Hand In Hand Squat: Perfect Your Squat Form!

The hand-in-hand squat is the foundational squat movement. Using body weight rather than barbells, dumbbells, or kettlebells helps you focus on and improve your squat form so you can eventually graduate to more challenging variants like pistol squats and Smith machine squats. Good form will also help you avoid injury (especially when you progress to squatting under load).

 

How to do the hand-in-hand squat

  1. Stand with your feet at around hip-width apart. Point your toes slightly outward so they align with the direction of your knees. Let your arms hang at your sides.
  2. Engage your core, hinge at the hips, and bend your knees to squat down. Ensure that your knees don’t fall inward and that your back stays straight. While performing this movement, extend your arms out in front of you, palm over hand, for balance.
  3. When your thighs are parallel to the ground, stop and push up through your heels to return to start.


Improving squat form and muscle activation

Bodyweight squats may look easy, but a lot of factors can negatively impact your form and results. To improve, try:

  • Squatting with a resistance band around your thighs. This will remind you to keep your knees from caving in and improve glute activation during the squat. 
  • Find your ideal stance. If you have longer femurs, a slightly wider squat stance may be more comfortable and help you keep your torso more upright. You can also try using wedge blocks. 
  • Work on mobility. Hip opening exercises, calf stretches, and reverse clamshells will help you improve your form and activate the correct muscle groups throughout your squat. 
  • Practice engaging your core. Brace and tighten your four abdominal muscles, lats, paraspinal muscles, hip flexors, and glutes. In doing so, you will avoid arching or rounding which can cause injury during squats (especially under load). In the mirror, you should see a neutral spine position and a full-looking belly (contrary to the belief that sucking your stomach in is what engages the core).


Supporting the hand-in-hand squat

Man doing squats in Bauerfeind's GenuTrain Knee Brace

GenuTrain Knee Brace

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When trying to perfect your squat form, a compression support can do a lot of good! The medical-grade knit and patella pad in our GenuTrain Knee Support activate the muscles and improve sensorimotor function, protecting the knee and improving your awareness of how you move and position the joint. 

You can also try our Sports Knee Support, which has a similar design along with moisture-wicking knit for more intense workout sessions. 

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