Reps Only exercise

Bodyweight Squat form, muscles worked, and workout tracking

The bodyweight squat is the foundational lower-body movement pattern, training the quadriceps, glutes, and adductors while the trunk stabilizes an upright torso through a full range of hip and knee flexion. It is used to teach squat mechanics to beginners, as a warm-up and mobility screen for experienced lifters, and as a high-rep conditioning exercise anywhere no equipment is available.

Bodyweight Squat illustration

How to do Bodyweight Squat

  1. 1Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned slightly out, and arms extended in front of you or hands at your chest.
  2. 2Brace your core and inhale as you sit your hips back and down, bending at the hips and knees together.
  3. 3Descend until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor, keeping your heels down and chest up.
  4. 4Do not let your knees cave inward or your weight roll onto your toes at the bottom.
  5. 5Exhale as you drive through your whole foot to stand tall, squeezing your glutes at the top before the next rep.

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Track Bodyweight Squat in Plates

Save this movement to a workout template, log sets and rest periods, and keep your training history in one focused gym tracker.