Learn to Squat With Face the Wall Squats

The squat is one of the best exercises on the block for developing the block and should certainly be incorporated into your Weight Lifting workout program design.  Many will argue that it is the queen of leg exercises, and some will counter that the deadlift is.  I don’t care to argue, they are both awesome and should both be used.  Basically if you aren’t doing one you should be doing the other.  However, both are very easy to do improperly.  Let’s do a test.

Stand up.  Feet a little wider than shoulder-width, toes pointed just a bit out (pointing them straight forward is unnatural), and arms out in front.  Now squat down as low as you can.  Pay attention to where your knees are going.  If your knees are way out over your toes then you should not even think about adding weight to your squat yet, or to deadlifts, kettlebell swings or snatches or really any leg exercise.  Your knees going significantly beyond the plane of y our toes is putting a lot of stress on your knees and pretty much just asking for trouble.

You need to fix this problem before you even think about touching weights.  Enter..

The Face the Wall Squat

The face the wall squat is the perfect self-correcting exercise for teaching you to squat without the benefit of a trainer.  The feedback from this exercise is immediate and it literally forces you into perfect squatting form.  The face the wall squat form is also a solid foundation for proper deadlift, and kettlebell swing/snatch form… or basically all the good lower body exercises!   So when you can successfully and perfectly do a set of 5 or these, you will you can safely hit the weights.

How to Perform the Face the Wall Squat

1. Step one should be obvious… face a wall!  Your toes should be 2-3 inches away from the wall
2. Lift your hands out to your sides to about shoulder height.
3. Now repeat that initial bodyweight squat without your head or your knees touching the wall

Not so easy is it.  If you have been doing squats wrongly, this will actually feel weird.  And yeah it is maybe a little weird to have your nose jammed in the wall, but it is for a good reason.  The wall won’t allow your knees, or head or shoulders or anything to lean too far forward.  The wall prevents you from using bad form!  If you bang into the wall… that is instant feedback and the wall is chastising you for squatting poorly.

The wall literally forces you into proper squat mechanics, ie

1. Weight on your heels. Push through your heels.  This will be much easier if you are not wearing cushy-soled sneakers, but that is another post for another time.
2. Chest up. The wall won’t let you roll your chest forward anyway.
3. Eyes always looking forward.  Your head will follow your eyes.  Find a vertical line on the wall in front of you and follow it as you squat down and stand back up.
4. Abs tight.  Your abs are the built-in weight belt for protecting your back.  Keep your abs flexed throughout the entire movement.
5. Push your butt back.  You will need to use your hip flexors (those muscles right in the crease of where your legs bend at the hip) to pull yourself into the bottom position.

The bottom position will feel strange and you might not even be able to get very low if you have poor hip flexibility and tight hip flexors.  So when you get to the bottom, hold it for a few seconds as a stretch and let yourself sink into it.

You might fall backwards the first few times you try it.  That’s ok!  Just make sure to practice these on a softer surface… like carpet or mats.  You could also try putting a chair behind you both as a goal (get your butt into the chair) and as a safety catch.  If you fall you would only fall into sitting on the chair.  Be sure to use a sturdy chair if you do!  As you adapt to the balance you won’t need the chair anymore.

Practice the Face the Wall Squat every day.  A few sets of 5.  Over time you will be able to bring your toes right up to the wall.  When you can do 5 perfect squats this way you will know that you are ready to safely tackle some weights.  Your knees will thank you.

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