Bodyweight Squat
Also works: Glutes · Hamstrings
The unloaded squat: feet about shoulder-width, hips back and down to whatever depth you own, then up. With no bar to counterbalance you it is harder to stay upright than a goblet or back squat, which makes it an honest test of ankle and hip range before you add load.
Own the movement
Set up first, then execute. Every cue below is something you can check on your next set.
Before the first rep
- Feet a little wider than your shoulders, toes turned out 15-30 degrees, weight spread across the whole foot.
- Put your hands behind your head or straight out in front — arms forward act as a counterweight and make depth easier.
- Stand tall and set your ribs down over your pelvis before the first rep.
- Pick a spot on the wall at eye level and keep your gaze there rather than at the ceiling.
Every rep
Breathing & tempo — Inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up, and stay braced through the bottom. Three seconds down, a one-second pause, then up at a controlled speed.
Sets, reps & load
Where to start, and what to change when it stops being hard.
Bodyweight only. Once you can do 20 reps to full depth with a one-second pause and flat feet, extra reps stop building much — progress by adding load, not volume. A 12-16 kg kettlebell held at the chest is the natural next step, and it will actually make depth easier.
What goes wrong
The errors that show up most often, and the cue that fixes each one.
Elevate your heels on a 2 cm plate or a folded mat, squat to depth there, and work ankle dorsiflexion separately. Take the elevation away when you can hold flat feet at the same depth.
Hold your arms straight out in front as a counterweight, or hold a doorframe lightly. Once you own the depth, take the counterweight away.
Pause for a full second at the bottom of every rep. If the set falls apart, you were riding the bounce rather than driving with your legs.
Slow them down: three seconds down, one-second pause, drive up. Twenty honest reps at that tempo does more than a hundred rushed ones.
Why bother
Without a load in front of you there is no counterweight, so staying balanced over your mid-foot means either good ankle dorsiflexion or a torso that leans further forward. That is why plenty of people can hit depth holding a 16 kg kettlebell but tip backwards doing the same movement empty-handed.
It is also the cheapest place to fix a pattern. Every fault the barbell version punishes — knees caving, heels lifting, hips shooting up first — shows up here at zero risk, and you can do 40 reps hunting for the fix rather than three.
Where it fits
As a warm-up before loaded lower-body work — two sets of 15 will raise knee and hip temperature better than any static stretch — or as high-rep work in a home session. Daily is fine; there is nothing here that needs recovery time at moderate volume.
If this one isn't it
No kit, too hard, or too easy — here's where to go instead.
Same job, different kit
Start here instead
When this gets easy
Asked and answered
How many bodyweight squats should I be able to do?
Twenty to full depth, flat-footed, with a paused bottom, is a reasonable standard for a healthy adult. Beyond about 30 reps you are training local endurance rather than strength, and your time is better spent adding load.
Will bodyweight squats build my legs?
They will build them to a point, and then stop. Sets of 20-30 with a slow eccentric produce real hypertrophy in an untrained lifter, but the stimulus fades fast because the load never changes. Once 30 reps is easy, hold a kettlebell.
Why do I fall backwards when I squat without weight?
Usually limited ankle dorsiflexion. With no counterweight in front, your torso has to lean further forward to keep your centre of mass over your feet, and if your ankles will not let your knees travel forward you tip. Hold your arms out in front, or elevate your heels while you work on ankle range.
Are bodyweight squats a good warm-up before barbell squats?
Yes, better than static stretching. Two sets of 15 through full range moves the joints under light load and raises tissue temperature, which static holds do not. Follow them with the empty bar.