Why Squats Still Reign in 2026
If you’re going to pick one movement to build an entire program around, make it the squat. It’s efficient, functional, and time tested. No gimmicks just raw usefulness. Whether your goal is to get stronger, burn fat, improve mobility, or just stay on your feet as you age, squats pull weight in every category.
Lower body power? Covered. Core strength? Check. Real world carryover that helps you lift groceries, play with your kids, or face stairs without groaning? Absolutely. Squats train more than just muscles they train patterns. Done right, they improve balance, posture, and injury resilience.
You don’t need a barbell and a squat rack either. Bodyweight, kettlebells, resistance bands they all do the job. Home workouts or gym sessions, squats deserve a non negotiable spot in your lineup. Form comes first, but once that’s dialed, squats become a foundation you can keep building on for years.
Step 1: Find Your Natural Stance
Start simple: feet about shoulder width apart with your toes angled ever so slightly out. That’s the baseline. But don’t get stuck on trying to hit some perfect position from a fitness textbook your squat stance should match your body, not someone else’s diagram.
The truth is, hip anatomy isn’t one size fits all. Some people have deeper hip sockets, some have more rotation. To figure out what works for you, try a few slow bodyweight squats with different foot angles and widths. Find the spot where your hips can drop down without pinching, your knees track easily over your toes, and your heels stay planted. That’s your starting line.
Bottom line: comfort trumps convention. If your stance feels natural and lets you move with control, you’re doing it right even if it looks slightly different than a coach’s demo. Trust how it feels more than how it’s “supposed” to look.
Step 2: Brace Your Core Like You’re Getting Hit
If you lift without setting your core, you’re losing power and risking injury. Core engagement isn’t just about looking ripped. It’s the foundation of every strong and stable squat. Think of your torso as a pressurized canister. Without that internal brace, everything collapses under load.
Start with a deep breath into your belly, not just your chest. Right before you move, brace your abs not by sucking in, but by tightening them like you’re about to take a punch. That tension stays on through the entire descent and rise.
A lot of people get this wrong. They vacuum their stomachs, thinking that’s core control. It’s not. Sucking in makes you unstable and softens your base. The goal is outward pressure from within a rigid, locked in midsection that stabilizes your spine and keeps your form sharp and safe.
Train this bracing like any other skill. Because no matter how strong your legs are, if your core folds, the squat fails.
Step 3: Push Your Hips Back First
Before your knees even think about bending, your hips should be leading the movement. This is the hinge. Not a drop. Not a squat to your knees first maneuver. Think about pushing your hips back like you’re about to sit into a really low, invisible chair behind you. If your knees shoot forward before your hips move, you’re setting yourself up for joint stress and sloppy mechanics.
Why this matters: hinging reinforces your posterior chain glutes, hamstrings, lower back all the muscles designed to handle load and movement in real life. It’s also the best way to keep your knees safe when you’re going heavy or going deep. This is the line between efficient movement and eventual pain.
Slow it down. Reset if you have to. Your knees will thank you later.
Step 4: Drop Low with Control
“Below parallel” means your hip crease lowers past the top of your knees. It’s not about touching the floor it’s about getting deep enough to fully activate your glutes, hamstrings, and adductors. That depth makes the squat more than just a quad move. It turns it into a full lower body builder.
But here’s the catch: Not everyone can go deep right away. Tight hips, ankles, or a stiff upper back can stop you short. If your heels lift, your torso folds forward, or your knees cave early, mobility might be holding you back. A squat isn’t broken just because it isn’t deep but if you want to get the most out of it, you need enough range to move well under control.
Don’t chase depth by sacrificing stability. Control comes first. If you’re wobbling or collapsing your spine to get low, you’re trading technique for ego and it’s not worth it. Lighten the load, hit clean reps, and let depth improve as your mobility does. A crisp bodyweight squat to proper depth beats a slop heavy bar crash every time.
Step 5: Drive Through the Heels, Don’t Let the Knees Cave
When you come up from the bottom of a squat, think about pushing the floor away not jumping off it. That means driving through your entire foot. Not just the heels. Not just the toes. Your full foot should stay planted, spreading the pressure evenly.
This does more than keep you balanced. It lights up your glutes and hamstrings, which news flash are supposed to do the heavy lifting here. If you’re only feeling it in your quads, check your foot pressure. You might be shifting forward without realizing it.
Now to the knees. If yours tend to cave inward when you drive up, that’s called knee valgus. It’s common, but not harmless. It puts your knees in a weak, risky position. Fix it by staying conscious of how your knees track: they should follow the same direction as your toes. Drive them out slightly as you rise, like you’re trying to spread the floor.
It’s not about perfection it’s about intention and awareness. Get this part right, and every rep starts working for, not against, your progress.
Bonus: Progression Tips for Real Growth
Start with goblet squats. They’re simple, effective, and hard to cheat. Holding the weight in front forces your core to fire and pushes you to keep the chest up perfect for locking in good habits from day one. Once you’re steady, graduate to barbell work or Bulgarian split squats to dial things up.
Tracking matters. Not just whether you did the workout, but how: sets, reps, rest time, tempo. It all adds up. Tempo especially how slow you go on the way down can expose weaknesses and build serious control. Rest too long, and the intensity slides. Cut it too short, and form may fall apart. Test, adjust, repeat.
Want fat loss on top of strength? Blend your squats with high intensity intervals. Think front squats followed by kettlebell swings or jump lunges in a circuit. Keep the engine running hot. Compound lifts spike your heart rate better than most cardio when done right.
(Explore the science: The Science Behind HIIT: How It Burns Fat Fast)
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Let’s cut to it. Good squats build strength. Bad form builds problems.
First up: rounding your lower back. This isn’t just inefficient it’s dangerous. When your spine collapses under load, you’re flirting with a one way ticket to disc injury. Keep the core braced and your chest proud. If you can’t maintain that throughout the movement, lower the weight and dial in your mechanics.
Next mistake? Lifting your heels. It shifts your weight forward, breaks your base, and strains your knees. The fix: plant your feet flat and screw them into the floor like you mean it. Stable base equals controlled power.
Last: ego lifting. Going heavy to impress your gym buds or your phone is how progress slows or snaps entirely. Half repping with bad form just feeds your ego, not your gains. Train smart, not flashy. Full range, clean lines, keep your back and joints intact.
Master these fundamentals, and squats will serve you well for years. Ignore them, and it’s only a matter of time before something gives.
Final Note: Form First, Always
Every squat you do is practice. Whether it’s your first rep or your five thousandth, it’s a chance to refine movement, not just complete it. Lazy reps build lazy patterns and lazy patterns lead to weakness, imbalances, and injury.
The basics aren’t flashy, but they’re everything. A well executed bodyweight squat teaches you more than a sloppy 225 pound grind ever will. Stability, control, confidence those come from reps with intent.
Even in 2026, squats haven’t been replaced. They’re still brutally efficient at building strong, capable bodies. So forget chasing complexity before you’ve earned it. Nail the basics. Do them with discipline. Then watch your strength, power, and longevity follow.
