The SquatThe setup and the cues, plus the faults that actually matter.Body & healthBodyweight or loaded — the mechanics are the same.1Set the feetAbout shoulder width, toes slightly out. Weight through the wholefoot.2BraceBreathe in, tighten the midsection as if about to be pushed.3Descend by hinging and bendingHips back and knees forward together. Chest stays proud.4Depth to controlAs deep as you can go without the lower back rounding.5Drive upPush the floor away. Hips and shoulders rise at the same rate.FAULTS THAT MATTERLower back rounding at the bottomKnees collapsing inwardHeels liftingHips rising faster than the chestKnees travelling past the toes is normal and safe for most people. It isnot one of the faults worth correcting.The Squatlearnposters.com
The Squat — printable health wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

The Squat, step by step

Bodyweight or loaded — the mechanics are the same.

  1. Set the feetAbout shoulder width, toes slightly out. Weight through the whole foot.
  2. BraceBreathe in, tighten the midsection as if about to be pushed.
  3. Descend by hinging and bendingHips back and knees forward together. Chest stays proud.
  4. Depth to controlAs deep as you can go without the lower back rounding.
  5. Drive upPush the floor away. Hips and shoulders rise at the same rate.

Faults that matter

  • Lower back rounding at the bottom
  • Knees collapsing inward
  • Heels lifting
  • Hips rising faster than the chest

Knees travelling past the toes is normal and safe for most people. It is not one of the faults worth correcting.

Questions about the The Squat poster

What’s on the The Squat poster?
5 numbered steps, with a full worked run-through. Bodyweight or loaded — the mechanics are the same. Set the feet — About shoulder width, toes slightly out. Weight through the whole foot.; Brace — Breathe in, tighten the midsection as if about to be pushed.; Descend by hinging and bending — Hips back and knees forward together. Chest stays pr…; Depth to control — As deep as you can go without the lower back rounding.; Drive up — Push the floor away. Hips and shoulders rise at the same rate.. Knees travelling past the toes is normal and safe for most people. It is not one of the faults worth correcting.
Who is the The Squat poster for?
The Squat belongs to the Body & health section rather than to a school year, because health is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning movement can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the The Squat poster?
Depth follows mobility. Force depth before you have it and the back rounds. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so The Squat belongs on the wall where that health work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with The Squat?
Breathing Under Load, Common Injuries and The Core sit alongside The Squat in the Body & health section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Breathing Under LoadCommon InjuriesThe Core
Is the The Squat poster free to download and print?
Yes. The Squat downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Body & health section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the The Squat poster print at?
The Squat is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of The Squat loses nothing.Printing guide

Related posters

Charts that sit alongside The Squat on the same wall.

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