Squat Development – A Universal Progression for Novice to Professional Athletes

by Mateusz Nowak, PhD, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
Personal Training Quarterly November 2025
Vol 12, Issue 2

Share:

The purpose of this article is to present alternative ways of teaching squat technique, which for personal trainers could be fully or partially used in a fast and flexible way.

Paywall block issue

This article is not configured properly for members or paid content.
isMemberOnly: {{isMemberOnly}} | isPaidContent: {{isPaidContent}}
spc: One or more parts of the product SPC is missing.

Read the full article

View the video

Login to view more


{{discountDesc}} Valid thru {{discountEnds}}

This {{ogType == 'video.other' ? 'video':'article'}} is available with a NSCA membership

This {{ogType == 'video.other' ? 'video':'article'}} can be purchased for {{prices}}
Price includes membership pricing and promotions

Purchase this {{ogType == 'video.other' ? 'video':'article'}}. Price range: {{prices}}
Price range includes membership pricing and promotions

Become a Member Add to Cart Login

This article originally appeared in Personal Training Quarterly (PTQ)—a quarterly publication for NSCA Members designed specifically for the personal trainer. Discover easy-to-read, research-based articles that take your training knowledge further with Nutrition, Programming, and Personal Business Development columns in each quarterly, electronic issue. Read more articles from PTQ »

Related Reading

Aquilar, AJ, Distefano, LJ, Brown, CN, Herman, DC, Guskiewicz, KM, Padua, DA. A dynamic warm-up model increases quadriceps strength and hamstring flexibility. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 26(4): 1130-1141, 2012.

Comfort, P, Bullock, N, and Pearson, SJ. A comparison of maximal squat strength and 5-, 10-, and 20-meter sprint times, in athletes and recreationally trained men. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 26(4): 937-940, 2012

Gorsuch, J, Long, J, Miller, K, Primeau, K, Rudledge, S, Sossong, A, and Durocher, JJ. The effect of squat depth on multiarticular muscle activation in collegiate cross-country runners. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 27(9): 2619-2625, 2013.

Herman, SL, and Smith, DT. Four-week dynamic stretching warm-up intervention elicits longer-term performance benefits. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 22(4): 1286-1297, 2008.

List, R, Gülay, T, Stoop, M, and Lorenzetti, S. Kinematics of the trunk and the lower extremities during restricted and unrestricted squats. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 27(6): 1529-1538, 2013.

Schoenfeld, BJ, and Contreras, B. Attentional focus for maximizing muscle development: The mind-muscle connection. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 38(1): 27-29, 2016.

Schoenfeld, BJ. Squatting kinematics and kinetics and their application to exercise performance. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 24(12): 3497-3506, 2010.

Styles, WJ, Matthews, MJ, and Comfort P. Effects of strength training on squat and sprint performance in soccer players. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 30(6): 1534-1539, 2016.

 

Share:

REFERENCES

1. Adelsberger, R, and Tröster, G. Effects of stretching and warmup routines on stability and balance during weight-lifting: A pilot investigation. BMC Research Notes 7: 938, 2014.
2. Aquilar, AJ, Distefano, LJ, Brown, CN, Herman, DC, Guskiewicz, KM, Padua, DA. A dynamic warm-up model increases quadriceps strength and hamstring flexibility. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 26(4): 1130-1141, 2012.
3. Bishop, D. Warm up II: performance changes following active warm up and how to structure the warm up. Sports Medicine Journal 33(7): 483-498, 2003.
4. Boyce, BA. Beyond show and tell - Teaching the feel of the movement. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance 62(1): 18-20, 1991.
5. Brumitt, J, and Cuddefort T. Current concepts of muscle and tendon adaptation to strength and conditioning. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy 10(6): 748-759, 2015.
6. Comfort, P, Bullock, N, and Pearson, SJ. A comparison of maximal squat strength and 5-, 10-, and 20-meter sprint times, in athletes and recreationally trained men. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 26(4): 937-940, 2012.
7. Cormie, P, McGuigan, MR, Newton, RU. Adaptations in athletic performance after ballistic power versus strength training. Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 42(8): 1582-1598, 2010.
8. Dounskaia, N. The strategy of human movement control and teaching motor skills in norm and pathology. Journal of Motor Behavior 56(1): 103-107, 2024.
9. Endo, Y, Miura, M, and Sakamoto, M. The relationship between the deep squat movement and the hip, knee and ankle range of motion and muscle strength. Journal of Physical Therapy Science
10. Gorsuch, J, Long, J, Miller, K, Primeau, K, Rudledge, S, Sossong, A, and Durocher, JJ. The effect of squat depth on multiarticular muscle activation in collegiate cross-country runners. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 27(9): 2619-2625, 2013.
11. Grahn, JA, Parkinson, JA, and Owen, AM. The cognitive functions of the caudate nucleus. Progress in Neurobiology Journal 86(3): 141-155, 2008.
12. Herman, SL, and Smith, DT. Four-week dynamic stretching warm-up intervention elicits longer-term performance benefits. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 22(4): 1286-1297, 2008.
13. Hughes, DC, Ellefsen, S, and Baar, K. Adaptations to endurance and strength training. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine Published 8(6): a029769, 2018.
14. Kitamura, T, Kido, A, Ishida, Y, Kobayashi, Y, Tsukamoto, S, and Tanka Y. Muscle activity pattern with a shifted center of pressure during the squat exercise. Journal of Sport Science and Medicine 18(2): 248-252, 2019.
15. Kraemer, WJ, and Ratamees, AJ. Fundamentals of resistance training: progression and exercise prescription. Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 36(4): 674-688, 2004.
16. Lieber, RL, Roberts, TJ, Blemker, SS, Lee, SSM, and Herzog, W. Skeletal muscle mechanics, energetics and plasticity. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation 14(1): 108, 2017.
17. List, R, Gülay, T, Stoop, M, and Lorenzetti, S. Kinematics of the trunk and the lower extremities during restricted and unrestricted squats. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 27(6): 1529-1538, 2013.
18. Lloyd, RS, Faigenbaum, AD, Stone, MH, Oliver, JL, Jeffreys, I, Moody, JA, et al. Position statement on youth resistance training: The 2014 International Consensus. British Journal of Sport Medicine 48(7): 498-505, 2014.
19. Longpré, HS, Acker, SM, and Maly, MR. Muscle activation and knee biomechanics during squatting and lunging after lower extremity fatigue in healthy young women. Journal of Elektromyography and Kinesiology 25(1): 40-46, 2015.
20. Martínez-Gómez, R, Valenzuela, PA, Barranco-Gil, D, MoralGonzález, S, García-González, A, and Lucia, A. Full-squat as a determinant of performance in CrossFit. International Journal of Sports Medicine 40(9): 592-596, 2019.
21. McGown, CJ, Pyne, DB, Thompson, GK, and Rattray, B. Warmup strategies for sport and exercise: mechanisms and applications. Sports Medicine Journal 45(11): 1523-1546, 2015.
22. Myer, GD, Kushner, AM, Brent, JL, Shoenfeld, BJ, Hugnetobler, J, Lloyd, RS, et al. The back squat: A proposed assessment of functional deficits and technical factors that limit performance. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 36(6): 4-27, 2015. 23. Rozina, B, Gaugler, JE, and Felts, J. Consensus definition of muscle tightness from multidisciplinary perspectives. Journal of Nursing Research 69(2): 109-115, 2020.
24. Schoenfeld, BJ, and Contreras, B. Attentional focus for maximizing muscle development: The mind-muscle connection. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 38(1): 27-29, 2016.
25. Schoenfeld, BJ, and Grgic, J. Effects of range of motion on muscle development during resistance training interventions: A systematic review. SAGE Open Medicine 2020.
26. Schoenfeld, BJ. Squatting kinematics and kinetics and their application to exercise performance. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 24(12): 3497-3506, 2010.
27. Shariat, A, Lam, ETC, Shaw, BS, Shaw, I, Kargarfard, M, and Sangelaji, B. Impact of back squat training intensity on strength and flexibility of hamstring muscle group. Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation 30(3): 641-647, 2017.
28. Styles, WJ, Matthews, MJ, and Comfort P. Effects of strength training on squat and sprint performance in soccer players. Journal Strength and Conditioning Research 30(6): 1534-1539, 2016.
29. Tanaka, M, Kunimatsu, J, Suzuki, WT, Kameda, M, Ohmae, S, Uematsu, A, and Takeya, R. Roles of the cerebellum in motor preparation and prediction of timing. Neuroscience Journal 462: 220-234, 2021.
30. Tikkanen, O, Haakana, P, Pesola, AJ, Häkkinen, K, Rantalainen, T, Havu, M, et al. Muscle activity and inactivity periods during normal daily life. PLoS One 2013.
31. You, E, Caderby, T, and Hussein, T. Adaptability of anticipatory postural adjustments associated with voluntary movement. World Journal of Orthopedics 3(6): 75-86, 2012.
32. Zmijewski, P, Lipinska, P, Czajkowska, A, Mróz, A, Kapuściński, P, and Mazurek, K. Acute effects of a static vs. a dynamic stretching warm-up on repeated-sprint performance in female handball players. Journal of Human Kinetics 72(1): 161-172, 2020. 

 

About the author

Mateusz Sebastian Nowak, PhD, CSCS, NSCA-CPT

Contact Mateusz Nowak

Contact Mateusz Nowak

Your first name is required.
Your last name is required.
Your email is required.
Your message is required.
Your reCaptcha is required.

Your email was successfully sent to Mateusz Nowak

Mateusz Nowak is a theory of sport specialist and motor learning training coach with more than 15 years of practical experience working with professio ...

View full biography

has been added to your shopping cart!

Continue Shopping Checkout Now

Dash

By using our chat you consent to your data collected by us and our chat provider, BettyBot.ai


Full Page Experience Privacy Policy