Squat Technique: 5 Mistakes Stealing Your Strength

The squat teaches your body more than ten machines combined. Do it wrong, though, and you collect sore knees and a cranky lower back instead of strength. The good news: most squat problems can be fixed in one session.

Setup and descent

Feet about shoulder width, toes turned out 15–30°. Take a big breath into your belly, brace like someone's about to poke your stomach, then descend. Hips and knees should break at the same time — don't just fold forward.

The 5 most common mistakes

1. Knees caving in — cue yourself to "spread the floor" apart with your feet.

2. Heels lifting — keep your weight mid-foot, or slip a 1–2 cm plate under your heels.

3. Too shallow — aim for hip crease at least level with your knees. If you can't, the weight is too heavy.

4. Butt wink at the bottom — stop just above the point where your lower back rounds.

5. Holding your breath without bracing — breathe at the top, not at the bottom.

How to practice

Start with dumbbell goblet squats: 3 sets of 8–10, twice a week. Film yourself from the side — you'll spot what you can't feel. Once every rep looks the same, add 2.5 kg.

Squats need focus and a rack with no queue. At a private gym like GymHome you get the whole space to yourself. And if you film your training, TubeVoice can dub those videos into other languages.