Why squats should be a staple feature in your workouts, according to an expert coach

The humble squat can help you build stronger legs, develop core stability and support your posture – here’s how to do it properly

Why squats should be a staple feature in your workouts, according to an expert coach (iStock/The Independent )

The ability to pull off a perfect squat will earn you serious respect in the gym – this simple move has surpassed heavy bench presses and deadlifts and become one of the most popular exercises you can do. It’s become a go-to for at-home workouts and social media is filled with fitness experts and enthusiasts explaining how to master the squat. However, doing this is actually easier said than done.

This exercise requires skill, strength and mobility, working your lower-body joints through a wide range of motion while recruiting muscles throughout your whole body. But the potential payout is huge, with benefits including stronger legs, more core stability and improved posture.

To help you master the move and lift weights like a pro, we turned to Dr Richard Blagrove, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and senior lecturer in physiology at Loughborough University.

Below, he explains how to execute an immaculate barbell squat and flags two common pitfalls to avoid. So, here’s why this lift deserves a place in your training plans and how to master it, according to an expert.

What muscles does the squat use?

The squat is seen as a leg exercise, and understandably so – it allows you to move heavy weights with your quadriceps and gluteals (the muscles on the front of your thigh and buttocks, respectively). But that’s not all it does.

“[The squat works] most muscles in the body when performed properly,” Dr Blagrove says. You need to maintain tension throughout your body to maximise performance, while the muscles in your core are called into action to maintain an upright position in your torso as you support a weight across your shoulders.

Among the most prevalent core muscles used in this movement are the erector spinae, which play a significant role in spinal stability. As a result, strengthening these muscles is a good way to support good posture.

What are the benefits of the squat?

“Assuming an individual can do a bodyweight squat without pain, the squat is certainly one of the most important exercises and should be a staple feature in most resistance training plans,” says Dr Blagrove.

There are myriad reasons for this too, with the most obvious being that this move builds strength and muscle in your lower body. It can also develop better posture and more functional capacity – moving a sofa or carrying your shopping is going to feel a lot easier when you have stronger legs.

Another often-overlooked benefit of the squat is its ability to improve mobility. You’re working your knees, hips and ankles through a wide range of motion, which can improve function and flexibility in each joint.

Dr Blagrove adds that the squat boasts the usual benefits of strength training too: “[The squat can lead to] improved bone and joint health around the knee, hip and lumbar spine in particular, as well as improved cardiorespiratory function and reduced blood pressure, reduced risk of health-related disease and all-cause mortality, improved metabolic health, and enhanced mental health and cognitive function”.

How to do a squat

A good squat is all about alignment so there are a few simple steps and ways to check your form that Dr Blagrove recommends. Doing your squats in front of a mirror can help with this if you’re trying the move for the first time.

• Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips and activate your stomach muscles.
• Try to sit straight down as though into a hole rather than sitting backwards like on a chair, as is often cued.
• Lift your chest up as you squat down so someone standing in front of you could read a logo on your top. 
• Shift your weight backwards slightly into your heels so your feet remain flat on the floor. 
• Push back up into standing activating you glutes as you reach the top.

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Common squat mistakes and how to fix them

‘Butt wink’

The “butt wink” refers to the excessive rounding of the spine at the bottom of a squat, and it’s the most common issue individuals face when performing this exercise, according to Dr Blagrove.

“It’s of particular concern because it pulls the spine into flexion, which over time is likely to cause injury to the lower back,” he says. “It is usually caused by poor skill in the squat and a lack of mobility around the hips.”

To counter this, he recommends practising “static squat positions” – maintaining the bottom position of the squat with a tight core and flat back. You can also hold a dumbbell or kettlebell tight to your chest, encouraging an upright posture.

“[This is] is likely to improve the skill in the squat and the range [of motion] you can achieve through your hips,” Dr Blagrove explains. “This will facilitate a greater amount of external rotation and adduction at the hip, which reduces the need to achieve a more flexed hip position.”

Lacking depth

If you’re just learning the movement, only squat to a depth where you’re still able to maintain a neutral back position. But if you have a decent level of training experience, skill and mobility, there’s no excuse for squatting with limited depth.

“This is a common issue for novice squatters,” says Dr Blagrove. “In those who have adequate mobility, it’s usually a simple case of becoming more skilled at the exercise. Focus on sitting back as you start the movement, and don’t be afraid of pushing your knees forward over your toes to use your full ankle range [of motion].”

To practise this further, he advises placing a low box or chair behind you as a target to touch at the bottom of each rep.

How to do a squat with a barbell

• Stand opposite a rack with a barbell resting on J-hooks just above chest height. 
• Duck under the barbell so it’s behind your neck, resting across your shoulders (it should sit on top of the upper trapezius muscles – the meaty areas around your neck).
• Grasp the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart to hold it securely in place. 
• Stand up straight to lift the barbell out of the rack then take a small step backwards. 
• Here, stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and turn your toes slightly outwards.
• Breathe in, tighten your trunk and lift your chest, then initiate the downward phase of the squat by pushing your hips backwards and sitting down with your weight in your heels. As you do this, your back should remain in a neutral position with your chest and head up.
• Descend until your thighs break parallel to the ground, or until you cannot maintain a neutral back position.
• From this position, drive through your heels to stand back up, leading with the chest.
• Breathe out as you achieve an upright stance.

What is a good squat weight to aim for?

Determining the squat weight to aim for will depend on several factors such as your age and training experience.

“For an elderly person with no resistance training experience, a squat with their bodyweight and no extra load is a good goal to start – for example, standing from a chair,” says Dr Blagrove.

“For an elite athlete competing in a sport demanding high levels of explosive power, they should be back squatting twice their body weight.”

If you sit somewhere in the middle of these two extreme examples, a good goal could be to squat between one and one-and-a-half times your body weight.

How to add the squat to your exercise plans

When you first start squatting, the most important thing to focus on is your form. Not only will this minimise your injury risk, but it will also increase the effectiveness of the exercise and help you make better progress later down the line.

To do this, Dr Blagrove suggests using lighter weights and performing a higher number of repetitions per set. This might look like three sets of 12 repetitions, resting for two to three minutes between each one.

You might also use a variation of the barbell squat like a goblet squat, where a dumbbell or kettlebell is held tight to your chest in both hands. This can be a great way to reinforce good form and practise maintaining a neutral back position.

Then, as you grow stronger and develop more skill in the squat, you can experiment with decreasing the number of repetitions you do and increasing the amount of weight you’re lifting to fully target strength gains. For seasoned lifters, this might look like five sets of three repetitions, with three minutes of rest between each one.

But, for people of any level of training experience, form should always come first. Start with a weight you feel comfortable with then gradually increase this over time to continually challenge yourself – that’s the secret sauce for successful and sustainable strength training in the long term.

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