Band squat
A squat against band tension anchored under your feet and held at your shoulders.
TrainsQuads
NeedsResistance band
The movement
2 stages
Stand tall
01 Stand tall
Band under your feet, handles held at your shoulders.
02 Bottom
Sit down between your heels; the band goes slack as you descend.
How to do it
Setup
- Stand tall with the middle of a resistance band looped under the balls of both feet.
- Hold the ends of the band at your shoulders, elbows pointing down.
Execution
- Bend your hips and knees together and sit down until your hip crease drops below your knees.
- Keep your chest tall as the band pulls harder near the top of the stand.
- Drive through your whole foot and stand back up to full height.
BreathingInhale on the way down, exhale as you drive up through the top.
Getting it right
Form cues
- Knees track out over your toes on the way down and up.
- Stand all the way up so the band reaches full tension at the top.
Common mistakes
- Standing on the band unevenly, which pulls you off balance as you rise.
- Cutting the top of the rep short, which skips the part of the range the band loads hardest.
Worth knowing
- Check the band for nicks before every session and never stand on a damaged one. A band that lets go under your feet releases upward toward your face.
General guidance, not medical advice. See how Setkit works.
Notes
A band changes where a squat feels hardest. A barbell or a dumbbell loads you evenly through the whole range, but a band anchored under your feet stretches furthest, and pulls hardest, right as you reach the top. That flips the usual squat challenge, and it teaches you to keep driving through lockout instead of easing off once the depth is behind you.
The band also makes standing evenly on both feet non-negotiable. Weight your feet unevenly and the band pulls you sideways as you stand, which is a fast way to learn what a level foot position feels like.
It is a real strength exercise at light resistance and a useful warm-up or conditioning tool at any resistance, because a band travels and a barbell does not. Use it when a rack is not available, or ahead of a heavier squat session to prime the same range without any load.