A squat exercise is a knee bend, optionally with a weight on your shoulders or in your hands to make the exercise extra heavy. The movement is similar to sitting down and immediately coming back up. The exercise is simple and very suitable for beginners, but it must be performed in the right way. During the squat you train mainly your thigh and buttock muscles, or your hamstrings and quadriceps. Also your calf muscles and core muscles (= muscles around your trunk) are activated during a squat. Squat is an English term used worldwide within strength sports to refer to the 'knee bend' fitness exercise. The meaning of squat is literally squatting.
Don't start squatting unprepared, especially with big weights. If you are inexperienced, always start without extra weight and then with an empty barbell bar (without weight discs) or with light dumbbells. When doing a squat, it is especially important to perform the exercise in a controlled way. This way, your body will benefit the most from it and you will prevent injuries.
Squats without weight explanation: performance for beginners
Anyone can do squats. You simply bend your knees and then come back up. However, it is of great importance that squats are performed properly, responsibly and safely. You should perform a squat exercise as follows:
- Stand up straight with your heels well grounded on the ground.
- Place your feet apart at shoulder width and have them point outward slightly, about 30° or to 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock.
- Stretch your arms out in front of you, this will give you extra balance.
- Moving your hips and buttocks backwards, slowly sink through your knees towards the ground, making sure to point your knees outwards.
- Stay in position for one to several seconds and then come back up in a calm, controlled manner.
- Apply power from your heels, straighten your knees and move your hips and buttocks upwards.
- Use only your legs and buttocks to come back up, not your back and arms. Keep your chest straight and up throughout the exercise.
Arm position during a squat exercise
You may decide exactly what you do with your arms during squatting. The movement of your arms makes it easier for you to stay in balance. You can keep your arms stretched in the same position during the squat. Another option is to hang your arms at the beginning of the squat and to stretch them horizontally in front of you during the movement. Or, for example, you can move your arms up, bend your elbows, and grab your hands together. You can also move your arms from hanging by your body to above your head during the squat. Of course, it is also possible to hold extra weight in your hands during a squat.
Performing squats properly: tips
Keep your shoulder blades together, your elbows back and your chest forward during the squat. With a standard squat , you don't sink your buttocks all the way to the ground, but you make a 90° angle with your lower and upper legs. This means that your buttocks are slightly lower than your knees. If your ankles are unstable or your hamstrings too short, you can stand on a board with your heels and the front of your feet on the ground for more stability.
During a squat exercise, the idea is that your knees should never come further forward than where your toes are on the ground. In other words, your knees should be behind your toes at all times. The movement of a squat is backwards. You should, as it were, sit down and not move your knees forward too much.
Use your muscles actively while performing a squat. Consciously tighten the muscles in your thighs and around your knees and use strength to come up gently and in a controlled manner.
Squatting with extra weight
As you do more squats, you will find that the exercise becomes easier and you can do more repetitions in a row before your leg muscles get tired. It is then an option to add extra challenge in the form of weight. Usually, a barbell is used as the weight. A barbell is the typical type of weight used in international weightlifting competitions, among others. It is a bar with one or more weight plates at each end.
Other options for squats with extra weight are:
- Holding dumbbells in both hands
- Holding a kettlebell (round weight with 1 handle on top)
- Wearing a weight vest
Performing a squat with extra weight is as follows:
- Make sure you stand firmly with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Grab a heavy barbell from a barbell stand or a light barbell or other weight from the ground.
- Place the barbell in your neck and hold it with both hands.
- Let your shoulders carry the dumbbell and use your hands only to balance the dumbbell.
- Make sure you're still standing.
- Perform the squat motion.
- Put the barbell away.
Squats exercises schedule
As with other strength exercises, it is very effective to perform squats a number of times in a row to form a series. Then take a break (about 30 to 60 seconds) and repeat the series several more times.
Squats schedule beginners
- 10 squats repetitions (= one series)
- brief pause
- 10 squats
- brief pause
- 10 squats
Once this is going well, you can expand your squat schedule in the following way.
Squats schedule intermediates
- 20 squats repetitions (= one series)
- brief pause
- 20 squats
- brief pause
- 20 squats
- brief pause
- 20 squats
And next:
Squats schedule advanced
- 30 squats repetitions (= one series)
- brief pause
- 30 squats
- brief pause
- 30 squats
- brief pause
- 30 squats
- brief pause
- 30 squats
You can build this up to a schedule where you do 100 squats in a row without a break. Do you want to expand even further? Combine squats with weights and/or perform variations on the standard squat.
