Step 1 — Set Your Stance
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned out slightly — roughly 15 to 30 degrees depending on your hip anatomy. Weight should be distributed evenly through the entire foot — not just the heels, not just the toes. A simple test: at the bottom of your squat, you should be able to wiggle your toes. If you cannot, your weight has shifted forward. Reset.
The bar sits across the upper back — not on the neck. The exact position varies by individual anatomy and preference. A mid-position on the upper traps works well for most people starting out. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width. The grip is there to stabilise the bar, not support it — the bar rests on your back, not your hands.
Step 2 — Brace Your Core
Take a breath into your belly — not your chest. Brace your core as if bracing for a punch. This creates intra-abdominal pressure that stabilises the spine under load. Chest up, spine neutral. Hold this brace throughout the descent and drive — only breathe out at the top. Never relax the brace mid-rep.
Step 3 — The Descent
Push the hips back and down simultaneously — think of sitting into a chair. Keep the chest up throughout. Find a fixed point on the wall ahead of you and keep your eyes on it for the entire set. This single cue — a fixed focal point — does more for keeping the torso upright and the back straight than almost any other coaching instruction. Use it every time.
Aim for thighs parallel to the floor. If mobility allows, slightly below parallel is excellent. Start with whatever depth you can achieve with good form — a shallow squat with perfect technique builds more strength and causes fewer injuries than a deep squat with a rounded back. Depth comes with time and consistent practice. Heels must stay flat throughout.
Step 4 — The Drive
At the bottom, pause for one second. Then breathe out and drive upward — pushing through the mid-foot and heels, driving the hips forward. Stand tall at the top without leaning back. The pause removes the temptation to bounce out of the bottom position, which reduces the training stimulus and increases injury risk at the knee.
That is the cue I use with every client, at every level. The descent is not passive. Every inch of the way down should be controlled, braced, and deliberate. The strength you build in the descent is the strength that protects your knees and lower back for the rest of your life.
Build the Movement First
Before loading a barbell, learn the pattern. These beginner versions build the same movement with less risk:
Same pattern, no load. Arms extended forward for counterbalance. Practise until the movement feels natural and depth is consistent before adding any weight whatsoever.
Squat down to a bench or box and pause briefly before driving back up. Gives a consistent depth reference and removes the fear of going too low. An excellent teaching tool for older beginners and anyone returning after a long break.
Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell at chest height. The counterbalance naturally encourages an upright torso and good depth. One of the best teaching tools for the squat pattern — many experienced trainers still use it as a warm-up movement.
Common Mistakes — In Order of How Often I See Them
The knees collapse toward each other on the descent or drive. Usually caused by weak glutes and poor neuromuscular control. Fix: actively push the knees slightly outward throughout the movement. Think about pushing your knees toward your little toe. Reduce the weight until the pattern is correct.
The heels rise as depth increases — almost always a result of poor ankle dorsiflexion. Fix: work on ankle mobility, or use a small heel raise under the heels as a temporary solution. Never squat with heels raised on plates long-term — address the underlying mobility restriction.
The lower back rounds at the bottom — often called a butt wink. Under load this is a significant injury risk to the lumbar discs. Fix: reduce depth until it can be achieved without rounding. Brace the core harder. Reduce the weight. A shallow squat with a neutral spine is always preferable to a deep squat with a rounded one.
A quarter squat is not a squat. Aim for parallel — thighs level with the floor. Shallow squats significantly reduce the training stimulus to the glutes and hamstrings, overload the knee in an inefficient position, and build a movement pattern that does not transfer to real-world function.
The chest drops forward and the torso becomes almost horizontal. Shifts the load from the quads and glutes to the lower back. Fix: chest up, find the focal point on the wall, and keep eyes forward. Usually corrected immediately by the fixed focal point cue.