Bilateral Squat: Understanding, Proper Form, Common Errors, and Benefits

How to do a bilateral squat?

The bilateral squat is a foundational human movement pattern and a cornerstone exercise for developing lower body strength, power, and mobility. Executing it correctly involves a coordinated movement of the hips, knees, and ankles while maintaining spinal integrity.

Understanding the Bilateral Squat

The bilateral squat is a multi-joint, compound exercise that involves simultaneously flexing the hips, knees, and ankles to lower the body, then extending these joints to return to the starting position. It is considered a closed-chain kinetic exercise, meaning the feet are fixed to the ground, which enhances functional strength and stability.

Key Muscles Involved:

• Primary Movers: Quadriceps (vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, rectus femoris), Gluteus Maximus, Adductor Magnus.
• Synergists/Stabilizers: Hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus), Erector Spinae, Core musculature (rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis), Calves (gastrocnemius, soleus).

Proper Bilateral Squat Form: Step-by-Step Execution

Mastering the bilateral squat requires attention to detail across all phases of the movement.

1. Setup:

• Stance: Stand with feet approximately shoulder-width apart, or slightly wider, depending on individual anatomy and comfort. Toes can point straight forward or angle slightly outward (0-30 degrees), aligning with the natural tracking of your knees.
• Posture: Stand tall with a neutral spine, chest up, and shoulders pulled back and down. Gaze forward or slightly down, maintaining a neutral neck position.
• Bracing: Take a deep breath into your belly (diaphragmatic breathing) and brace your core as if preparing to take a punch. This creates intra-abdominal pressure, stabilizing the spine.

2. Descent (Eccentric Phase):

• Initiation: Begin the movement by simultaneously pushing your hips back and bending your knees, as if you are sitting down into a chair.
• Knee Tracking: Ensure your knees track in line with your toes, avoiding excessive inward or outward movement.
• Spine Angle: Maintain a relatively upright torso, allowing for a slight forward lean that balances the weight over your mid-foot. The angle of your torso should generally be parallel to your shins.
• Depth: Continue lowering until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor, or deeper if your mobility allows and you can maintain good form (e.g., no "butt wink"). The depth will be influenced by individual ankle, hip, and thoracic spine mobility.
• Weight Distribution: Keep your weight evenly distributed across your entire foot, primarily focused on the mid-foot, avoiding shifting to the toes or heels.

3. Ascent (Concentric Phase):

• Drive Up: From the bottom position, powerfully drive through your heels and mid-foot, extending your hips and knees simultaneously.
• Hip Extension: Focus on leading with your hips, driving them forward and up.
• Torso Stability: Maintain the braced core and neutral spine, avoiding any rounding or excessive arching of the back.
• Knee Tracking: Continue to ensure knees track over toes as you ascend.

4. Top Position:

• Full Extension: Return to a fully upright standing position, with hips and knees completely extended.
• Avoid Hyperextension: Do not lock out your knees excessively or lean back at the top; maintain a soft knee and neutral standing posture.
• Exhale: Exhale as you approach the top of the movement.

Key Biomechanical Cues for Optimal Performance

Implementing specific cues can significantly improve squat mechanics and reduce injury risk.

• "Brace Your Core": Before initiating the squat, take a deep breath into your diaphragm and tighten your abdominal muscles as if preparing for impact. This creates intra-abdominal pressure, stabilizing the lumbar spine.
• "Knees Out": Actively push your knees outward throughout the movement, ensuring they track in line with your toes. This engages the glutes and prevents valgus collapse (knees caving in).
• "Sit Back": Initiate the squat by pushing your hips backward, as if reaching for a chair behind you. This emphasizes the hip hinge, engages the posterior chain, and helps maintain a more upright torso.
• "Maintain a Neutral Spine": Throughout the entire movement, strive to keep your natural spinal curves. Avoid rounding the lower back ("butt wink") or excessively arching it.
• "Squat to Your Depth": Go as deep as your mobility allows while maintaining proper form. For most, this means at least thighs parallel to the floor. Deeper squats (below parallel) can be beneficial if form is maintained, as they increase glute and hamstring activation.

Common Errors and How to Correct Them

Even experienced lifters can fall into common squatting pitfalls.

• Knees Caving In (Valgus Collapse):
  • Cause: Weak gluteus medius, poor motor control, insufficient ankle mobility.
  • Correction: Focus on the "knees out" cue. Incorporate glute activation exercises (e.g., band walks, clam shells) and improve hip abduction strength.
• Rounding of the Lower Back (Butt Wink):
  • Cause: Limited hip mobility (especially hip flexion), tight hamstrings or adductors, insufficient ankle dorsiflexion, lack of core stability, or attempting to squat too deep for current mobility.
  • Correction: Improve hip and ankle mobility through targeted stretches and foam rolling. Focus on maintaining a neutral spine throughout the entire range of motion, even if it means squatting less deep initially. Strengthen the core.
• Heels Lifting Off the Ground:
  • Cause: Limited ankle dorsiflexion, excessive forward lean, weak glutes.
  • Correction: Improve ankle mobility (calf stretches, ankle rotations). Focus on keeping weight evenly distributed over the mid-foot. Consider placing small weight plates under your heels temporarily to allow for better depth while working on ankle mobility.
• Excessive Forward Lean (Good Morning Squat):
  • Cause: Weak quadriceps, poor hip mobility, initiating with knees too early, or attempting to lift too much weight.
  • Correction: Focus on the "sit back" cue. Emphasize driving the knees forward slightly after the hip hinge to engage the quads. Ensure core is braced. Reduce load if necessary to focus on form.

Variations and Progression

Once the bodyweight bilateral squat is mastered, various progressions can be introduced to increase challenge and target specific adaptations.

• Bodyweight Squat: The fundamental starting point for learning the movement pattern.
• Goblet Squat: Holding a dumbbell or kettlebell against the chest. This front-loaded variation helps improve core stability, maintain an upright torso, and serves as an excellent teaching tool for the squat pattern.
• Barbell Back Squat: The classic strength exercise where a barbell rests across the upper back (high bar) or rear deltoids (low bar). Requires significant core strength and mobility.
• Barbell Front Squat: A barbell rests across the front of the shoulders. This variation typically requires greater ankle and thoracic spine mobility and places more emphasis on the quadriceps and core.

Benefits of Bilateral Squatting

The bilateral squat, when performed correctly, offers a multitude of benefits:

• Increased Lower Body Strength and Power: Develops strength in the quads, glutes, and hamstrings, crucial for daily activities and athletic performance.
• Improved Mobility and Flexibility: Regular squatting through a full range of motion can enhance hip, knee, and ankle mobility.
• Enhanced Core Stability: The need to maintain a neutral spine under load significantly strengthens the core musculature.
• Functional Movement: Squatting mimics everyday movements like sitting down, standing up, and lifting objects, improving functional capacity.
• Bone Density: Weight-bearing exercises like squats contribute to increased bone mineral density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
• Calorie Expenditure: As a large compound movement, squats burn a significant number of calories.

When to Seek Professional Guidance

While this guide provides comprehensive instructions, individual anatomical variations and pre-existing conditions can influence squat mechanics. If you experience persistent pain during squats, struggle to correct form issues despite diligent practice, or have significant mobility limitations, consulting a qualified strength and conditioning coach, physical therapist, or exercise physiologist is highly recommended. They can provide personalized assessments and programming to ensure safe and effective training.