Proper Squat Form for First-Time Lifters
Squatting is a bit like paying taxes. You know you have to do it, but you probably don’t want to. Doing squats for the first time can be daunting, but we’re here to put those doubts to rest with a few squat form tips that everyone — even experienced lifters — should know before they get started.
Most of the women who find their way to StrongHer come here with purely aesthetic goals. A lot of people come here with no goals whatsoever. Either way, we’re more about performance so we recommend people kickstart their strength training with a bunch of whole-body exercises:
Squats
Lunges
Chest press
Bent-over row
Glute bridges
Deadlifts
Squats are the mother of all strength training movements, working out pretty much your entire lower body, your abs, and your arse. So if you are training for aesthetic reasons… the squat is very much your friend.
Read: Strength Training for Women: 5 Tips for Beginners
The movement itself isn’t too hard to master (it’s essentially just sitting down… ever tried that before?) but there are a few things to consider before you squat, to allow you to get the most from your workout.
Five squat form tips to keep in mind before you start lifting:
Foot position
Whoever you are, whatever your squat goals, with your feet stuck out at a five-degree angle (always).
However… not all squats are the same. How low you can go (and how effectively you’re squatting) totally depends on the length of your thigh bone in relation to your shin and torso. However, it’s easier to think of it this way… if you’ve got longer thighs, you may need to have a wider stance. If you’re shorter, with shorter thighs, then lucky you because all this just got so much easier — you’ll be able to squat with a narrower stance.
Get low
How low? ‘90°-or-lower’ low. There’s a squat phenomenon out there we like to refer to as ‘the Instagram squat’ — you know… the one you often see on Instagram where someone won’t be any lower than 45°. Why do people do this? Because it’s EASIER. Don’t cut corners — for a proper squat, aim to go beyond 90° (remember: you’re essentially just sitting down) and spread those cheeks (yes, you read that right).
Knees and toes
You’ll often see/hear/read that you need to keep your knees from going over your toes while squatting. We’re telling you now that you have our permission to ignore this advice completely. It’s cool for your knees and toes to align — don’t sweat it because it’ll give you a fuller range of movement, and that’s only a good thing when it comes to squats.
Watch: our ‘squat series’ videos on Instagram
Ankle mobility
We covered this a bit in our strength training for women article, but it’s worth repeating here: strength training is so much easier when you’ve got good ankle mobility.
“But how do I know if I have good ankle mobility?” we hear you ask. There are a few ways to find out. If you’re squatting with a wider position, and still find yourself doing the ‘Instagram squat’, then you can take a simple test:
The test
FACING A WALL OR MIRROR, TAKE YOURSELF DOWN INTO A KNEELING LUNGE POSITION AND BE APPROXIMATELY 5CM AWAY
LUNGE FORWARDS TO SEE IF YOU ARE ABLE TO GET YOUR FRONT KNEE TO TOUCH THE WALL OR MIRROR WITHOUT LIFTING THE HEEL OFF THE GROUND.
IF YOU MANAGE A KNEE TOUCH AND THE HEEL STAYS ON THE GROUND WOOP WOOP, YOUR ANKLES ARE MOBILE ENOUGH, IF NOT MEASURE HOW MUCH DISTANCE IS BETWEEN THE KNEE AND THE WALL, AND THIS WILL ACT AS A POINT OF REFERENCE. MAKE SURE YOUR LUNGING KNEE TRAVELS DIRECTLY FORWARDS OVER THE CENTRE TOE; IF YOU ALLOW IT TO DRIFT INWARDS, THE INNER ARCH OF THE FOOT WILL FALL AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GET MUCH FURTHER FROM THE WALL (GIVING A FALSE RESULT).
REPEAT THE TEST FOR THE OTHER ANKLE AT THAT DISTANCE, AS SEE WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS AND WORK TOWARDS GETTING THAT FLEXION TO 5CM AWAY
Footwear is also super important — you can invest in weightlifting shoes to help improve that ankle mobility, but you can also put plates under your heels if you’re not quite ready to invest in specialist shoes yet.
“Brace your core”
You may have heard this one before. We officially hate the term, but sadly the thinking behind it is sound — we just like to use slightly more ‘colourful’ language. When ‘activating your core’ during squats, imagine you’re laughing hysterically, or sitting on the loo doing a… you know.
As always, if you’re unsure on any of this, speak to a trainer! That’s what we’re here for. Even if you’ve got your feet positioned perfectly, or you’re squatting below 90°, you can still injure yourself.
Think you’re ready to smash those squats? Still unsure about how it all works? Let’s chat!
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