What Muscles Do Squats Work? Plus, Personal Trainer Tips for the Best Squat

The squat is a common exercise that many have probably learned during the gym. However, do you know the appropriate form for a squat and what muscles it works? Make sure you make a squat correctly is essential to help you Increase your strength And avoid injuries. This is why we contacted personal coaches certified to learn everything that is to know about squats, how to do them and their advantages.

How to make a squat

Ellen Thompson, NASM certified personal coach and personal director of the region to Flashing fitnessgave us dilapidation on a basic squat with a good shape: “Start standing standing with your feet at the width of the shoulder, the toes pointed slightly to the outside. Do not forget to keep your chest,” she explains. “Push your hips, as if you are sitting on a chair. Your knees should follow your toes, no further inward or inward. Lower your thighs to be parallel to the ground. Down your heels to get up.”

Although leaning and getting up is a basic decision, Thompson’s description shows that a large part of what makes squats a precious exercise is the place where you draw your power for each part of the movement. Pushing the hips, lowering yourself and going through the heels is essential to hire muscle groups that benefit the most from this exercise.

There are also elements of the squat that are better transmitted like what not TO DO. Portia pageNCPT and coordinator of the Education Program in Balanced body Inc., said to gently press the knees outwards to avoid pressing inward, which can increase knee tension. She also notes that keeping the heels to the earth is preferable to prevent tension while ensuring that you work the glutes as much as expected for the exercise.

Thompson also warns against your back or by pushing his knees too far forward on the ankles. In the end, a squat is a very precise exercise which requires a strong form.

What muscles do squats work?

As a compound movement, the squats engage in your quads, glutes, hamstrings, nucleus, adductors and calves, all in this powerful strength training exercise.

“Since squats work several muscle groups, they are an excellent exercise for the strength and muscle growth of the full body. This also makes an excellent movement for burn calories And the metabolic rate, “explains Thompson.” Squats imitate real movements, like sitting, standing and lifting, making it an excellent functional exercise. “”

Squats strengthen a variety of muscle groups, which is part of your fundamental exercise work when you go to more important fitness objectives.

Page adds: “Squats performed daily also help the overall functioning of the lower body, reducing the risk of injury.”

Squat variations you can try

Although a basic squat brings a lot of value to your training, you can adjust a squat to obtain other advantages, either by increasing resistance, or using additional muscle groups. Once you have added resistance, you can go from a purely body weight exercise to the use of additional equipment, as squat racks.

It is useful to perfect your form using a regular body weight squat before trying the following variations in squat, as described by page and Thompson:

• Back squats And front squats Use a dumbbell on the upper back or the front shoulders, respectively, to focus on specific areas, such as the strength of the lower body or the quads. In a 2024 study, These two variations of squat favored the improvements related to force, the squats of the back creating greater improvements linked to force.
• Try a goblet squatin which you hold a kettlebell Or dumbbell in front. This will engage the nucleus and challenge the stability of your upper body.
• Jump jumping Have you added an explosive movement to the movements, building your power and your endurance. If you intend to add weights, be sure to practice without weight first to perfect your shape. Then you can add light weights as you progress.
• A different position, such as a wider position for a sumo squat or raised heels for the Squat elected to the heelTarget your muscle groups differently.
• Slow down squatWhere you hold at the bottom of the squat, can improve muscle control.
• Bulgarian divided squats are carried out with a raised foot behind you on a box. This helps you target a leg while adding a balance component. A gun challenges you to do the whole leg for one leg, with the other leg which rises directly in front of you.
• To work on similar muscle groups without stretching the knee while holding the position of squat, you could also try The wall is. Depending on page, they strengthen isometric strength and endurance of the legs.

Who should avoid doing squats?

With so many variations in squat, it is important to check with yourself and monitor pain – especially if you have tried different forms or if you have a recent or chronic injury. A personal trainer or a health professional may recommend making specific squat variations depending on your own combination of risk factors for injuries.

According to page and Thompson, individuals who benefit from paying attention to their integration into their training sessions include:

• People with knee injuries who may need to make a wall, a gluteal bridge or pressure on the legs to put less pressure on the knees.
• People with lower back problems. Divided squats and leg presses can be less trying on the lower back.
• People with history of ACL / MCL injuries can be better served with shallow or supported squats, underlines page, because they can further control the depth and amplitude of movements.
• Hip pain and mobility problems can indicate better results with side squats or sumo squats.
• If you are dealing with ankle mobility challenges, consider the squats extinct in the heel for this additional advantage.

In any case, drawing And mobility work, in addition to exercises such as squats, helps reduce the risk of injury or reintegration if you recover from a previous condition or concern.

Expert advice to start squats

As for starting squats, page recommends starting with body weight and progressing to add weights or depth. “Start with two to three sets from 10 to 12 repetitions, focusing on shape and control,” explains page. “The signs that it is time to progress is that they can complete all the representatives with good shape and minimum fatigue, then add another set, increase repetitions to 12-15 or add resistance.”

Thompson recommends a similar routine of two to three sets with 10-15 repetitions, prioritizing the depth and monitoring of the appropriate knees rather than maximizing the number of repetitions and sets. Adding dumbbells for a goblet squat is a next logical step to add resistance, and a bar squat (front squats or rear squats) can also push you further. Do not forget to reduce repetitions and sets when adding new resistance until you get used to it.

“When your form is solid, you can increase your number of representatives,” says Thompson. “In addition, if squats start to feel easy, increase your number of representatives. The same goes for weight!”

The bottom line

A basic squat is a simple movement but under what seems simple, there are good -shape key elements that make it a precious addition to your Full body drive routines. A wide variety of adjustments also allow each squat to work on additional muscles or build your strength and endurance in a distinct manner.

Following the advice of certified personal coaches that have studied how the body reacts to various exercises can help you avoid injury and get a good training without exacerbating past injuries. And finally, start any small drive routine, knowing that you can progress towards representatives, sets and higher resistance levels once you have observed that your body reacts well.