How to Squat with the Help of a Physical Therapist

Why Squats Are Essential 

Squats are an exercise that targets multiple muscle groups. These muscles include the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and core. Squats improve lower body strength, enhance flexibility, and promote stability in the hips, knees, and ankles. Additionally, and more importantly, the movement mimics functional activities such as sitting, standing, and lifting objects, making it highly applicable to everyday life, not just gains at the gym.  Learning how to squat with the correct form is very important. 

In addition to improving strength and power, squats have several other benefits: 

• Unlock Your Mobility:

  Squats are like magic wands for your hips, knees, and ankles. They increase your range of motion, making everyday activities feel easier and preventing stiffness in the long run.

• Find Your Balance:

  Want to stay steady on your feet? Squats build a rock-solid foundation by strengthening your lower body muscles. This means fewer stumbles and a lower risk of injuries as you conquer life’s adventures (or just that wobbly yoga pose). 

• Boost Your Athletic Performance:

  Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or just starting out, squats are essential for boosting your power and endurance. They’ll make you a force to be reckoned with in any sport that demands explosive movements – running, jumping, changing directions – you name it!

Tips for How To Squat With Better Form 

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when squatting. Please note that everyone is different, so your squat might look slightly different than someone else’s. 

2. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart with your toes slightly pointed outwards: This is a great starting place if you’ve never squatted before. Adjust your feet angle and width based off comfort while performing squats. 
3. Keep your chest up: Engage your core to maintain a neutral spine. Imagine trying to keep your chest proud and upright.
4. Push through your feet: Focus on driving through your feet as you rise, keeping the weight balanced through your feet.
5. Track your knees over your toes: As you squat down, make sure your knees are in line with your toes. Thinking “knees out” often helps engage your glutes more as well.
6. Don’t rush the movement: Squats should be controlled and deliberate. Avoid rushing through reps and focus on form over speed.
7. Work with a Physical Therapist: Physical Therapy isn’t just for injury rehabilitation! A Physical Therapist can assess your form and offer support in helping you reach your fitness goals. This is done through PT appointments as well as PT exercises we create for you to do at home.

Progressive Loading 

Once you become comfortable with the movement pattern, start adding weight to make sure you are loading the exercise properly for further strength gains. Initially, try just adding a little weight and see how your body responds the next day. As the weight gets easier, keep adding weight until you find a weight that makes each set hard but doable.

A great tool to help with proper loading is the Prilepin’s chart. It lists weights based off your max lift percentage, sets, and reps that can help you continue to progress your strength. For example, the top row states that using 55-65% of your max lift weight, you should lift it 3-6 times per set until you reach 24 repetitions total. If you don’t know what your max lift is, you can still use the chart but treat the percentage as how hard or how much effort your squat takes.

Squat Variations

There are many variations of squatting but here are some of our favorite squat variations. 

1. Barbell back squat: Probably the most common squat in a gym, the barbell placed directly on your back makes it easy to adjust how much weight you are squatting with. It is the easiest to load up as you don’t have to pick it up from the ground. You can also generally find this option at any gym.

    

2. Kettlebell or Dumbbell Goblet squat: A weight (generally a kettlebell or a dumbbell) will be held by your hands directly in front of you, close to your chest. This option makes it a favorite for home exercisers as it is more common to have these types of weights at home. Goblet squats are a great way to introduce loading for the first time to your squat as the weights are generally lower.

    

3. Bodyweight squat: The bodyweight squat makes it easy to do anywhere as no equipment is required. Although this is most common when first starting your fitness journey, there is still a place for bodyweight squats in anyone’s exercise regimen. They can be used to continue to enforce good mechanics as well as allowing you to workout wherever.   

Conclusion 

Squats are a great exercise that can enhance your strength, mobility, and overall fitness. Squatting is an essential movement pattern in life and can easily be incorporated into anyone’s exercise regimen. If you’re feeling any pain during or after your squats, it may be time to seek out a Physical Therapist. As you go through your fitness journey, a physical therapist can be a great resource to help you refine your squat form as well as help you with your loading progression.

We would love to meet you where you’re and support your fitness goals! Request an appointment in one of our six clinics in Seattle, Everett, Ravenna (by U-Village), Kirkland, Bellevue, or Renton.