you leave, one last piece of advice: Especially if you’re new in your squatting journey, do not compare yourself to others. Your mobility, your strength and even your bone and hip structure has a huge impact on how deep you can squat and what your squat will look like. Comparing yourself to others is a sure way to compromising your form and your results.
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