Squats
The squat is the foundational lower body movement pattern. It’s a knee dominant push where the hips descend under load and drive back up through the legs, primarily training the quadriceps and glutes with meaningful contribution from the hamstrings and the muscles responsible for keeping the spine stable throughout the movement.
It’s one of the most functional movements in resistance training because it mirrors what the body does constantly in daily life. Sitting down, standing up, picking something up off a low surface, climbing — these are all expressions of the same pattern. Training it with intention builds the strength and structural resilience to do those things comfortably for a long time.
There’s a lot of noise in fitness culture about which squat variation is the right one — barbell back squat being held up as the gold standard, everything else as a compromise. That’s not a useful way to think about it. The best squat is the one you can perform well, load progressively, and do consistently. Mobility, limb proportions, experience level, and equipment access all influence which variation suits a given person. The goblet squat, hack squat machine, and leg press train the same fundamental pattern effectively and are not lesser options.
Depth matters. Reaching at least parallel — hip crease at or below knee height — is where the quad and glute development happens. Cutting depth short under heavier loads is one of the most common ways people limit their own progress in this pattern. Earn the depth before adding weight.
Below are the squat variations in the library.
Reference Card
Movement Pattern: Knee dominant push Primary Muscles: Quadriceps, glutes Secondary Muscles: Hamstrings, adductors, erector spinae, core
Variations
- Bodyweight squat
- Box squat
- Goblet squat
- Barbell back squat
- Barbell front squat
- Hack squat machine
- Leg press machine
- Cable squat
- Sumo squat
Considerations
- Depth matters — reach at least parallel before adding load
- Knees should track in line with the toes throughout the movement
- Weight should be distributed across the whole foot — not rocked forward onto the toes or back onto the heels
- No single variation is mandatory — choose the one that suits your mobility, experience, and equipment
Programming Notes
- Best placed early in a lower body session when you’re fresh
- Responds well to both strength ranges (4–6) and hypertrophy ranges (8–15)
- Beginners are best served starting with bodyweight or goblet squat variations before loading a barbell