How to Do Squats: Proper Form, Common Mistakes, and Progressions

Every time you sit down, stand up, or pick something off the floor, you're squatting. Training the squat works the muscles you use for those everyday movements.

Squats can feel awkward at first. A few clear cues and a gradual progression make them easier to learn and do well.

This guide covers the full picture, from the partial squat as a starting point through the full squat and beyond.

Muscles Worked

Primary muscles: the quadriceps and the glutes. The quadriceps, at the front of your thighs, control your knees as they bend on the way down and straighten them to stand you back up. The glutes control your hips as they push back and down, then drive your hips forward out of the bottom of the squat. Both muscles lengthen under load on the way down and shorten to drive you back up.

How depth changes the work: the deeper you squat, the harder the glutes work. In a study of squat depth, glute activity rose as the squat got deeper (Caterisano et al., 2002), and over 10 weeks of training, full squats grew the glutes more than half squats (Kubo et al., 2019). Deep squat training also grew the front of the thigh more than shallow squat training (Bloomquist et al., 2013). Partial and quarter squats still work both muscles through a shorter range, which makes them a good place to start. If you want more glute work, go deeper, as long as your heels stay down and your back stays flat.

Step-by-Step: How to Squat

These steps apply to both the partial and full squat. The only difference is how deep you go.

Step 1: Set Your Stance

Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes pointing forward or turned out a little. Spread your weight over your whole foot. Press your palms together in front of your chest; reaching your arms forward or resting your hands on your hips also works.

Tip: use the stance where your heels stay down and your knees follow your toes.

Step 2: Brace Your Core

Stand tall and brace your core as if someone were about to tap your stomach. Keep your chest up and your eyes looking straight ahead.

Tip: keep breathing every rep. Breathe in on the way down and out on the way up, and never hold your breath through the set.

Step 3: Initiate the Descent

Breathe in and push your hips back as your knees bend, as if sitting back into a chair. Keep your whole foot on the floor, with your weight a little back toward your heels.

Tip: sit back, don't drop straight down. Your heels and toes both stay on the floor.

Step 4: Lower to Your Target Depth

For a partial squat, lower about halfway, so your thighs still slope down. For a full squat, lower until your thighs are about level with the floor; a little lower is fine if your heels stay down and your back stays flat. Keep your knees in line with your toes throughout. They may travel a little forward; what matters is that they point the same way as your toes. Pause briefly at the bottom.

Tip: if your knees cave in toward each other or your heels start to lift, you've lost the position. Stop, reset, and squat a little less deep.

Step 5: Drive Back Up

Breathe out and push your whole foot into the floor to stand tall, squeezing your glutes as your hips come forward. Fully extend your hips at the top without arching your lower back.

Tip: push the floor away to stand, rather than just lifting your body up.

Common Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

These are the most common squat form mistakes.

• Knees caving inward. Your knees should point the same way as your toes the whole time. Fix: push your knees out so they stay in line with your toes, and squat only as deep as you can keep them there.
• Heels lifting off the floor. If your heels rise as you descend, your weight has shifted forward onto your toes. Fix: push your hips back as your knees bend, keep your whole foot on the floor with your weight a little back toward your heels, and go only as deep as your heels stay down.
• Rounding the lower back at the bottom. Often called "butt wink." Your pelvis tucks under at the bottom of the squat. Fix: keep your back flat and stop the descent where it starts to round. Going a little less deep is fine.
• Folding the chest down toward the thighs. Some forward lean is normal as your hips go back: your trunk leans about as much as your shins, or a little more. Folding your chest down toward your thighs, or rounding your back, is the fault. Fix: chest up, eyes forward, and squat only as deep as you can keep your chest up and your back flat.
• Keeping your shins straight up and down. Forcing your knees to stay behind your toes shifts the load onto your hips and lower back. Fix: let your knees travel a little forward, in line with your toes, with your heels down.
• Dropping fast into the bottom and bouncing out. Rushing reps hides form breakdown. Fix: lower under control in about a second or two, pause briefly at the bottom, then stand up smoothly. Slower is fine; never drop into the bottom or bounce out of it.

Squat Variations: Regressions and Progressions

The squat is a family of movements. Start where your form is solid and progress when the current variation feels controlled at the target rep range.

Wall Sit (Easier Option)

Slide your back down a wall and hold. Stop about halfway for an easier hold, or slide down until your thighs are about parallel to the floor. It works the same muscles as a squat, the quadriceps and glutes, with no movement to control. The FitCraft app rates the partial wall sit, about halfway down, Beginner and the full wall sit, thighs about parallel, Intermediate; start with the partial one. It is a good starting point if standing squats feel hard to control.

Quarter Squat (Beginner Regression)

Lower only a few inches, with your knees bent roughly 45 degrees, then stand. It is the shallowest squat on this ladder and is not in the FitCraft app: a starting point or a warm-up before jumps, not a replacement for deeper squats.

Partial Squat (Beginner)

Lower about halfway, so your thighs still slope down, then stand. This is a good starting squat if you can't yet reach full depth with your heels down and your back flat.

Full (Parallel) Squat (Intermediate)

Lower until your thighs are about level with the floor, or a little below if your heels stay down and your back stays flat, using only your bodyweight. This is the deeper of the two squats in the FitCraft app. Once your heels stay down and your back stays flat in the partial squat, work toward the full squat: deeper squats work the glutes harder and built more glute and thigh muscle in training studies. To make it harder, lower slowly over about three seconds and hold the bottom for two or three seconds.

Sumo Squat (Variation)

Take a wide stance with your toes turned further out. It works the glutes, quadriceps and glute medius, with the adductors on the inner thigh helping. The FitCraft app rates it Intermediate.

Goblet Squat (Loaded Progression)

Hold one dumbbell upright at your chest. The weight in front helps you keep your chest up, and it is a simple way to add load to the same squat pattern.

Front Squat (Harder Loaded Progression)

Two dumbbells rest on the front of your shoulders, elbows pointing forward and up. It lets you hold more weight than a goblet squat while you keep your chest up. Earn this after the goblet squat feels easy.

Bulgarian Split Squat (Single-Leg Progression)

Rest your rear foot on a knee-height box or bench and hold a dumbbell. The front leg does most of the work, and balancing on one leg makes it harder. The FitCraft app rates it Expert.

Jump Squat (Advanced and Expert)

Jump squats add a jump at the top of each rep and get your heart rate up. Only move on to them once your full squat form is solid, and land softly into the next squat with your knees bent. The FitCraft app rates its jump squats Advanced and Expert.

When to Avoid or Modify Squats

Squats are safe for most healthy adults, but if any of the situations below applies to you, check with a doctor or physical therapist before you squat. A burn in your thighs or glutes is normal; stop any rep that causes pain in a joint, your lower back or your neck.

• Patellofemoral knee pain or recent knee surgery. Squatting loads the knee joint. See a doctor or physical therapist first, and squat only once they clear you; after any knee procedure, wait for your surgeon or physical therapist to clear you. Any knee pain during a set means stop.
• Acute lower-back pain or known disc pathology. See a doctor or physical therapist before you squat, and squat only once they clear you. Any pain in your lower back during a set means stop.
• Uncontrolled hypertension or known cardiovascular disease. Holding your breath while you strain raises your blood pressure. Check with your doctor or cardiologist first and follow their exercise guidance. Breathe every rep instead of holding your breath, and stop if you feel dizzy or lightheaded.
• Pregnancy. Check with your doctor or midwife first, and squat only with their go-ahead. Breathe every rep instead of holding your breath, and stop if you feel pelvic pressure, dizziness, or any pain.
• After giving birth, or active diastasis recti. Check with your doctor or a physical therapist first, and squat only once they clear you. Stop if you feel any pain or pressure in your belly or pelvis.
• Severe hip or ankle mobility limits. If you can't reach parallel without your heels lifting or your lower back rounding, don't force it: squat only as deep as your heels stay down and your back stays flat. Any pain in your hips, knees or ankles means stop; if stiffness comes with pain, see a doctor or physical therapist.

Related Exercises

If squats are part of your routine, these movements complement or extend the same training pattern:

• Same movement pattern (squat variations): Sumo Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats, and Split Squats train the quadriceps and glutes with a different stance. Goblet Squats and Front Squats are the natural loaded progressions.
• Same movement pattern (hinge): Deadlifts, Romanian Deadlifts, and Good Mornings train the hip hinge, which pairs with squats in a balanced lower-body program.
• One leg at a time: Rear Lunges, Side Lunges, and Curtsy Lunges put more of the work on one leg at a time.
• More glute work: Glute Bridges work the glutes with the hamstrings helping, and Single-Leg Deadlifts work the glutes and hamstrings, useful when you want more glute work than your squat gives.
• Core work for bracing: Deadbugs and Forearm Planks work the core muscles you brace during a squat, and Bird-Dogs train you to keep your back flat while a leg moves.
• Jumping progression: Jump Squats add a jump and a soft landing once your squat form is solid.

How to Program Squats

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) position stand on resistance training sets its ranges by training level (Ratamess et al., 2009). For beginners it recommends a load you can lift 8-12 times. More experienced lifters use a wider range of 1-12 reps, with heavy sets of 1-6 reps and 3-5 minutes of rest. For building muscle, it centers on sets of 6-12 reps with 1-2 minutes of rest. It recommends training 2-3 days a week as a beginner, 3-4 as an intermediate and 4-5 when advanced. The table below is a practical starting point for squats, not figures from the position stand.

Where in your workout: Squats belong first or second in a lower-body session, when you're fresh, so your form holds up. Don't save them for the end of the workout when your legs are already tired. Pair them with a hip hinge exercise (deadlift, Romanian deadlift, or good morning) for a balanced lower-body day. If you're doing a full-body session, squats go in the first half, before exercises that work a single muscle.

Good form over rep targets: end the set as soon as a rep breaks form (knees caving, heels lifting, lower back rounding). Fewer clean reps beat more sloppy ones. Once you hold weights, good form matters even more.

How FitCraft Programs This Exercise

During the free assessment, FitCraft asks about your fitness level, goals and available equipment to build your plan. The app has two squat exercises, each with a 3D demonstration: the partial squat, rated Beginner, and the full squat, rated Intermediate. Both are bodyweight squats with your palms pressed together in front of your chest. The app also has related squats, including the sumo squat, the drop squat and jump squats.