How I Squat: The Way I Do It

There are already thousands of squat guides online. Most have been analysed, documented and fine-tuned until they are presented as the perfect squat: this is the optimal bar position, this is the ideal stance, and this is exactly how you should move.

The problem is that if you don’t yet understand levers, body mechanics, proportions or lifting in general, most of that information will inevitably go straight over your head. I know because it went over mine when I started.

So I’m not going to pretend that my squat is the only correct way to squat. I’m simply going to explain how I do it. Take whatever helps, improvise and adapt it to your own body—but always respect the basic safety principles while you do.

It is your body. You’re the person who can feel when something moves naturally and when something feels wrong. Once you understand what a stable, controlled squat is supposed to feel like, you’re most of the way there. From that point, it becomes a matter of practice, adjustment and finding the version that works for you.

This guide completes the same practical series as how I bench press and how I deadlift: my method, explained clearly enough for you to test and adapt.

How I Position Myself Under the Bar

The first thing I look for is the middle of the bar. Just like I do when I bench press, I centre the middle knurling directly against the middle of my chest. Sometimes I even press my chest against the bar to make absolutely sure I’m lined up before taking a step back and positioning my hands.

The last thing you want during a heavy squat is to unrack the bar, feel it sitting across your back and then realise that one side is closer to your body than the other. Before worrying about anything else, make sure you are actually standing in the centre.

For my structure and frame, I position each hand roughly a thumb’s length away from where the knurling begins. That gives me a consistent starting point on both sides rather than relying on guesswork.

From there, I drop underneath the bar and start tightening my back.

I’ve seen people perform low-bar squats with the bar sitting surprisingly far down their backs. I’ve also seen high-bar squats where the bar looks like it is practically sitting on the neck. Neither extreme feels right for me. My sweet spot is somewhere between the two, resting securely across the muscular shelf of my upper back rather than directly on my neck or spine.

Once the bar and my hands are positioned correctly, I move each hand approximately another inch closer. That small adjustment naturally draws everything together and tightens my upper back, creating a solid platform for the bar before I even think about unracking it.

Unracking the Bar and Finding My Stance

Once I feel that I have the correct position, I place my feet directly underneath the bar. Because of my height and the way I’m built, my backside will usually be sticking out slightly behind me at this point.

I keep the tension in my upper back, move my hips forward and stand up. That movement naturally lifts the bar clear of the pins without me trying to pull it away from the rack or perform some complicated manoeuvre.

Some people recommend taking a massive breath and creating the full brace before unracking the bar. Other people settle the bar first and brace afterwards. I keep my upper back tight while I unrack it, step back while remaining in line with the safety bars, and then take my full breath once my feet are settled.

My stance is easy to explain. If I look down, my feet are approximately shoulder-width apart and my toes point slightly outwards. This position suits my frame and gives my knees somewhere natural to travel as I descend.

How I Brace

Once my back is tight, my feet are positioned and the bar is sitting in the correct spot, I take a massive breath and hold it at the top.

For me, that breath helps create the brace. I tense my back, abs and obliques until my torso feels solid rather than relaxed underneath the weight. I’m not simply holding air in my chest; I’m using that breath to create pressure and turn my torso into a stable structure before I move.

How I Descend

When I’m ready, I think about keeping the weight over my midfoot. I maintain the tension through my backside, allow my hips to move slightly backwards and then bend my legs to lower myself under control.

As I descend, my knees travel outwards in the same general direction as my toes. I don’t rush towards the bottom or allow the bar to pull me forward. The aim is to keep the entire repetition controlled while maintaining the brace and the tight position I created at the top.

How I Stand Back Up

At the bottom, I want to feel that I still have control and that the tension is being carried through my hips, glutes and legs rather than dumped into my knees. I generally aim for my hip crease to drop below the top of my knee, but depth will still depend on your proportions, mobility and ability to maintain position safely.

From there, I keep my back in the same strong position—imagine the bar continuing along its runway—and use my glutes and quads to drive myself back towards standing. I keep the pressure through my midfoot and finish in a straight, stable position rather than throwing my hips forwards or leaning backwards at the top.

Reracking the Bar

Reracking is the easy part—use your common sense and put the thing back on the rack.

On my squat rack, the position of the hooks and the distance I step back mean I can normally walk forward until the bar reaches the rack and then lean slightly forward to replace it.

The more responsible explanation is this: take a controlled step forward, make sure the bar is positioned directly above both hooks, and then move your hips back slightly to lower it into place. Check that both sides are securely seated before releasing the tension. Do not rerack one side and then go searching for the other while carrying the weight.

Safety Is Not Optional

One thing I absolutely must tell you is to use the safety bars. Set them just below the lowest position your bar reaches during a correctly performed squat. They need to be low enough that you don’t hit them during a normal repetition, but high enough to catch the bar if you fail.

If the equipment doesn’t have safety bars, use a competent spotter and make sure that person genuinely knows how to spot a squat. I’ve seen some strange attempts at spotting—people grabbing the bar halfway through the repetition or trying to lift somebody by their triceps. A bad spotter can make the situation even less predictable.

If you have neither suitable safety equipment nor somebody who knows what they are doing, don’t attempt a weight you might fail. Reduce the load and live to squat another day.

Learning how to bail safely can also be valuable, but it depends on the equipment, space and type of squat being performed. It should be practised with light weight under experienced supervision—not discovered for the first time while trapped underneath a personal best.

Spotting and bailing both deserve proper explanations, so I’ll cover them separately in a future article.

Final Thoughts

That is how I squat. It might not match every supposedly perfect squat you have seen online, and it might not suit your proportions exactly. It is simply the position and movement I have developed through years of learning what makes me feel stable, controlled and powerful underneath the bar. It also makes more sense within the wider story of how my training changed over the years.

Start light. Centre yourself properly, build tension before you unrack, control the descent and learn what the movement should feel like before chasing numbers. When you are ready to add load gradually, read what progressive overload actually looked like for me. Take what helps from my technique, adjust what doesn’t and find the squat that works for your body.

There may not be one perfect squat for everybody, but safety should never be the part you improvise.

This article reflects my personal lifting experience and is not a substitute for individual coaching. If you are unsure about your technique, practise with a qualified coach and use appropriate safety equipment.