Bodyweight Squat

What is Bodyweight Squat:

The Bodyweight Squat, also known as Air Squat or simply squat, is a fundamental lower-body exercise that primarily works the quadriceps and glutes. It involves lowering your hips from a standing position and returning to a standing position through hip and knee movements without using external weights, unlike its weighted counterpart.

Key Benefits:

  • Size and Strength: Works the quadriceps and glutes, promoting muscle growth and strength improvement.
  • Lower Body Mobility: Enhances hip, knee, and ankle mobility, contributing to better movement performance in daily activities and sports.
  • Lower Back Support: Activates and strengthens the core muscles, especially the spinal erectors, to maintain balance and stability throughout the movement.
  • Functional Strength: Improves leg extension strength, hip extension strength, core stability, hip mobility, ankle mobility, and overall fitness, improving performance in daily activities and sports.
  • Versatile and Scalable: This can be performed with or without added resistance, making it adaptable for all fitness levels.
  • Convenience: This exercise can be performed virtually anywhere without equipment, making it accessible and convenient for most individuals.

Variations:

  • Bodyweight Lunge: A bodyweight unilateral leg exercise, working targetting the quadriceps, performed by stepping one leg forward while the other stays behind for support.
  • Cossack Squat: A squat variation that targets the hip adductors (inner thighs). It is performed by adopting a wide stance and lowering the body to one side at a time, keeping the opposite leg straight.
  • Pistol Squat: A single-leg squat variation performed by squatting on one leg while keeping the other leg fully extended and flexed at the hips.
  • Dragon Squat: A single-leg squat variation performed by squatting on one leg while moving the other leg behind the working leg at the lowering phase of the movement without it touching the ground.
  • Weighted Squat: A weighted squat variation performed using a different form of added resistance, like free weights and machines.

Stance Variations:

  • Narrow Stance: A bit more quads bias and less on hip adductors and glutes, especially if you only go as far as around 90 degrees of knee flexion.
  • Shoulder-width Stance: A somewhat more balanced activation of quads, glutes, and hip adductors. A good default stance for most people, especially those new to squatting.
  • Wide Stance (Current): A bit more glutes and hip adductors. Useful for developing hip strength and explosiveness but may be more challenging for beginners or those with limited hip mobility. It can also be helpful for people with longer femurs or shorter torsos to start with, as it allows for a more upright torso position during the squat, especially when done with free weights.

How to perform Bodyweight Squats:

  • Starting Position: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly outward. Keep your chest up, shoulders back, and core engaged.
  • Execution: Begin the movement by bending at the hips and knees, lowering your body until just around or a little below 90 degrees or as low as your mobility allows. Hold the bottom position briefly, then return to the starting position by extending both the hips and legs.
  • Repetition: Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Breathing Technique:

Proper breathing is crucial for maximizing performance and maintaining stamina throughout the exercise. Experiment with what you're comfortable with and let you perform your best. For starters, you can try the following:

  • Inhale: Inhale at the starting position or as you lower your body into the squat.
  • Exhale: Exhale after returning to the starting position.
  • Unnecessary Feet Movement: Avoid overcompensation or unnecessary movement of your feet and keep them firmly in place. While it is okay to move your feet to better position yourself, it is advisable to be firm before starting the descent, considering unnecessary movement can potentially mess up your movement efficiency and performance, especially if you plan to do it with added weight.
  • Knees Over Toes: Unless you are experiencing knee pain or undergoing rehabilitation that specifically restricts knee movement beyond the ankles and toes, don't hesitate to allow your knees to pass over your toes to help build joint resilience.
  • Knees Alignment: While knees caving in is quite normal due to some overcompensations or lack of mobility, usually when the intensity is so high, like in weighted squats, try to keep your knees going in the same direction your feet are facing.
  • Depth and Lower Back Rounding: The deeper you go, the better it is for your glutes, mobility, and spinal erectors. Do not be afraid to go as low as your mobility allows and round your lower back because this is just a bodyweight exercise. You are not holding an extra resistance heavy enough with your upper body to pose overwhelming pressure on your lower back.
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    Additional Information:

    Ways to make it easier:

    • Focusing only on the Concentric or Eccentric phase
    • Decreasing the Range of Motion - partial reps, only go as far as you can handle
    • Holding onto something for support
    • Regressing to an easier variation/exercise

    Ways to make it harder:

    • Playing with the Tempo & adding an Isometric phase (pause/hold)
    • Increasing the Range of Motion - going down as far as your mobility allows
    • Adding resistance - wearing a weighted vest or using a dumbbell/barbell
    • Progressing to a harder variation/exercise