Chair Squat

What it is

This foundational lower body exercise primarily targets your quadriceps, building strength in your entire leg. It also effectively engages your glutes, hamstrings, and calves to improve overall stability. You perform this movement by lowering your hips as if to sit, then standing back up with control. It is an excellent beginner-friendly way to practice and refine proper squatting mechanics.

Technique tips

• Maintain an upright chest and look straight ahead.
• Lower your hips slowly until you lightly tap the chair.
• Push through your heels to return to the standing position.
• Keep your knees aligned over your toes, avoiding inward collapse.
• Breathe in as you descend and exhale as you stand up.
• Engage your core to keep your spine neutral throughout.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.