How to do a basic squat
By How To (/journals/how-to)
Every squat works when your heels stay planted and your chest stays tall so the work stays in your legs instead of your lower back.
Clear a six-foot by six-foot floor space and wear shoes with flat soles.
1: STAND with feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned out fifteen degrees, and arms hanging relaxed.
You'll need only open floor and clothes you can bend in. You know the stance is set when you can lift your toes slightly yet both heels stay glued to the ground.
2: BRACE your midsection by inhaling deeply and tightening as if preparing for a light poke to the stomach.
Ribs draw down and the lower back stays neutral. You feel it is ready when the tightness holds even while you take short breaths.
3: LOWER your hips back and down as though sitting into a chair just behind you.
Knees track in line with the toes and the chest stays lifted. You know the depth is right when thighs reach roughly parallel to the floor and you feel the hips stretch.
4: HOLD the bottom for a slow one-count while keeping heels down and knees pushed gently out.
Balance stays even across both feet. You know the pause worked when you could still wiggle your toes without rocking forward.
5: DRIVE through your heels to rise, exhaling and squeezing the glutes as you return to stand.
Hips and knees finish locked. You know the rep is complete when you stand tall with the same braced midsection you started with.
The most common mistake
Knees collapsing inward shifts stress to the joints. Push the knees outward so they stay stacked over the toes for the whole movement.
Pro tip
Do three sets of eight smooth reps and rest sixty seconds between sets before adding any load.
Say it every time
heels down chest tall knees out drive up