How To Efficiently Progress In The Squat Movement

If deadlifts are the king of all exercises, then that must make the squat the queen. Maturing in the gym is realising that the leg days are just as superior as back days. There is a reason why some say that the legs are the powerhouse of the entire body. Our legs are the largest muscle groups in the body. They require adequate training and the most nutrients to continue existing. In addition, for powerlifting, you need your legs to be strong in the big 3 lifts. Leg drive for the bench press, hamstrings, glutes and adductors for the deadlift. Quads and glutes for squats. Outside of powerlifting and other strength sports, having strong, powerful legs improves your overall performance in your daily life.

What Are The Seven Functional Movements

There are seven functional movement patterns that your body performs on a daily basis in everyday activities. You may not even realise the connection between sitting down on a chair and getting back up again to squatting. It mimics the squat movement pattern. Altogether, these movements target all the muscle groups and optimises your body to perform and function at its best. These movements include the : squat, hip hinge, lunge, push, pull, gait, rotation and the bonus, the hip thrust. Everything that you do in the gym mimics the same movement patterns that you do outside of the gym. Once you start to change the way you view exercises in the gym to seeing them as movement patterns, you can start to build a training programme tailored to your goals.

Check out Pinterest Functional Movement Series

What Is The Squat Movement Pattern?

The squat movement pattern is one of the most efficient ways to building lower body strength and muscle mass. It involves movements both at the hip and at the knee. As it is a knee dominant exercise, it will help build strength and mass in your quads (thighs). It is the only movement that targets overall strength in the entire lower body.

You can either progress with this movement by squatting with two legs or by squatting with one leg. The latter can be done through pistol squat progressions. For this post, I’m going to be focusing on progressing with two legs so you can learn how to train via power, speed and tension.

How To Efficiently Progress In The Squat As A Beginner

Stability Ball Wall Squat

The stability ball (also known as the Swiss exercise ball) bodyweight wall squat is one of the best exercises that a beginner can use to learn how to squat. It helps to develop your lower body and core while adapting to a new movement pattern.

Stand with a stability ball behind your back and pressed up against the wall. Your feet should be slightly in front of you and shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. Next, pull your shoulders down and back without arching your lower back. Then squat down by initiating the movement with your hips letting the ball roll down your back. Once you reach parallel or as low as you can, stand and return to the starting position. You can either hold your arms out in front of you or hold small weights beside you for balance. You can watch a beginner’s tutorial on all exercises mentioned in this section on Pinterest.

Bodyweight Box Squat

Stand with a 4 to 6 inches box or a knee-high bench behind you. Your feet should be shoulder width apart and your core should be braced. To brace your core, cough and the tightening movement is the brace that you need. Next, lower your body down in a squat by pushing your hips back and bending your knees until your bum touches the box or the bench. Pause for one second and then return to the standing position without leaning forward. You can either hold your arms out in front of you or clasp your hands together as shown in the tutorial.

Prisoner Squats

The prisoner squat is one of the best exercises that you can do as a beginner to learn how to stabilise the muscles in your core as well as your back and shoulders. The arm positioning places your hands behind your head thus incorporating the muscles mentioned and challenging the core more. The prisoner squat follows the same techniques as a barbell squat without having the load on your back. It’s going to make you feel comfortable with the range of motion and learn what the exercise should look and feel like in a safer way.

Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart and your fingers interlaced behind your head. Brace your core. Lower your body down in a squat by pushing your hips back until your hips descend below the top of your knee cap or the maximum range you can maintain posture through. Make sure to keep your chest out, eyes forward and elbows pressed out on the descent. Pause for one second and stand up back into your starting position.

Goblet Squats

Goblet squat is a variation of the traditional back squat that adds more upper body and core activation as the weight is in front of you and not behind you. It’s an exercise that is very easy for beginners, allows you to get more depth to work the glutes and helps you graduate to other squat variations.

Start by choosing a suitable dumbbell or kettlebell weight and position yourself so that there is enough space to perform the exercise. Next, hold the weight close to your chest like a goblet. The top of the weight should face the ceiling and your elbows should be underneath the dumbbell or kettlebell. Place your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart with your toes pointed outward. Then, lower your body by pushing your hips back and bending your knees simultaneously while keeping your back straight and tall. Once you have reached squat depth, pause for a second and then, squat up back into your standing position.

For the working sets and rep ranges for all of these exercises, I would recommend 3 sets of 10 to give you multiple chances to practice the movement.

How To Efficiently Progress In The Squat To The Barbell

As you adapt and get stronger with the beginner progressions of the squat movement, you might feel confident to try squatting with a barbell. Something I wish I had done before jumping straight into a barbell squat was learning how to do box squats. It would have helped me figure out my natural depth limit and improve it over time. In addition, it would have helped me get acclimated to heavier loads sooner than later.

You can watch tutorials on all the exercises mentioned in this section on Pinterest.

Barbell Squat to Box

Barbell box squats is known to be a hardcore squat variation for powerlifters but it is great for any lifter out there. It helps you improve your back squat, add more muscles to your legs and teaches you how to squat efficiently to parallel.

The difference between the barbell box squat and the barbell back squat is the range of motion and the muscles targeted. Barbell box squat shifts the emphasis to your glutes, erectors and hamstrings while the barbell back squat targets your quads, adductors and your glutes.

Set yourself up in a squat/power rack and set the 4 to 6 inches box a few feet behind you. This will give you space to walk the barbell out of the rack. Practice sitting and standing up from the box to make sure that it is the right height for you. Next, brace your core and unrack the barbell. Then, take three steps back until you are in front of the box with your calves nearly touching it. Push your hips back and squat down until your bum touches the box. Pause for a second and then stand up back into your starting position. Then pause again before starting your next rep.

Form tip: The more you drive your hips back, the more you place emphasis on your hamstrings, glutes and erectors.

Barbell Back Squat

Set yourself up in a squat/power rack and grip the bar with an overhead grasp slightly outside shoulder width apart and tight. If you prefer a high bar position, make sure to create a shelf by placing the bar on your traps. If you prefer a low bar position, make sure to create a shelf by placing the bar on your rear delts. Next, breathe in, brace your core and use your hips to drive up and out of the rack. Slowly take no more than three steps out to get into your starting position.

Feet should be place slightly wider than shoulder width apart and toes pointed outward. Fill your abs with air, brace your core and start your descent by pushing your hips back and lowering your body into a squat. Push your knees outward as you sit back. Pause for a second once you are parallel or your hips are below your knees. Then, push your feet into the floor to stand back up into your starting position.

Final Thoughts

There are other squat variations and progressions out there for you to do. The exercises mentioned in this post will help you become comfortable with the movement and gain confidence with lifting weights and strength training. Once you have mastered the movement, feel free to challenge yourself with front squats, squatting with one leg etc. A fitness journey is lifelong and there is always going to be a new skill or technique to learn.

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I hope that this post has provided you with the basics of the squat movement. I also hope that it has given you the confidence to efficiently continue building strength and muscle over time. Make sure to hit that subscribe button to join the community and never miss out on a post. Find me on Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok for more powerlifting and wellness content.

Until next time,

Folakemi