Bench squats activate your glutes more than traditional squats.
Squats, the cornerstone of bodyweight training, strengthen your core and lower body and, depending on the variation, can engage upper body muscles. Research indicates squats can significantly enhance vertical leaps, body composition, and muscle strength (1). The bench squat, a variation executed with a bench, increases glute and hamstring activation.
It’s amicable for beginners and is an excellent method to master proper squatting techniques without compromising the exercise’s effectiveness on targeted muscles. This article explores the bench squat, focusing on the leg muscles in which it works. It highlights the key benefits and provides a comprehensive guide on performing this exercise correctly. Additionally, it suggests alternative exercises that effectively develop the targeted muscle groups for those aiming to maximize their training outcomes.
Techniques & Muscles Worked
The bench squat is a squat variation that works on your hamstrings, quads, calves, and glutes. This exercise also strengthens the hip and knee joints while building core muscles, like the abs and obliques, which help stabilize the move. Bench squats are a bodyweight exercise that includes a bench that helps with proper squatting posture. Form is essential during this exercise, so you should be careful not to round your back and lean forward to avoid lower back strain.
If you want to add more resistance for muscle and strength gains, you could use weight vests or free weights (dumbbells, EZ bars, barbells, or kettlebells). This helps hit the target muscles and joints better, which is good for muscle hypertrophy. Here’s a comprehensive step-by-step guide on how to do the bench squat with the proper form.
For safety, we will perform this exercise using a flat bench, barbell, and squat rack. This will help with stability and prevent injuries.
- Set a bench under the squat rack and the barbell below your shoulder height.
- Stand under the bar and behind a flat bench with your feet shoulder-width apart, and carefully place the bar at the top muscles at your back.
- Using a wide grip, hold the bar for extra support.
- Next, bend your knees, straighten your back, unrack the bar from its hold, and get in a comfortable position far from the bench.
- Take a deep breath and brace your core. Remember to pull your shoulders back, maintain a straight back, and slightly bend your knees. This is your starting position.
- Next, slowly lower your body to squat until your glutes touch the bench. Slowly raise your torso by pushing your heels back to the starting position, making it one rep.
- Perform for as many reps as you desire.
*Note: Pausing to sit on the bench will increase glute and hamstring activation. However, only tap the bench with your glutes to help control a traditional squat.
Benefits
The bench squat is a compound exercise used to develop the lower body muscles and improve core strength, total body mobility, and stability (2). Below are more benefits of performing this exercise.
Builds & Strengthens the Glutes
Bench squats target the lower body muscles, including the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. The pause on the bench mainly activates the glutes to come up. These muscles are worked, building them and making them stronger.
Activates Your Core
Performing the bench squat also works the core muscles. During the bench squat, constant tension on core muscles helps with stability, coordination, and balance. It also helps with proper posture and equal load distribution. A strong core also reduces your chance of injuries.
Strengthens the Joints
As much as this exercise builds and targets muscles, regularly performing it equally strengthens and builds the hip and knee joints. This makes movement easier and increases the range of motion of these joints.
Better Form for Other Exercises
Using the proper form, the bench squat develops your core and lower body muscles. This makes it easy for athletes to transition to other exercises with better form, including deadlifts, leg presses, and other squat variations.
Bench Squat Alternatives
Like other squat variations, the bench squat provides a proper and strict form, which aids in building lower body muscles and explosive power. Below is a list of exercises you could integrate into your training regimen that target similar muscles.
Leg Presses
The leg press is a weightlifting exercise done on a machine. It’s effective for building lower body muscles, focusing on the calves, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and knee joints. You can set the leg press machine to a 45-degree angle to increase your range of motion in your lower body.
Reverse Lunges
Reverse lunges are bodyweight exercises that target your core muscles, glutes, and hamstrings. They also strengthen your hip and knee joints, improving mobility. You can use free weights and resistance bands for more resistance and lower body gains.
Deadlifts
Deadlifts are weight training exercises that also work your posterior chain muscles, glutes, and hamstrings while building muscle mass in your back. This exercise effectively increases your jump performance and can help reduce lower back pain. However, unlike the squat, this routine is less risky during a failed rep because the weight is not on top of you.
FAQs
What does a bench squat do?
A bench squat is a variation that works your lower body, lower back, and core muscles. It uses a bench as support when squatting. This increases glute and hamstring activation.
What are the benefits of the bench squat?
The bench squat has many benefits, including improving and strengthening your lower body muscles. Athletes looking to improve their form for other exercises like deadlifts, leg presses, and leg extensions can also try this exercise. For a list of other benefits, check the exercise guide above.
What is the point of bench squats?
The only difference between a traditional squat and a bench squat is the use of the bench. The bench helps you better control your range of motion, which puts less stress on the knee joints.
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References
- Takai, Y., Fukunaga, Y., Fujita, E., Mori, H., Yoshimoto, T., Yamamoto, M., & Kanehisa, H. (2013). Effects of body mass-based squat training in adolescent boys. Journal of sports science & medicine, 12(1), 60–65.
- Kubo, K., Ikebukuro, T., & Yata, H. (2019). Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volumes. European journal of applied physiology, 119(9), 1933–1942. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04181-y
