Squat progression

Overview: Squats are a compound exercise which will work your entire lower body. They primarily target the muscles in your butt (gluteus  maximus), the front of your legs (quadriceps) and the back of your legs (hamstrings). But they also engage some stabilizing muscles: your lower back (erector spinae), the outside of your thighs and bum (abductors), your inner thighs (adductors) and your calves (gastrocnemius and soleus).

Form: Squats are performed with your thighs at least parallel with the floor, but going lower through the whole range of motion will constitute 'deep squats'. The heels of your feet should remain in contact with the floor at all times. Most trainers recommend that your knees should not track past your toes. It might help to think of squatting as sitting down rather than lowering yourself down.

When performing squats, you should ensure that your back remains in a neutral position, and that you head stays aligned with your body. Make sure to engage your core. Your knees should also remain in alignment with your toes at all times.

Notes: When performing one legged squats, it is very hard not to let your knees track past your toes and not to round your back in order to keep your balance. This in itself should not be an issue as the exercise is not performed under load, as it would be in the case of weighted dips. Futhermore, letting your knees track past your toes is also a contentious issue, with some trainers making the point that not doing so may emphasize the stress on your back.

Flexibility for deep squats and one legged squats: see this article.

About the progression: The following progression will take you to advanced versions of the one legged squat (also known as a pistol squat) and shrimp squats.

Choose one of the following variations as a starting point and perform 3 sets of between 4 and 8 repetitions with periods of between 1 and 2 min of rest between each set. When you can do 3 sets of 8, move on to the next exercise in the progression.

 1. Assisted squats. Rest your hands on the back of a chair in front you. Lower yourself till your thighs are parallel with the floor, and come back up, using the chair as a support.

 2. Deep assisted squats. Same as above, but squat through the full range of motion.

 3. Squats. Without any help, lower yourself till your thighs are parallel with the floor, and come back up.

 4. Deep squats. Same as above, but squat through the full range of motion.

 5. Bulgarian split squats. Rest your back foot on an elevated platform, with the sole pointing up. Keep your weight over your front leg as you lower yourself.

 6. Beginner shrimp squats (also known as airborne lunges). Lower yourself on one leg until the knee and toes of the leg that was bent under you touch the floor at the same time. This must be a slow controlled movement. Then come back up, trying to lift your knee and toes at the same time.

 7. Assisted one legged squats. Performed with a bench or a chair next to you, extend one leg straight in front of you, and lower yourself all the way down, till your butt touches your heel. The heel must remain on the floor however. Help yourself back up by pushing on the chair.

 8. Balance assisted one legged squats. Same as above, but using a door, door frame, or any vertical structure, mainly for support and balance.

 9. Weighted one legged squats. This is somewhat counter-intuitive, but weighted one legged squats are actually easier than standard ones, as the object you hold in front of you acts as a counter-weight. You can use dumbbells if you have some, but any heavy object such as a dictionary will do. Start with a 5kg weight and move down in weight progressively in 1 kg increments until you can do unassisted pistols.

 10. One-legged squats (a.k.a. pistol squats). Same as above, but without any assitance.

 11. Renegade pistols. Lower yourself on one leg; then switch legs at the bottom (bring the extended leg back next to the other one,into a full squat position), before coming back up. Video demonstration.

12. Intermediate shrimps. Same as shrimp squats, but your back foot must come off the floor before you come back up. This variation shifts the emphasis of the exercise to your quadriceps.

13. Advanced shrimps. Hold your back foot in your hand throughout the exercise. Your knee must touch the floor in a controlled manner.







Alternative progression: box pistols

Once you have managed bulgarian split squats, you can also try this alternative progression, consisting in performing a one legged squat by lowering yourself onto gradually lower and lower objects. Again, this is better thought of as sitting down onto the object, rather than lowering yourself down.