How To Do Squats With Proper Form

The squat is probably the most essential muscle building exercise you can perform. Follow these simple guidelines to help you get the most out of this excellent muscle building exercise

If you’re getting ready to set up a workout program, one thing that you definitely need to do is learn how to do squats. Squats are going to be absolutely imperative to your success because no other exercise is going to work your body as thoroughly as this one.

Many people overlook learning how to do squats correctly and end up just injuring themselves in the process. If you want to stay safe and see the best results possible, you need to get your technique down.

Let’s walk you through what you need to know in order to learn how to do squats.

Get Into The Correct Squatting Position First

When beginning to perform a squat, the first thing that you want to do is get into a comfortable standing position with the feet slightly wider than hip width apart.

Once you’re there, keeping the abs flexed, butt squeezed, and hips pulled up to ensure you maintain a straight spinal column alignment, you’re simply going to begin bending at the knees.

Note that most people at this point will adopt a slightly forward lean as this makes it more comfortable to move throughout the pattern of movement. Just watch you don’t lean forward too much or you’ll be placing far too much strain on the lower back vertebra.

Go down as far as you can, preferably until your butt is almost touching the floor as this will recruit the greatest amount of glute activation and then proceed to move back into the standing position once again.

While doing this keep the head looking directly forward to help maintain proper position.

If you are someone who does suffer from knee pain, you may not want to take the squats quite as far down as the lower you go, the more tension there will be on the muscle. Aim to go down to just 90 degrees if that’s the case so you still get full quad recruitment.

Common Errors To Avoid When Squatting

The second thing that you need to keep in mind when learning how to do squats is where most people go wrong.

1) The first mistake is using too much weight

While you definitely do want to challenge yourself to the max as this is a terrific strength building activity, be careful you don’t overdo it. Using too much weight is a fast route to injury.

2) The second mistake that some people make is not watching how their knees are tracking over their toes.

In order to prevent an injury from occurring, make sure that your knees are moving directly over the top of the toes. Never let them move too far in or outwards as this will quickly place a high degree of sheer strain and tension on the knee joint.

If you can follow these simple tips as you learn how to do squats, you should have no problem completing them effectively and seeing the results that you desire from your lower body workout program.

How to Perform the Squat With Proper Form

Squats performed correctly will help you simulate the majority of the main muscle groups.