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how to do squats

If you only did one lower-body move at home, this would be a strong candidate: squats train your glutes and quads through the same bend you use to sit down, lift a laundry basket or get up off the floor. Bodyweight alone is plenty while you learn to sit your hips back and keep your heels down. Compared with lunges, both feet share the work, so balance is rarely what holds you back. Once 20 smooth reps stop challenging you, extra reps give diminishing returns; pauses, slower tempos or single-leg versions are the better next step.

▶ watch squats on the dedicated video page

primary musclesglutes, quads
also workscalves, hamstrings
levelbeginner
equipmentnone — bodyweight
typerep-based

how it’s done, step by step

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands extended in front of you for balance.
  2. Lower your body into a squat position until your thighs are parallel to the floor, keeping your back straight.
  3. Stand back up to the starting position.
  4. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

how much: Start with 3 sets of 10–13 reps, and when that feels easy, add a two-second pause at the bottom before adding more reps.

form tips from the wandelbar coaches

  • Push your knees out so they track over your second and third toes all the way down.
  • Sit back as if reaching for a chair behind you, keeping your weight over mid-foot and heels.
  • Keep your chest proud and your arms reaching forward as a counterbalance while your hips lower.

common mistakes

  • Heels peeling off the floor at the bottom — widen your stance slightly and push your hips back before bending your knees.
  • Knees caving inward as you stand — press the floor apart with your feet and drive your knees outward.
  • Cutting depth to a quarter bend — squat until you touch a chair or couch edge so every rep reaches the same depth.

make it easier or harder

easier
Box squats, lightly sitting onto a chair and standing back up, teach depth and give you a safe target to aim for.
harder
Single-leg squats to a chair, lowering on one leg until you touch the seat, roughly double the load on each side.
squats at the bottom: thighs parallel to the floor, arms reaching forward for balance
squats — correct starting position

similar bodyweight exercises

lunges bottom position: front thigh parallel, back knee hovering just above the floor lunges wall sit hold: back flat against the wall, thighs parallel, knees over ankles wall sit jump squats in mid-air: legs fully extended, arms swung overhead jump squats curtsy lunges: back leg crossed behind front leg, both knees bent curtsy lunges reverse lunges at the bottom: back knee just above the floor, torso upright reverse lunges pulse squats low position: thighs near parallel, arms forward, chest lifted, heels flat pulse squats

never wonder what to train next

squats is one of 1,300+ exercises in the wandelbar app — where you don’t pick exercises at all. Answer a few questions, get a personal 90-day bodyweight plan, and it reshapes itself after every session. free for 7 days.

train with a plan that adapts.

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