How to Perform A Basic Squat (Bodyweight)

1. Stand with your hands crossed over your chest or on the back of your head and your feet shoulder-width apart with your feet turned out slightly to open your hips.
2. Lower your body and push your butt back and bend the knees until you reach parallel to the floor. Make sure to engage your core and keep your chest and head up while lowering your body.
3. Pause and mirror the movement back up to the starting position

Benefit #1: Build Total Body Strength

Squats will help build your legs to be strong and powerful. It’s a compound movement that will force you to engage nearly all of your major muscle groups to perform it correctly. It is NOT just a lower body exercise.

Benefit #2: Increase Flexibility

Doing squats regularly will help you become more limber and stretch your leg muscles such as your hamstrings, quads and calves. Increasing your flexibility will also reduce your risk of injury.

Benefit #3: Builds A Strong Core

One of the most important areas of your body is your CORE. The Squat exercise will help engage your core throughout the entire movement. Does that mean that you should not incorporate abdominal and lower back exercises into your routine? NO! Weighted sit-ups and other various core strengthening exercises should always be included in your daily routine.

Benefit #4: It’s Functional

We are constantly squatting, sitting and standing, bending down to pickup items or when performing random chores throughout the day. Squats will enhance your ability to perform those movements more effectively.

Benefit #5: Become A Fat Burning Machine

If you want a way to burn more calories than running on a treadmill, try increasing your lean muscle mass. Gaining 5-10 lbs. of muscle can help you burn an additional 250-500 calories per day. Doing squats will help build muscle in your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and core, helping you burn fat around the clock.

Benefit #6: Helps Gain Definition In Your Legs

You don’t want to be the guy or girl walking around with chicken legs and a shredded upper body. Fewer movements have a bigger impact in increasing muscle in your glutes, hamstrings, quads & calves than SQUATS! 

Benefit #7: There Are Many Variations Of The Squat

From Front Squats, Back Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats, Hack Squats and more, squats will never get boring. Each exercise variation carries it’s own benefits. Adding in a different squat variation every week will not only keep your body guessing, but help you become a total and complete machine!

Conclusion

If you have never done a squat before, make sure to start with basic bodyweight squats and get your core stronger by doing sit-ups, back extensions and other key core strengthening movements. If you have not performed barbell back squats in a long time because you have a “bad back” or knee issues, performing light box squats could be a way to safely incorporate squats into your routine again. And, if you perform squats regularly in your training program, add in a different variation every week to challenge yourself. But always ask your doctor before starting a regular exercise program.

Best of luck!

See Below For Our 6 Week Program

Check out our 6 week Training Program: Hybrid Training 1 where we incorporate several squat and deadlift variations, along with hypertrophy, core and conditioning training to build lean muscle and shed fat!