Squats Guide
Ensure you have warmed up before any exercise
Check out the accompanying video to this guide h
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Perfect Form
1. Stand Up - Stand up straight and tall, hips over knees and knees over feet.
Keep your feet shoulder width apart with your feet facing forwards.
2. Shoulders - Try and stand with a straight back, pull your shoulder blades
back and down, away from your ears. Keep your lower back straight as well.
3. Arms - Put your arms out in front of you like a zombie. Keep your palms
facing down.
4. Neck - Look forwards and keep your neck in a neutral, comfortable
position.
5. Hips - Using your hips as a hinge, breathe out as you start to bend your
legs.
6. Back- As you move your hips down, keep your back straight.
7. Core - Engage your core throughout the movement
8. Up - Explosively stand back up to your starting position.
Squats Progression
Your goal is to do 4 sets of 8 reps (1 mins rest between sets).
Do this with perfect form in Level 1, then move to Level 2 and so on.
Whatever level you pick, you may not be able to complete the goal straight away.
So you can start with 4 sets of 5 reps.
Each session try to add in one more rep somewhere, anywhere in your session.
That way you challenge your body to get that little bit stronger each week.
Remember you get stronger on your rest days. Doing any exercise makes your
muscles weaker, as they get tired and “beat up”. But your body is magic. While
you sleep and the following day it will use all the food you eat to repair them
better and stronger than they were before….. Isn’t that amazing!
Level 1 - Assisted Squats
Use the normal squat form but using a chair or something in front of you to rest
your hands on, use the chair for assistance. Squat until your thighs are parallel
with the floor.
Level 2 - Assisted Deep Squats
Use the normal squat form but using a chair or something in front of you to rest
your hands on, use the chair for assistance. Squat until your bum is as close to the
floor as possible.
Level 3 - Regular Squats
Perform a regular squat, stop with your thighs parallel to the floor.
Level 4 - Regular Deep Squat
Perform a regular squat until your bum is as close to the floor as possible. Keep
your back straight and remember your form.
Squat Variations
Once you can complete 4 sets of 10 push ups (2 mins rest), keeping perfect form
and without too much effort then it’s time to mix things up with some variations.
All the push up variations use the same form as a regular push up.
Assisted Pistol Squat
Use the same form as a regular squat but stand on one leg, with your other leg
out in front of you. Use a chair or something for assistance to start off.
Pistol Squat
Use the same form as a regular squat but stand on one leg, with your other leg
out in front of you.
Sumo Squat
Rather than keeping your feet forward, turn your feet out and move them slightly
further apart than shoulder width. From this position perform the regular squat.
Bulgarian Split Squats
Rest your back foot on an elevated platform, with the sole pointing up. Keep your
weight over your front leg. Squat as normal with a straight back and good form.
Remember to switch legs.
Shrimp Squats
One legged squats similar to pistol squats but your balancing leg is placed
behind you at right angles. For a more advanced version, hold your back leg with
your hand and your heel close to your bum.
Pulsing Squats
Perform a regular squat, once you reach the lowest point, rather than coming
back to standing completely, pulse up and down 3 times.
Jump Squats
This is a regular squat but rather than standing back up you must explode
upwards into a jump.
