How to Do a Bodyweight Squat? Your Step-by-Step Guide

The bodyweight squat is one of the favorite leg exercises for calisthenics practitioners. It targets the entire lower body. Unfortunately, many people don’t do it properly and get injured. The bodyweight squat is a seemingly easy exercise for beginners in this niche.

However, it is commonly practiced even by the most advanced athletes, as it yields significant physical results, including muscle and strength development. Moreover, this particular movement requires minimal space.

Additionally, as a new calisthenics practitioner, you can easily do this leg exercise anywhere without the need for specialized equipment. Today, we will cover how to perform bodyweight squats correctly and effectively.

How to Do Bodyweight Squats?

Step 1: Standing Position

The first step that people often overlook is the standing position; however, they frequently get confused when practicing bodyweight squats. So, there are many standing positions while doing this exercise; however, some principles remain the same.

Firstly, you need to stand with your legs shoulder-width apart. Once you have done that, you need to decide the posture you are most comfortable in while doing the exercise, i.e., keeping your hand behind your head, in front with arms stretched forward, or hands on opposite shoulders.

All three postures are correct. Also, we are not referring to single-leg or pistol squats. We are doing the usual squats without any external weights such as dumbbells or barbells.

Step 2: Moving Down Posture

So, the next step is to sit down until you are in a chair posture, unless you are doing deep squats, which require you to sit down until you no longer push yourself down in a squat position.

While in the squat position, remember to keep your knees in line with your toes. Avoid moving them ahead of your toes, as it can cause injury. While in this movement, you would push your hips back and lower your body towards the ground.

Step 3: Get Back Up in the Original Position

Once you are in the squat position, start lifting your body until you reach the original standing position. After reaching the original standing posture, you would have completed a single squat. However, you should do as many as possible.

After you complete the maximum reps, it’s time to cool down. You can do that by doing a few jumping exercises. Also, it will reduce the chance of leg pain after a workout. Moreover, doing a cool down after any exercise is important to avoid injuries and relax your muscles.

Conclusion

Bodyweight squats are easy and most commonly done by athletes as they are great for building leg muscles. However, doing them properly is very important to avoid injuries and gain the most results out of them.

A bodyweight squat is a simple exercise that requires sitting down on the ground with your hands behind your head or in front of your shoulders and going downwards until you can’t anymore.

However, there is a difference between a normal and a deep bodyweight squat. A deep squat requires you to go completely down to the ground. On the other hand, the bodyweight requires going towards the ground until your legs are parallel.

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