Bodyweight Squat

KNEE-DOMINANT · BOTH PATHS

Why it matters · Operator Builds the leg strength and ankle mobility that underpins rucking, fast lifting from low ground, and casualty drags. Sets of fifteen unbroken bodyweight squats is a common selection-prep benchmark. Sets of fifty separate the deep aerobic athletes.

Why it matters · Longevity Leg strength after age 60 is the most predictive single marker of whether you live independently into your 80s. The chair stand test, used in geriatrics, is just a timed squat. Train the squat; outlive the chair.

Form cues

• Feet roughly shoulder-width, toes slightly turned out (10-30 degrees)
• Hips initiate the descent (sit back into the chair, not down)
• Knees track over the toes, not collapsing inward
• Descend until thighs are at or below parallel to the floor
• Drive through the whole foot to stand; squeeze glutes at the top

Common errors

• Heels coming off the floor (ankle mobility limit; widen stance or elevate heels temporarily)
• Knees caving inward (cue "spread the floor with your feet")
• Rounding lower back at the bottom (don't go deeper than your hip mobility allows)
• Speed-bouncing through the bottom (descend with control)

Path A scaling Begin with a sturdy chair behind you. Sit fully onto it; stand back up. Once that's easy, hover just above the chair without sitting. Then remove the chair entirely. Take Block 1 to build the pattern; speed is not the goal.

Path B scaling Begin at standard bodyweight squats from week one. Once 3 × 15 is easy, add tempo (3-second descent, 1-second pause at the bottom). By Block 3, progress to the Bulgarian split squat using a chair for the rear-foot elevation.