Can’t Do a Squat? This Technique Will Help You Get Strong Enough to Do 50

There’s a handful of infamous workout moves that feel impossible to figure out.

Take planks, for example. In theory, holding yourself up off the ground in a stationary position should be easy. But between hand placement, proper spine alignment, and the whole bodyweight-as-resistance thing, and successfully holding a plank isn’t nearly as easy as it looks.

Up there on the list of sneakily difficult moves? Squats. You just bend your knees and drop it low, right? Wrong. Maybe it’s just me, but doing the squat the right way—with your back straight, knees behind your toes, and heels activated—feels like a Herculean feat.

For those of us who struggle to successfully execute the leg-sculpting, booty-lifting move, a solution exists. This simple squat technique by T-Nation can help you become a stronger, savvier squat master in a matter of minutes. The best part is, all you need is a wall.

You might be struggling to do a squat due to technique and mobility. If you’re on the taller side, like me, you might end up overloading your quads by leaning too forward—the longer the femur, the harder it is to do the move. Or, maybe you’re squatting but just not seeing results. Whatever the case may be, this easy wall squat technique can help improve your form, build flexibility, and give you the stronger base needed to make squatting a piece of cake.

With your nose and toes pressed up against the wall, drop into a simple squat while keeping your shoulders square, your back straight, and your heels underneath you. It sounds silly, but holding this position can help tone those leg, back, and glute muscles needed to complete the workout. The thought being that, if you can apply the moves you learned on the wall, you’ll have an easier time squatting with better results when you’re off of it.

How to do a wall squat for stronger, easier squats

1. 1.
   Stand facing a wall with your nose and toes pressed against it. Your feet should be in the formal pre-squat pose: a little bit wider than shoulder-width apart with your heels slightly angled in.
2. 2.
   Keeping your nose and toes flush against the wall, drop down and back on your heels into your squat. Let your arms dangle in between your legs as you go down.
3. 3.
   Rise to a fully standing position. Your nose and toes should never leave the wall. That’s one rep.

T-Nation recommends doing three sets of 15 reps every day for two weeks. By the end of that time period, you should be able to perform an air squat while successfully dropping your hips below your knees.

If you can’t, though, go back to the wall and really focus on developing those pesky quadriceps in the front of your thigh. And don’t be afraid to switch things up—drop into a single-leg squat every once in a while to work on that balance. Or, add a jump in for an extra cardio (just be careful with your face and toes to close to the wall.) Either way, this easy technique can make you a squat master in no time.

Below, a trainer shows us the right way to do a squat.  

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