The squat is one of the most well-known movement patterns that exists. Go to the gym, watch a fitness YouTube video, or pick up an exercise magazine. You’ll see squats galore.
What’s all the fuss about?
The squat can tell us many things. And not just how bootylicious you are, or whether you have it in you to be a breakdancer.
It tells us about not just strength, but how the body is working together in its different parts, as well as range of motion, and level of mobility and flexibility.
Personal trainers love to see their clients do a squat in an initial assessment. We can read so much about how their body is functioning from it.
Of course, when I did this with my clients, I never told them they were getting a once-over on their squat, but I was noticing how their body moved.
What is a deconditioned squat telling us?
A very weak squat can look wobbly. Knees caving, back bending, perhaps the legs looking like they can’t lift the body back up to standing.
Two former clients spring to mind. The first was a younger woman, early 30s, called Sian. Sian was happy to be featured on my Instagram, so you can get a good look at her squat - before and after.
Upon starting, as Sian moved into the bottom of the squat, her back would round out, taking on an almost wave-like pattern, ending with her lower spine in a ‘C’ shape, curving down. Her legs would appear to buckle under the motion.
This told me a few crucial things. The main thing was that her whole posterior chain (lower back, glutes and hips) was not functioning together to support her weight as she squatted.
The ‘C’ shape of her lumbar spine in the bottom of the exercise was classic ‘butt wink’ (posterior pelvic tilt), where the pelvis tucks under because her hips and ankles were not flexible enough to support the depth.
It also suggested that the deep core stabilisers were not strong enough yet to keep the spine stable.
(NB: Less commonly, ‘butt wink’ can just be about anatomical structure, as well).
As you can see from the Instagram post, Sian had substantially strengthened her squat once she was a few weeks into her programme.
Her body looked decidedly different when attempting the same move.
The other client was a woman in her 50s, let’s call her Alice. I’ve got a short video of Alice’s early squat for you.
As she lowered into the squat, Alice’s legs were visibly unstable. Her knees would cave inward. Pushing back up from the base of the squat was a struggle for her.
Alice could only manage a few reps before she was feeling intense muscle burn - the feeling that so many hate when it comes to exercise.
What Alice’s movement patterns told me though, was that her glutes were weak, and not activating properly to support the legs. Her knees were caving because of this.
In fact, Alice's thighs were doing all the work, but they also weren’t strong enough, hence the very unstable appearance of her legs.
Again - after Alice had been consistently attending sessions and following her programme with me, there was a massive improvement in her squat.
A healthy squat form and why it’s important:
So why should we work on our squat?
Well, let me first make clear that it’s not about getting a ‘perfect squat’. That’s not the goal.
The point is that achieving a healthy squat shows us that our bodies are becoming conditioned and working better.
A healthy squat says that we have good muscle strength in some of the most important muscle groups, such as the glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings.
It says that we have mobility in joints that are key for movement and support - such as the ankles, hips and knees - especially as we age.
It also says that we have strong, supportive stabiliser muscles around the spine, hips and core.
This is all very well, but what does a healthy squat look like?
I gave you an examples of stronger squats with the ‘after’ videos above.
Here’s another example, from me - I mean, I have to show you mine, don’t I?
I want to stress again, this is not about striving for perfection. Bodies are created differently, and may be injured, or may have compensatory patterns that are deeply ingrained.
For example, I have some slight natural lordosis in my spine, making it bend inwards towards the base.
A person may never be able to illustrate ‘perfectly’ for some functional movements, but what matters is that their body is strong and working in reasonably good balance overall.
The point I am trying to make is that strength, mobility and stability can all be seen in how the movement pattern of a squat occurs.
As the squat improves, the visible signs of a strong body in alignment can be noticed.
And when we have a body in alignment, we have fewer problems - joint niggles, knee pain, back ache, hip pain, sore ankles - you get the picture.
A strong bodyweight squat underpins almost everything else you do in the gym:
You cannot put a barbell on your back until you have your bodyweight squat sorted. This is just asking for trouble.
Kettlebell swings, deadlift movements, and many loaded exercises all rely on a strong lower body to perform them safely and effectively.
Building bone mass in the spine, crucial to prevent osteoporosis and spine fractures, is fairly reliant on axial loading through the spine (that is, exercises like loaded back squats - where a weight is placed across the top of the back or at the shoulders before squatting).
This is impossible to do if the spine can’t handle the load, and can lead to injury.
As a PT, I would never let clients progress to loaded squats until I saw that their bodyweight squat could support it. We would then progress slowly and steadily, moving to goblet squats first.
When their body was comfortable with that, we would progress to dumbbell loaded squats - weights held at the shoulders. From here, the next move was with a short bar, before an unloaded barbell, and finally, a weighted barbell.
This type of safe progression should apply to you, too.
The recipe for an injury is to go into a gym with a relatively deconditioned body and put a barbell on your back, then try to squat with it.
This is why my beginner 4 Week Bone Foundations Programme starts with the basics.
It’s not only suitable for people interested in improving bone health, but provides a good starting point for anyone who wants a grounded introduction to bodyweight strengthening, before progressing onwards.
Assess your squat:
Video yourself now doing a squat. In order to do a squat properly:
Stand with feet hip-width apart.
Engage your core (this is essential).
Bend the knees and move downwards into a ‘sit’ position
Allow hips to move back naturally while keeping the upper body from leaning over the knees
If it helps, grab a chair and aim for the edge of the chair with your bum.
Keep your knees in line with your feet.
Aim to get your thighs parallel with the floor, or as deep as your mobility allows.
Return to standing position.
Take a proper look at your video. Did you find sticking to some of the cues hard? Were your knees caving, despite trying to keep them in line with your feet? Did your heels rise up as you moved lower?
Compare your squat to the videos I linked of Sian and Alice. Is your squat looking similar to their ‘befores’, or their afters? What is your body telling you?
Heels rising up as you come into the lower position can indicate a lack of ankle mobility.
Knees caving as you either lower or push up from the squat can indicate weakness in the glute medius and hip stabilisers.
Legs wobbling and struggling to hold the squat can indicate several things - an under-developed posterior chain (that is, how the muscles in the back lower body are linking together) or general lack of strength in some or all of the muscles supporting the squat.
Lack of a deep squat can show tightness or weakness in the hips, or lack of mobility in joints.
(A small note on the knee caving, which is also known as ‘valgus knee’: current biomechanics thinking is that this isn’t always a structural issue. In trained lifters under heavy load, it can be a movement strategy rather than dysfunction. If this is happening in an untrained person with no load, though, we can generally assume there’s a problem to address).
Ways to correct your squat while you practise it:
If you find any of these problematic squat patterns are arising, I have a few tips on how you can improve your form while your body starts to gain strength.
To train your squat, take a kitchen chair and aim to touch your bum gently on the edge as you squat. This will help the pattern of movement while you begin practising.
For caving knees, take a resistance band and loop it around your thighs, just above the knee. Squat with the band in place. When you push back up, squeeze your bum. It will help your knees come into line with the feet.
For heels rising as you lower in the squat, place a couple of same size books under your heels, or weight plates if you’re in a gym. This will allow you to go deeper into the squat until you strengthen the ankles.
How can I progress my squat?
I have written a guide on fixing your squat which includes specific exercises to help with mobility and strength in the other joints and muscles that will support it. It gives a detailed run-down of progressing all the way through to a barbell back squat.
It’s available for a mere £10, complete with 4 videos for instruction.
However, my paid subscribers can get this for FREE! Once you upgrade your subscription, the guide wil be sent out to you in your welcome email.
Before you go:
If you found this article useful, then no doubt others will too - so please do share, I much appreciate it.
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes and isn’t a substitute for medical advice. I am not a clinician. Please check with your doctor before trying new exercises or taking health advice on this page; especially if you have osteoporosis, a diagnosed condition, or any concerns about your health.
More great advice! I'll be checking on my squat to see if it's looking strong or not. Thanks!
This looks brilliant! I’ve saved it for later as am running out the door