Fundamentals

Bodyweight Squat

Bend your hips and knees to lower your body, keep the whole foot on the floor and stand up again. The squat is the base of leg training and the start of the road to the pistol squat.

Three positions of a squat: standing, partway down, and at the bottom with the thighs about level with the floor. The feet stay flat and the arms reach forward as a counterweight. The dashed line follows the head; the faint outlines are the positions it has passed.

Difficulty: Beginner; editorial estimate
Steps to it: 3 steps; Beginner → Beginner
Usually done on: Floor

Start with the first step How it is done

Prepared by Calisthenics Balkan. Not yet reviewed by a qualified coach. 5 sources

The road at a glance

A short overview with links. Every step is explained in full under Progressions.

Helps to have first

A starting point: no other movement in the Atlas is needed first.

This skill

Bodyweight Squat

1 · BeginnerSquat holding a support
2 · BeginnerBox squat
3 · BeginnerBodyweight squat

Leads towards

What it is

In a bodyweight squat you stand with the feet about shoulder width apart (one source says a little wider than the hips), toes turned out slightly. You lower by bending the hips and knees together and stand up by straightening them. The whole foot stays on the floor and the knees follow the direction of the toes.

The main work is done by the muscles at the front of the thigh (the quadriceps) and the muscles at the back of the hip and thigh (the gluteus maximus, the hamstrings and the adductor magnus), while the trunk, the sides of the hips and the calves keep you steady. A more upright trunk puts more of the work on the quadriceps; a more forward lean moves it towards the hips and the back of the body.

There is no single correct stance or depth. Sources say they vary from person to person with the build of the hips and legs, and that the right depth is the lowest point at which you keep a neutral spine, stable feet and control. That is why the picture shows one example, not a standard.

A squat is as deep as you can go with a neutral spine, flat feet and control. Depth you cannot control is not progress.

How it is done

Set the feet
Stand with the feet about shoulder width apart, or a little wider than the hips, toes turned out slightly. Your weight is spread over the whole foot: the big toe, the little toe and the heel all stay on the floor.
Brace
Let the arms hang or reach forward. Pull the shoulders down and back, tighten the trunk, keep the chest up and the head in line.
Lower
Send the hips back and down while the knees bend, so the hips and the knees move together. The knees travel forward slowly and stay in line with the toes. Go as low as you can keep the heels down and the spine neutral; thighs about level with the floor is a common depth.
Stand up
Push through the whole foot, mostly the heels. The hips and the shoulders rise together and the knees stay in line with the toes.
Breathe and repeat
Breathe in on the way down and out on the way up. Keep it controlled, without bouncing out of the bottom.

Progressions

These are common steps, not the only road. Coaches use different orders, and what suits you depends on your starting strength, your body and what you have around you. Move on when a step feels controlled, not when you hit a number.

What to have first

Comfortable knees, hips and back
There is no number to reach before you start. If a squat causes pain in the knees, the hips or the lower back, or you have a diagnosed problem there, ask a qualified person. One clinical review suggests care with deep squats in some conditions, for example pain at the front of the knee or low back pain.
Ankle movement
How far the knee can travel forward over the foot limits how deep you can go with the heels down. If the heels lift, that depth is more than your ankles give you for now.
Balance
A squat on two feet does not ask much, but if you feel unsteady, begin by holding a support.

Step 1Beginner
Squat holding a support
Hold something sturdy, such as a counter, a rail or a doorframe, and squat only as deep as is comfortable. Your hands take a little of the load and help with balance, so you can concentrate on how the hips and knees move.
Technical note: Use the hands for balance, not to pull yourself up.
Step 2Beginner
Box squat
Lower yourself until you sit lightly on a box or a chair behind you, then stand up. The seat sets the depth and gives you something to aim for. A wall at your back is used for the same purpose.
Technical note: Sit back lightly and stand: do not drop onto the seat or rest your whole weight on it.
Step 3BeginnerGoal
Bodyweight squat
Feet flat, hips and knees bending together, down to a depth you control (the picture shows the thighs about level with the floor), then up to standing with the hips and the shoulders rising together.
Technical note: The heels stay down and the knees follow the toes at every depth you use.

Common mistakes

Heels lifting
Heels that come off the floor usually mean the ankles do not bend far enough for that depth. Stop higher, or hold a support while you work on it.
Knees caving in
Knees that fall towards each other as you stand up, or drift out, break the line with the toes. Keep them over the second toe.
Rounding the lower back at the bottom
When the pelvis tucks under at the bottom and the lower back rounds, you are deeper than your hips allow. Stop higher.
Leaning too far forward
A large forward lean is linked in the sources to limited ankle and hip movement. It shifts the work towards the hips and the lower back.
Bouncing
Bouncing out of the bottom replaces control with momentum. Stand up in a controlled way.
Forcing depth
Going deeper than your strength and movement allow degrades the movement. Depth you can control is the right depth.

Variations and related skills

Stance width and toe angle
Stance
A narrower or wider stance and more or less turned-out toes change which part of the hip and knee works hardest. Sources suggest starting narrower and widening if you need to.
Heel raised
Stance
A small lift under the heels is sometimes used temporarily when the ankles are stiff.
Weighted squat
Load
The same squat holding a weight in front of the chest (goblet) or with a barbell. Add load only after the bodyweight squat is controlled.
Jump squat
A squat that ends in a jump. A power exercise for an experienced trainee, not a starting point.
Pistol squat
A squat on one leg, with the other leg held out in front.

On Calisthenics Balkan

Sources

What this page relies on. Titles and publishers are written as published.

The small numbers in the text point to the entries below.

Bodyweight Squat | Exercise LibraryAmerican Council on Exercise (ACE), exercise library
Squats: How To Do Them and Why They RockCleveland Clinic Health Essentials, with sports medicine physician Matthew Kampert, DO (2026)
The Biomechanics of the Squat: What Personal Trainers Need to KnowNASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine), Brian Sutton, CSCS (2021, updated 2026)
A Biomechanical Review of the Squat Exercise: Implications for Clinical PracticeStraub and Powers, Int J Sports Phys Ther 2024; a clinical commentary, not a trial, with no injury-rate data
How to Squat Properly: Body Type Breakdown & Anatomy ConsiderationsAmerican Council on Exercise (ACE), expert article by Matthew Cain, PhD (2019)

A note on safety. This page describes the movement in general. It is not a training plan and not medical advice. Mild muscle discomfort is normal; sharp or sudden pain in the knees, hips or back is not, so stop and ask a qualified coach, doctor or physiotherapist. Do not force depth, and if you have a knee, hip or back condition, ask which depth suits you before you squat deep.

Prepared by Calisthenics Balkan. Not yet reviewed by a qualified coach.

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Bodyweight Squat

The road at a glance

What it is

History and origin

How it is done

Set the feet

Brace

Lower

Stand up

Breathe and repeat

Progressions

What to have first

Comfortable knees, hips and back

Ankle movement

Balance

Squat holding a support

Box squat