How To Make Barbell Squats Safe And Effective

Squats are one exercise that should be a part of virtually everyone’s fitness routine but often get criticized for being destructive to the knees, when in fact squats done properly actually improve knee stability and strengthen connective tissue. The Barbell Squat is one of my favorite must do moves to tone and tighten the legs and glutes. It's also one of the more difficult exercises to do correctly, so if you have any knee injuries that limit your range of motion or chronic low-back pain you may want to first work on mobility of the ankles and hips or do squats in a Smith machine for added stability.

If your knees are healthy and you've got a strong lower back don't wimp out on these. Load up some challenging working weight and sweat it out with one of the best functional exercises out there, for increasing mobility and balance and promote body-wide muscle building by catalyzing an anabolic environment.

Squat Guide

1. Warm up.

2. Stand with your feet just wider than hip width apart * or slightly wider if you’re taller.

3. Keep your back in a neutral position, and keep your knees centered over your feet

4. Slowly bend your knees, hips and ankles, lowering until you reach a 90-degree angle.

5. Return to starting position & repeat for desired reps.

Bonus Tips:

1. Breathe in before you lower, breathe out as you return to starting position.

2. Start with a working weight that you can confidently go full range of motion. If you only go down a quarter of the way, you'll lose three-quarters of the benefit.

3. Super set standard barbell squats with some plyometric jump squats or walking lunges to increase your cardiovascular conditioning while adding variety to your training program.