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Exercise Guides

Squat – Exercise Guide

by Vidur Saini Updated by GI Team on Oct 3, 2022

This post may contain affiliate links (disclosure policy).

Squat (Quads) – Exercise Guide

Muscles worked: Quads, hamstrings, and calves

Equipment needed: Barbell


Instructions

1. With a slight bend in your knees, place both your feet under the bar while the barbell is racked in the squat rack. Un-rack the bar by extending your knees and walk back a couple of steps to start this leg exercise.

2. Stand with a shoulder width stance with the barbell placed on your trapezius muscles. Your feet should be facing slightly outwards forming a “V”. Keep your core tight and breathe-in while lowering yourself into the squatting position.

3. Maintain a straight back and a full range of motion as you squat. Go down until your hamstrings touch your calves and then reverse the motion of the movement. Exhale as you return to the starting position and squeeze your quads.

4. Make sure you don’t recruit your lower back while performing the squats by bending forward or pushing your hips back. Maintain an upright chest and your head should be facing forward while squatting.


Variations/How To

Emphasize the Outer Thighs (Abductors)

Narrowing your stance by placing your feet closer than shoulder width will help you in targetting the outer thigs or abductors.

Emphasize the Inner Thighs (Adductors)

Widening your stance more than the normal foot placement will recruit your inner things or adductors. Having a wider-than-normal stance will also help in recruiting your hamstrings.

Emphasize the Hamstrings

While the shoulder-width foot placement targets the quads, wide foot placements or variations like the sumo squats primarily target the hamstrings.


Alternate Exercises for Squats

Front Barbell Squat

Dumbbell Squat

Hack Squat

Pistol Squat

About Vidur Saini

Vidur is a fitness junky who likes staying up to date with the fitness industry and loves publishing his opinions for everyone to see.

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