Complete guide to proper squat form and technique
Master the squat with our step-by-step form guide. Learn proper depth, foot placement, and breathing techniques. Use Spotwell's AI form analysis to perfect your squat and prevent injury.
Track Squats with Spotwell →Position the bar on your upper traps (high bar) or lower traps (low bar). Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly pointed out.
Take a deep breath, brace your core, and unrack the bar. Take 2-3 steps back and establish your stance.
Break at the hips and knees simultaneously. Keep your chest up and core braced. Descend until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor.
At the bottom, your knees should track over your toes, and your torso should remain relatively upright. Don't let your knees cave in.
Drive through your heels and mid-foot. Keep your chest up and drive your hips forward. Maintain tension throughout the movement.
Stand fully upright at the top, but don't hyperextend. Take another breath and repeat.
Sets: 3-5
Reps: 5-8
Rest: 3-5 minutes
The king of leg exercises. Builds strength in quads, glutes, and core.
Aim to squat until the crease of your hip drops at least to the top of your knee, which is parallel or slightly below. Squatting to depth recruits more of your glutes and quads and builds strength through a fuller range of motion. Only go as deep as you can while keeping a neutral spine and heels flat on the floor.
Knees caving inward, called valgus, usually comes from weak glutes or not actively pushing the knees out during the lift. Cue yourself to spread the floor and track your knees over your toes on both the descent and the drive up. Spotwell's iPhone camera form analysis can detect knee cave in real time so you catch it before it becomes a habit.
Yes, it is perfectly safe and often necessary for your knees to travel past your toes, especially for taller lifters or those doing a high-bar squat. Forcing your knees to stay behind your toes usually causes excessive forward lean and stresses the lower back. Focus on keeping your whole foot planted and your torso balanced over mid-foot instead.
For a high-bar squat, rest the bar on your upper traps; for a low-bar squat, place it slightly lower across your rear delts. In both cases pull the bar tight into your back with your hands and keep your elbows down and chest up. The right position for you depends on your mobility and which muscles you want to emphasize.
Take a deep breath into your belly at the top, brace your core as if bracing for a punch, and hold that pressure as you descend and drive up. Exhale near the top of the rep once you are past the hardest point. This bracing, known as the Valsalva maneuver, stabilizes your spine under load.
Use Spotwell's AI rep counter and form analysis to perfect this workout. Download now and start tracking.