New To Squats? Follow City Physiotherapy’s Step-By-Step Guide to Squatting

Please note that this advice is general in nature and does not equate to specific individual professional advice. We recommend a consultation with one of our physiotherapists. who can assess your overall health, medical and risk factors before commencing any new exercise.

What are squats?

Squats are one of the most popular exercises in the gym for strength and muscle gain. They are a compound lift, meaning they utilise multiple muscle groups including your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes, core and lower back.

Squats can help strengthen your knees and ankles, as well as assist in improving stability in your core, lower back, knees and ankles. There are demonstrated benefits for the elderly, as loss of bone density is a risk; the only real method to mitigate the effects of bone loss is by loading the body with weight. If performed with a barbell, squats are one of the best ways to load the body with weight and build bone density.

This article will take you through a step-by-step guide on how to perform a squat safely, as well as how to properly perform warm-ups, bar and body positioning, proper equipment and common mistakes to avoid. 

How do I squat? Where do I start?

Warming up for squats 

The key to a successful training session with no injuries is to complete a good warmup. Without warming up, the muscles and joints in our bodies are at higher risk of injury. Dynamic stretching is the recommended type of stretching for squats, as static stretching can be a detriment to muscle performance. Contrary to popular belief, static stretching before you lift does not reduce the risk of injury. 

By combining the mobility exercises mentioned above with 2-3 of these dynamic warm-up exercises you will be ready to start squatting:

• Leg swings – side to side and front to back (5-10 reps per side)
• Walking lunges (10-15 reps per leg)
• Deadbug (10 reps per side
• Bodyweight glute bridges (3 sets of 10 reps)
• Walking knee hugs 
• Bird dogs (2 sets of 10 on each side)

How do I learn to squat?

If it’s your first time in the gym, it would be beneficial to start with some bodyweight exercises. These exercises can also be done if you are nervous to jump right into squats with a barbell. These exercises are ideal for those that haven’t squatted before as they allow you to gain an understanding of the correct technique and form as well as your favoured position. 

The main focus points of a successfully performed squat are to keep your chest up, your heels on the ground, don’t drop your hips at the bottom of the squat, and don’t let your knees collapse. If you aren’t hitting these objectives then you are at a higher risk for injuries. Another thing to keep in mind is that no one’s squat position is the same. Some people may need a wider stance than others to perform a squat at the same depth that someone can complete at a narrow foot width. A good guideline to follow is to have your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and work from there to find a comfortable and stable stance. 

If you’ve never squatted before, then we recommend performing the following exercises in 3 sets of 12-15 to practise the motion of a squat:

• Box Squat with TRX (or using hands to stabilise)
• Box Squat (unassisted)
• Bodyweight Squat with a small plate under heels
• Bodyweight Squat

Make sure to keep your heels on the ground, knees out and chest up for both of these squats. Have your arms out horizontally in front of you to assist in your balance during the squat. 

Box squats allow you to reach the ideal depth for your squat by lighting sitting on the box, and also the ability to practise keeping your form on the way up from the bottom of the squat. Using your hands or TRX to guide your way down to a box squat is helpful for people unfamiliar with the movement pattern or inexperienced in exercise. A bodyweight squat allows you and your trainer to see where you are at with your squat mobility and from and is also an easy way to warm the body up. A small plate under the heels helps to increase ankle mobility so that performing the squat motion is easier. If you can perform a squat fine with no plate under your heels, move on to a normal bodyweight squat.

Once you are comfortable with those exercises at body weight, you can add an exercise band just below the knee to practise keeping your knees from collapsing, as well as engaging the glutes. Make sure to keep the band taut during the squat! 

After completing these exercises to a standard that you or your trainer are comfortable with, you can move on to adding some weight! 

Adding weight to your squat

Now that you’re comfortable with the motion of a squat, you can move on to squatting with some weight on your back! There are three different ways in which you can do this. 

The first way is to use fixed barbells (smaller barbells with lighter weights attached to the end) from the free weight section. These smaller barbells allow you to practise the motion, technique and form of a squat without overloading yourself with weight. 

The second way is to use a Smith machine. A Smith machine is a weight machine where the barbell is locked onto a track which makes the exercise slightly easier as it requires less stabilisation of the body. The Smith machine is perfect for beginners to use as it handles a lot of the stabilisation for you, increasing safety.

The final way is to use a barbell on a squatting rack. These barbells weigh 15 to 20 kilograms and are used by weightlifters and powerlifters to perform heavy squats. We recommend using this barbell only if you are comfortable and able to stabilise your body safely. Otherwise, we recommend using a Smith machine first. 

Squat barbell positioning 

The positioning of the barbell on your back is key to performing a back squat. There are two positions for a back squat, high bar and low bar, but this blog will focus on high bar as the low bar position is only used by powerlifters and other experienced lifters. 

Place your hands on the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and step under the bar. 

To position the barbell properly on your shoulders, you need to make sure your body is vertical once you’ve stepped under the bar.

The easiest way to describe the correct barbell position is to say it is ‘sitting on a shelf’. The ‘shelf’ is your upper trapezius muscles. If the position doesn’t feel right, try moving the bar position higher or lower on your back until it feels comfortable.

A step-by-step guide to the barbell squat

1. Position the J-hooks at the right height for your shoulders, around chest height, and place the barbell in the rack.
2. Position the safety bars at an appropriate height
3. Once you’ve got the bar in a comfortable position on your back as mentioned above, you need to lift the bar from the rack so that you are standing up straight. 
4. From here you need to take 2-3 steps backwards so that you are in the middle of the squat rack but still above the safety racks.
5. Ensure your feet are slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your toes are facing slightly outwards. Your foot positioning is key to a stable base in your squat. The bar should stay over the middle of the foot at your centre of balance. 
6. Before you squat you need to brace your core. Bracing your core before you squat is important as it makes sure that your upper body doesn’t collapse at any point during the squat. To brace properly, tense through your stomach like you’re about to be punched and then take a deep breath into your belly. You should feel internal pressure around the whole 360 degrees of your torso.
7. Then, we descend. As you are going down, make sure your knees are moving out over your toes. From the side, the bar should look like a straight line going up and down. 
8. When you reach the bottom of the squat, do not drop your hips under. If you do that, your upper body loses its tension and you will collapse. 
9. As you come up from the squat, make sure that your bottom doesn’t move first. Lead with your chest – without arching – and imagine a piece of string from your chest is connected to the ceiling. Also make sure that your knees don’t collapse inwards on the way up as that can lead to knee injuries in the future, press your knees out. 
10. Re-rack the bar in the J-hooks by walking up to it and bending the knees until the bar drops directly into it (try not to lean forward and drop the bar into the rack).
11. If you are trying to improve the strength of your lower body, perform Steps 6–9 for 5 sets of 5 reps. If you are trying to increase the size of your lower body, perform Steps 6–9 for 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

Different shoe choices for squats

An important and commonly overlooked aspect of how to squat is the footwear you chose. While people know not to wear business shoes or high heels to the gym, they still tend to not think about the correct exercise shoes to wear. Most people will wear running shoes to exercise in and for the most part, they do the job. However, for squats, running shoes hinder our stability during squats and also our connection to the floor. The gel or air-based soles of running shoes are not ideal for when we are squatting. There is not a single answer for the ‘correct’ footwear to wear while squatting, but there are a few options to choose from. 

• Some chose to lift barefoot or in minimal shoes. By lifting barefoot, you can connect to the floor better and improve control of your foot stability. 
• The next option is to wear flat shoes like Vans- or Converse-style sneakers. These shoes are the choice of powerlifters and low bar back squatters and allow for the manipulation of joint torque so that the wearer can lift more. They are also a good choice of shoe to wear if you want floor support without breaking the bank.
• The final option for shoes is weightlifting shoes. Weightlifting shoes have a raised heel that allows you to keep a more upright chest when doing a high bar squat. However, this shoe isn’t as popular as the others, and can sometimes be pricey. They’re an option for those that are serious about their lifting as well as being a great choice for those with poor ankle mobility. It should be noted that weightlifting shoes are not a solution for not working on improving ankle mobility, but more of an assistance tool. 

Common mistakes to avoid

In summary, there are a number of considerations before you approach squatting for the first time. The following is a list of common mistakes that it is important to avoid! 

• Leaning too far forward
• Knees bending inwards or collapsing
• Heels coming off the ground at the bottom of the squat
• Leading with the bottom instead of the chest 
• Not bracing your core properly
• Not walking out properly before the squat
• Dropping your hips at the bottom of the lift
• Rounding you back on the way up 
• Wearing the wrong shoes
• Not warming up properly 

How can City Physio help?

If you follow our step-by-step squatting guide, we are confident that you will be a pro-squatter in no time! However, it is not a risk-free activity, and as good as you might be, there is always the risk of injury. At City Physio Adelaide, we have a range of treatments for muscle injuries, if you experience any pain, discomfort, or muscle strain while squatting. 

We are also more than equipped to consult you before you start squatting, to ensure that you have good knee and ankle mobility, and to check your squatting form. 

City Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic believe that everyone should know how to move right. Whether squatting, sitting, walking, or running, proper technique is useful to maintain longevity and freedom of movement. If you want to learn how to squat, or just to move right, then book an appointment with one of our experienced Adelaide physiotherapists today!

The team at City Physio can help you devise a training plan specifically suited to you and your body, with consideration for any musculoskeletal imbalances, pre-existing injuries, or myofascial tightness that you may have. Our qualified physiotherapists will consult with you to ensure your physical health remains in check and provide all the necessary tools to perform at your best. 

References 

Reynolds, G., 2008. Stretching: the truth. The New York Times, 11(02). https://dfminfo.typepad.com/files/phys-ed—stretching—the-truth—nytimes.com.pdf 

McMillian, D.J., Moore, J.H., Hatler, B.S. and Taylor, D.C., 2006. Dynamic vs. static-stretching warm up: the effect on power and agility performance. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 20(3), pp.492-499. 

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