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The basic squat is a user-friendly exercise that anyone can do! It is an extremely effective functional strength training lower body move that strengthens all leg muscles, including the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves.
Body weight alone is always a great way to build strength and challenge your muscles, but if you’re looking to take your squats to the next level, you can always add dumbbells or a barbell to make them more effective.
Below, I’ll show you how to do the perfect basic squat, why it’s beneficial, and how to incorporate it into your workout routine.
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Basic Squat Exercise Instructions
Follow these simple instructions to master the proper squat form:
- Stand tall with your feet hip distance apart. Your hips, knees, and toes should all be facing forward.
- Bend your knees and extend your buttocks backward as if you are going to sit back into a chair. Make sure that you keep your knees behind your toes and your weight in your heels.
- Rise back up and repeat.
Tip: Practice the basic squat until you learn how to do it properly and with good range of motion, which is the key to effectiveness. Remember, slightly bending your knees is not truly a squat – it’s a knee bend!
Benefits of A Basic Squat
There are many reasons you should incorporate the basic squat into your workouts! Here are just a few:
Strengthen and Sculpt Your Legs
The basic squat is one of the most perfect exercises for strengthening and sculpting your legs. Not only is it low impact, but it starts with a wide, solid base, making it safe for most people to practice.
Those who have bad knees might struggle with lunges, but squats give you the stability of both legs working in unison. Squats can also reduce future injuries by strengthening both the knee and ankle muscles.
Tone and Shape Your Tush
If you’re aiming for a strong, shapely rear end, look no further than the basic squat! Sitting back into your heels and squeezing your backside as you come up helps you focus on the correct form and fire your glute muscles for real results.
You can also take it to the next level by trying resistance band squats.
Burn Calories
The basic squat uses the largest muscles in your body, so it ends up burning more calories than exercises like bicep curls or tricep extensions that rely on smaller areas. The larger the muscle being used, the more energy is needed when you work that muscle.
People often ask how many calories they are burning in their workouts. Most exercises will generally burn about 100 calories for every 10 minutes you are working hard. Want to burn more? Add weights to your basic squat. Bottom line: the harder you work, the more calories you burn.
Easy Ways to Incorporate the Basic Squat Into Your Workouts
The basic squat exercise is amazing all on its own, but you could also incorporate it into other workouts to mix them up. Here are some ideas to make that happen:
Use Basic Squat In A Leg Workout
Leg workouts can be done in just a few short moves. Just take these four simple moves, do 12 reps each, and go through the series three times. I promise you WILL feel your work the next day!
Leg Day Blitz
Do a brief 3-minute warm-up and then:
- Basic Squat – 12 reps
- Cross Behind Lunge – 12 reps
- Forward Lunge – 12 reps
- Single Leg Hamstring Bridge – 12 reps each leg
Complete this series 3 times.
Use Basic Squat In Your Circuit Training
Circuits are a fun way to exercise and get your strength and cardio in all at the same time. The idea behind circuits is to go from one move, or one “station”, to the next with little or no rest in between. Check this out:
Fat Blasting Circuit Training Workout
Move directly from one exercise to the next with little to no break in between. Rest for 1 minute at the end, then repeat the sequence.
- 30 seconds side lunges
- 30 seconds high knee run
- 30 seconds push ups
- 30 seconds split jumps
- 30 seconds basic squats
- 30 seconds bear crawl
- 30 seconds modified army crawl plank
- 30 seconds crab walk
Rest 1 minute. Repeat. Stretch.
Use Basic Squat in Your Full Body Strength Workout
Leg day is great. Upper body day is fantastic. But FULL BODY day is the best! Take one workout and get it all done at once. This one gets it all done and includes the basic squat as well as a bunch of other basic strength moves.
Full Body Basic Move Strength Workout
Warm up for about 2-3 minutes, then do between 10-15 of each of the following moves:
Repeat the Sequence
Here are two more workouts for you to try that incorporate the basic squat!
Other Exercises Similar to Basic Squat
If you like the basic squat and the results you get from it, here are a few more exercises you might want to try:
