The squat is one of the six fundamental movements we teach at Strength For Today and is looked by many at as the premier exercise to build lower body strength by much of the strength and conditioning field. That being said, it can be a challenging exercise to learn and requires a baseline level of lower body strength and coordination.
At Strength For Today, we follow a couple pretty simple steps to help people learn how to squat properly and feel confident in their ability to progress. Here’s a couple key steps to follow:
Start by going to a box that’s set at a comfortable height. Most gyms will have boxes (or benches work as well) that you can set to different heights. If you’re brand new to squatting, start by going to a box - this will give you a target on bottom and make the coordination of the movement much easier to learn.
Start by using dumbbells & kettlebells, not barbells. There’s no need for newbies to hop directly underneath a bar when learning how to squat. After you build some confidence squatting to a box using your own bodyweight, start implementing some weight by holding a dumbbell or kettlebell right underneath your chin (goblet squat).
Make the box lower and eventually remove the box. Once you’ve build the confidence in your form by squatting to a box at a comfortable height for a couple sessions, start trying to make the box a little bit lower, and eventually remove the box all together. The more range of motion you train through, the stronger you’re going to get. Everyone has a different squat depth and there’s no singular right answer to how low you should go. That being said, the removal of the box can help us find the answer to the question ‘how low can I go?’
That’s it!!! If you’re brand new to strength training, this isn’t a progression that is going to happen within one session or even within a month. Take your time and really build your confidence with each set up. You can get incredibly strong using dumbbells and kettlebells and there’s no rule or law that says eventually you have to squat with a bar.
BONUS: transition to a barbell. If you’re an individual who wants to take your strength training to the next level, eventually you will take the next step up and start using a barbell. There’s some nuance to using a barbell and the setup will be different for different people, but as a general rule of thumb use the same progression. Start by going to a box that’s set up at a comfortable height, then make the box lower, then eventually take the box away.
So simple it’s hard. There’s obviously a lot more that goes into squatting properly and for me to give you real advice based on you, your goals, and your anatomy I’d have to use a more hands-on-approach than a blog can provide, but you can at least set yourself up for success by using this simple approach.
