TOP TIPS FOR BEGINNING SQUATS

The squat.

Such a fantastic exercise, yet intimidating for many.

Walk into any gym today, and you’ll be sure to find many people rowing, deadlifting, bench pressing, and doing various other compound exercises.

Yet, few people squat. And many of those who do squat make all kinds of mistakes.

The truth is, squats are challenging to learn.

To help you understand squats better, we’ve put together this post, going over the top four tips you need to keep in mind for your next leg session. Let’s go.

1. Imagine That You’re Sitting Into An Invisible Chair

This is by far one of the best mental cues you can use to pull off a successful squat.

As you set yourself up, take a breath, and begin to descend, imagine that you’re aiming for an invisible chair behind you. This is beneficial because it gives you a consistent target for each repetition. It also reinforces good technique by forcing you to bring your hips back and keep your heels in contact with the floor.

You can even practice this by doing box squats and focusing on tapping the top of the box with your butt on every repetition.

 2. Keep Your Chest Out

A successful squat - regardless of the variation - depends on good core engagement and proper body alignment. You can ensure both of these by making sure to keep your chest out.

 First, keeping your chest out means that your upper back is straight, and the risk of lower back rounding is smaller. 

Second, it allows you to align your neck with your torso better and prevent aches down the road. 

And third, by keeping your chest out, you prevent yourself from ‘folding’ under a heavy load, which allows you to engage your core better, produce better intra-abdominal pressure, remain more stable, and, of course, squat more.

3. Pause At The Bottom

Subconsciously, we look for ways to make exercises easier and more comfortable. This is a basic instinct, and the body is incredibly good at finding ways to compensate and perform tasks easier.

But training is about looking for ways to make things more difficult. After all, the challenge is what makes us grow and get stronger. Diamonds are made under pressure, and so are admirable physiques.

In the case of squats, the bottom portion is the most challenging to overcome, so most people get into the habit of making it easier. Of course, they typically do that unknowingly.

To make the squat more challenging (and more beneficial), get into the habit of pausing at the bottom. Here is how:

The next time you squat, go down to parallel but instead of pushing right away, hold for a count of two, and then squat up. This might force you to work with slightly lighter weights initially - so be it. But that extra effort you put into each repetition will pay off in the long run.

4. Try Different Squat Variations

Part of what makes the squat so impressive is the sheer amount of options:

• Back squats
• Front squats
• Goblet squats
• Single-leg squats

You name it. 

Because of that, you shouldn’t limit yourself to a single variation because someone claims it’s best for muscle growth or strength gain.

We are all different, so you should experiment with different variations to see what works best for you. That might be the classic barbell squat for one person; for another - goblet squats; for a third - single-leg squat.

But you need to test different exercises, be open to learning, and listen to your body.