Squat
A foundational lower-body movement where you bend at the hips and knees to lower down and stand back up.
Overview
The squat is one of the most fundamental movement patterns in training. You lower your hips down and back by bending at the hips, knees and ankles, then drive back up to standing. It mirrors everyday actions like sitting down and standing up, which is why it appears in almost every general fitness routine.
A bodyweight squat needs no equipment, making it an easy starting point, and it can later be loaded with a dumbbell, kettlebell or barbell as the movement becomes familiar. It mainly builds the muscles of the thighs and hips while asking the core to stay steady throughout.
The movement
- 1Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes turned slightly out.
- 2Send your hips back and down as your knees bend, keeping your chest tall.
- 3Lower to a comfortable depth, then drive through your feet to stand back up.
Beginner notes
- A chair or box behind you can act as a target to squat down to when you are learning the depth.
- Most beginners start with bodyweight before adding any load.
- Keeping the heels in contact with the floor helps the movement feel stable.
A note on training information
Where it’s used
Sports this relates to:
Fitness
Strength and general fitness training — the foundation that supports every other sport.
Weightlifting
A technical strength sport built around lifting a loaded barbell overhead with speed and control.
Functional Fitness
Varied, whole-body training built around everyday movement patterns like squatting, lifting and carrying.
Football
The world’s most popular team sport — endless running, teamwork and community in one game.
Related exercises
Goblet squat
A squat variation where you hold a single weight close to your chest for balance and control.
Jump squat
An explosive squat variation where you spring off the floor at the top of the movement.
Wall sit
A holding exercise where you sit against a wall with no chair, holding a squat position still.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect Squat to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Movement patterns
- SquatA knee-dominant pattern: bending the hips, knees and ankles to lower and rise while keeping the torso upright — the foundation of lower-body strength.
- DecelerationThe athletic pattern of actively braking and absorbing momentum to slow or stop under control, producing eccentric forces that oppose the direction of travel.
- LandingThe controlled absorption of force at ground contact that ends an airborne phase, dissipating impact through eccentric triple flexion of the ankle, knee and hip.
- LungeA split-stance, single-leg-emphasis pattern: stepping or dropping into a staggered stance and pushing back up to build single-leg strength, balance and stability.
- HingeA hip-dominant pattern: bend forward at the hips with a flat back, minimal knee bend, then drive the hips tall — powers pulling from the floor and jumping.
Coaching concepts
- Repetition QualityThe attention and intent behind each repetition matter more than raw volume — focused, well-executed reps build skill faster than mindless numbers.
- Feedback and CueingFeedback from your senses, a coach, or video plus short instructional cues guide skill learning — including internal vs external focus of attention.
Techniques
- Bodyweight SquatA foundational lower-body exercise that lowers the hips by bending the knees and hips, then stands back up, using only body weight.
- DeadliftA strength exercise that lifts a loaded barbell from the floor to a standing position by extending the hips and knees together.
- Flip TurnA fast turn in freestyle where the swimmer somersaults at the wall, pushes off on their back and rotates to continue swimming.
- Push-UpA bodyweight exercise that lowers and raises the body by bending and straightening the arms while holding a rigid plank line.
- PlankA static core exercise that holds the body in a straight line supported on the forearms and toes.
Recovery
Sports science
- ProprioceptionThe body’s internal sense of where its parts are and how they are moving — the awareness behind balance and coordinated movement.
- Motor controlHow the brain and nervous system organise the muscles to produce coordinated, controlled movement.
- BiomechanicsThe study of how the body produces and controls movement — the mechanics behind every technique in sport.
- Movement efficiencyHow economically the body performs a movement — achieving the goal with the least wasted effort.
- The kinetic chainThe idea that the body’s segments work as a linked chain, passing force from the ground up through the hips, trunk and limbs.
Skills
- Core stabilityThe skill of engaging the trunk muscles to keep the body strong and controlled through movement.
- Running formThe skill of running with efficient, relaxed and balanced movement.
- BalanceThe skill of keeping the body stable and controlled while still or moving.
- Returning serveThe skill of reading and playing back an opponent’s serve to stay in the rally.
- RallyingThe skill of exchanging shots back and forth to build and win a point.