Squat Stools

I don't have to tell you that I love performing squats. If you've never performed a set of squats then as far as I'm concerned you're hardly using your lower body to its full potential.

Squats blast the muscles in your glutes, hips, quadriceps, adductors (commonly called the inner thighs) and hamstrings. Secondary muscles that support you during a squat are your claves, lower back, abdominals and the obliques. Just ask any lady who's performed road-side relief and she'll tell you that squatting resonates through your entire lower half.

I perform squats in my local gym all the time. If it's a light workout I get the blood pumping in my lower body by doing 3 blasting sets of body squats. And it never fails; someone will wander over to ask can you show me how to do that? I'll tell you what I tell them. Squatting is actually a very natural body movement that will help you develop strong legs to power you through your daily activities. Unfortunately, many of us are just out of practice. So just be prepared that you may lose your balance during your first squat performance.

Many new to squatting use a squat stool for support so they can practice their form in front of a mirror. I think this is the safest bet especially if you have weak legs or knees. To perform this squat variation called chair squats you'll want to use a squat stool or any chair that's 18- to 20-inches high and study enough to support your bodyweight.

Figure 01 Figure 02

Start with your toes pointed forward and your feet just wider than shoulder width (Figure 01). Position your squat stool close enough to sit on (Figure 01). As you squat jut your butt out instead of just straight down and reach back for the stool. This will also prevent your knees from going too far over your toes (Figure 02). Lower yourself until your bottom touches the stool. This will give you a feel for what the mid-point of a squat should feel like (Figure 02). Pause for a moment and slowly rise to standing again (Figure 01). You've just performed one chair squat rep. Beginners should aim for 2 to 5 reps. After about 2 weeks you'll be able to complete a set of 20 reps then you can move onto intermediate squatting. Here the goal is to complete 2 sets of 20 squats with 2 minutes of rest in between. Once you have the strength to perform 3 sets of 20 reps it is time to advance to body squats.

You've just performed one chair squat rep. Beginners should aim for 2 to 5 reps. After about 2 weeks you'll be able to complete a set of 20 reps then you can move onto intermediate squatting. Here the goal is to complete 2 sets of 20 squats with 2 minutes of rest in between. Once you have the strength to perform 3 sets of 20 reps it is time to advance to body squats.

Body squats or bodyweight squats are more difficult because they don't utilize any equipment only your body weight provides resistance. The motion is exactly the same as the chair squat minus the squat stool. Instead, allow your arms to come up at your sides for balance. Squat all the way down until your upper thighs are parallel to the ground, pause, and then push through your heels to standing position. As before, start out slow concentrating on form rather then reps until you work up to 3 sets of 20 reps.