Squat Progressions
Train your entire lower body!
#1 -Jackknife Squats
The ability to get off the ground is fundamental to survival and mobility!
We can start building this ability by assisting with our arms - even if this means assisting heavily at first!
Standard: 3 Sets of 35
#2 - Assisted Squats
This exercise continues where Jackknife Squats left off.
The key difference is the increased height of the assisting platform. Users should feel like they’re “pulling” themselves up at the bottom, rather than pressing!
Standard: 3 Sets of 30
#3 - Half Squats
This is the first step where we are squatting our entire bodyweight without assistance!
However, we are stronger in the upper half of our range, and this exercise takes advantage of that.
Standard: 2 Sets of 50
#4 - Full Squats
This is another calisthenics staple! Being able to get up off the floor without the assistance from your arms is important to survival and overall mobility!
Not only this, but the full range of motion will keep the tendons and ligaments of your ankles, hips, and knees strong and healthy for years to come.
Standard: 2 Sets of 30
#5 - Narrow Squats
While not a very well known exercise, Narrow Squats amplify the benefits of Deep Squats by increasing the work on our quadriceps and joints!
This helps prepare our legs for the rigors of one-leg squatting!
Standard: 2 Sets of 30
#6 - Side Staggered Squats
Having developed a foundation of strength through Deep Squats and Narrow Squats, it’s time to explore progressions that emphasize one leg more than the other!
These are essentially squats done with a wide stance and descending at an angle. If you’re familiar with Archer Pushups and Archer Pullups, you can think of these as “Archer Squats.”
Standard: 2 Sets of 20 (Both Sides)
#7 - Front Staggered Squats
Similar to Side-Staggered Squats, here we continue to progress towards one-leg squatting.
The assisting leg in front of us better transfers to “full” One-Leg Squats and increases the strength, balance, and mobility requirements.
Standard: 2 Sets of 15 (Both Sides)
#8 - Assisted One Leg Squats
This is a valuable step where the user has to balance and squat on one-leg.
In this manner, we will get a taste of the raw strength and balance necessary for One-Leg Squats while allowing our weak links to be identified and developed through assistance!
Standard: 2 Sets of 12 (Both Sides)
#9 - One Leg Chair Squats
Now that we’ve built the ability to assist ourselves through a one-leg squat, it’s time to experiment with unassisted squatting!
We’re stronger in the upper half of our range of motion, so we start here! The strength we build here will transfer to our weaker range.
Standard: 2 Sets of 12 (Both Sides)
#10 - One Leg Squats
Squatting on one leg is arguably more functional than bilateral squats. If you consider most of human lower body movement - walking, running, climbing stairs - almost all of this involves one leg to work harder than the other!
One-Leg Squats take this fundamental human movement and scale it through our entire range of motion.
Congratulations on reaching this step!
Standard: 2 Sets of 12 (Both Sides)