Legs · Tier 1
Bodyweight Squat
The bodyweight squat is the foundation of every lower-body skill — sitting your hips below knee level under control and standing tall, the rep that unlocks split squats, Bulgarians, and the road to the pistol.
Also known as: Air Squat · Full Squat- Difficulty
- 2/10 · Beginner
- Tier
- 01
- Equipment
- none
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The bodyweight squat sits at tier 1 of the legs branch — the rep you earn after 20 assisted squats to depth, and the true starting line for lower-body skill work. Clear it cleanly and the tree opens up: the split squat and Bulgarian split squat branch straight off it, and they're the bridge to single-leg strength and eventually the pistol.
Depth and control are the whole game here, not how many sloppy reps you can rush through. If you can't sit your hips below your knees with a flat back and stand up smooth, you don't own the squat yet — you own a half-rep. Earn full range under control first; every harder leg skill is just this same pattern on one leg or under load.
Readiness gates
Clear these measurable conditions before forcing the skill.
20 reps to depth
Technique, step by step
Four checkpoints for one honest repetition or hold.
- 01Setup
Stack the stance
Set your feet roughly shoulder-width with toes turned out 10 to 30 degrees, weight spread across the whole foot — big toe, little toe, heel all planted. Screw your feet into the ground as if spreading the floor apart to wake up your glutes and build a stable arch. Brace your abs lightly, lift your chest, and pick a spot on the wall ahead at eye level. This is a tripod-foot, braced-trunk position — own it before you move.
- 02Lower
Sit down and back
Break at the hips and knees together on a 2- to 3-second count, sending your hips down and slightly back like aiming for a low chair. Let your knees travel forward and track over your toes — they should not cave inward. Keep your heels glued down and your chest proud; the goal is hip crease below the top of the knee. Descend only as deep as you can hold a flat back, not a hair more.
- 03Drive
Stand through the floor
From the bottom, drive your whole foot into the ground and stand up hips and chest together — don't let your butt shoot up first. Squeeze your glutes hard as you rise and push your knees out, keeping them in line with your toes. Move at a controlled but purposeful speed; no bouncing out of the hole. The torso angle you started with is the angle you finish with.
- 04Top
Finish tall
Stand all the way up to full hip and knee extension, glutes squeezed, ribs stacked over hips — don't hang on your lower back by over-arching. Take a breath, reset your brace, and confirm your feet are still planted in the tripod. Then flow into the next rep with the same control rather than free-falling into it.
Skill practice guide
Public skill guidance — not your protected personalized eight-week plan.
Build clean, full-depth bodyweight squats you can repeat for 20-plus reps, then move toward single-leg work.
4-5 sets of 12-20 reps (regress to assisted squats if you can't hit depth with a flat back).
2-3×/week with 48h between leg sessions.
Once 3 sets of 20 feel easy, slow the tempo to a 3s descent with a pause at the bottom, or start split squats to bias one leg at a time before chasing the pistol.
Common faults
My heels lift off the floor at the bottom of my squat+
Usually tight ankles or you're shifting weight onto the balls of your feet as you descend. Keep your weight centered over mid-foot and actively push your knees forward over your toes instead of letting the heels rise. Work on ankle mobility and, in the meantime, put a small wedge or thin plate under your heels so you can hit depth while the joints adapt.
My knees cave inward when I stand up from a squat+
Your glutes aren't firing and your feet have gone passive, so the knees collapse toward each other under load. Cue 'spread the floor' and actively push your knees out so they track over your toes the whole way up. A light band looped just above the knees gives you something to press against and teaches the pattern fast.
I round my lower back at the bottom — the 'butt wink'+
You're squatting deeper than your hips and hamstrings currently allow, so the pelvis tucks under and your lumbar rounds. Only descend as far as you can keep a flat, braced back, and brace your abs to lock the trunk before you drop. Build depth gradually with mobility work; chasing range at the cost of a rounded spine just loads it where it's weakest.
I fall backward when I try to squat below parallel+
Your weight is drifting behind your mid-foot and you likely lack the ankle range to keep balance deep. Reach your hips back but keep your chest up and weight over the whole foot, and let your knees travel forward as you sink. Holding a light weight or a doorframe in front as a counterbalance lets you find the deep position without tipping over.
My knees hurt at the bottom of bodyweight squats+
Often it's speed and depth outrunning your tendons — bouncing out of the hole loads the knee with no control. Slow every rep to a 3-second descent and a controlled stand, and stop just above any pinch point while you build tolerance. Tendons adapt slower than muscle, so add depth and volume gradually rather than grinding through joint pain.
Useful setup
Gives your feet a stable, non-slip base so you can drive the floor away without losing your footing.
Press your knees out against it to fix knee cave and groove tracking that stays over your toes.
Squat to and touch it as a depth target, or use it for assisted-squat regressions when full depth is still messy.
Primary muscles
Quads · Glutes · Hamstrings