Squat to Bench
Stand with your back to a bench, one foot's length in front of it, feet shoulder-width apart, arms reaching forward. Squat down until your glutes lightly tap the bench, then come back up with your upper body upright.
The squat to bench is a squat with a fixed target. The bench gives you the same depth on every rep, so you always know how far to go down. Your quads and glutes do the main work.
Reaching your arms forward acts as a counterweight and helps you sit back all the way down to the bench. Because the bench sets the depth, most people can do the exercise from day one, and you can add weight gradually from there. Standing up from a seat is a movement you need every single day.
From the studio: Having the bench as a fixed point you keep coming back to also corrects your technique. Holding your arms forward helps keep your upper body upright. That is what I see in the studio.
Starting position
Stand with your back to the bench, exactly one foot's length away from it. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and reach your arms out in front of you.
Now squat down until your glutes tap the bench. Just tap the bench briefly and come straight back up. Keep your upper body upright and your arms out in front.
A chair or a low bench just below knee height works too.
The three cues
- One foot's length from the bench, feet shoulder-width
- Arms forward as a counterweight
- Tap the bench, chest up, stand back up
Common faults
| Fault | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| You sit down on the bench and rest | Tap the bench briefly and come straight back up. |
| You stand too far from the bench, or too close | Stand exactly one foot's length away from the bench. |
| Your upper body tips far forward | Reach your arms forward and keep your upper body upright. |
| Adding weight straight away | Start with your own body weight. Bring in dumbbells once that gets too easy. |
Variations
| Variation | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Bodyweight | One foot's length from the bench, arms forward, every rep taps the bench briefly while your upper body stays upright. Move on once the reps feel easy. |
| Dumbbells on your shoulders | Rest two dumbbells on your shoulders and tap the bench the same way. Increase the weight slowly, one step at a time. |
Reps and load
The exercise is a great way into squatting because the bench sets the depth. With just your body weight, it suits higher reps; with dumbbells, build the weight up slowly.
Once you have the mobility to go deeper, the dumbbell goblet squat is the next step.
Which muscles do the work
| Muscle | Role | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| Quads M. quadriceps femoris | Prime mover | Straighten the knee as you stand up and control the way down to the bench |
| Glutes M. gluteus maximus | Prime mover | Extend the hip as you rise from the bench |
| Adductor magnus M. adductor magnus | Synergist | Helps extend the hip at the bottom |
| Lower back M. erector spinae | Stabiliser | Keeps the upper body upright |
| Abs M. rectus abdominis, Mm. obliqui | Stabiliser | Keep the trunk braced |
| Shoulders M. deltoideus | Stabiliser | Hold the arms forward as a counterweight |
Your quads and glutes do the main work, with the adductor magnus helping at the bottom. The lower the bench, the more your glutes and adductors work. Your back and abs keep your upper body upright.
Ways to do it — on video
The equipment changes, the movement pattern stays the same. What you learn on the cable applies to the band just as much — only the resistance differs.
BodyweightStandard
The standard: arms forward, tap the bench, stand back up.
Dumbbells on the shoulders
Two dumbbells rest on your shoulders, held in place with your hands. Depth and tempo stay the same; only the load goes up. Add this once bodyweight reps get too easy.
Explained in full
Andreas shows the squat to bench with body weight and with dumbbells on the shoulders, and explains how to do it against a chair. · 1:28
Seeing it done right is not the same as doing it right
Video, cues and variations take you a long way. What they cannot give you is an outside eye at the moment the movement isn't quite there yet. That is what training with me is for — in the studio or in a workshop.
See the workshopsNew exercise pages are added all the time — the newsletter keeps you posted.
Sources
Yoshiko A, Watanabe K. (2021). Impact of home-based squat training with two-depths on lower limb muscle parameters and physical functional tests in older adults. Sci Rep 11(1):6855. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86030-7 — A randomised trial in 16 older adults (mean age 69 to 71): 12 weeks of home squats, three times a week, using a chair as the depth target (40 or 60 cm seat height). Both groups improved at standing up from a chair (30-second test) and in leg press strength, including with the higher seat; muscle thickness and walking speed did not change. The basis for using the bench as a depth target and for saying most people can do the exercise from day one. Transfer to 40- to 60-year-olds training 2 to 4 hours a week: limited, with older participants and very high volume. (Evidence type: RCT)
McBride JM, Skinner JW, Schafer PC, Haines TL, Kirby TJ. (2010). Comparison of kinetic variables and muscle activity during a squat vs. a box squat. J Strength Cond Res 24(12):3195–3199. DOI: 10.1519/jsc.0b013e3181f6399a — Compares the squat and box squat in 8 trained men (about 25 years old) at 60 to 80% of maximum. Peak force and peak power were similar overall; front-thigh, hamstring and erector spinae activity was generally slightly higher in the regular squat. The basis for saying the squat to bench fully works the quads and glutes. Transfer: limited, with young, heavily trained men using a barbell. (Evidence type: Biomechanics)
Swinton PA, Lloyd R, Keogh JW, Agouris I, Stewart AD. (2012). A biomechanical comparison of the traditional squat, powerlifting squat, and box squat. J Strength Cond Res 26(7):1805–1816. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182577067 — Compares three squat styles at 30 to 70% of maximum in 12 male powerlifters. In the box squat the shin stayed more vertical, the centre of mass sat further back, and peak spine and ankle moments were lowest. Background on the mechanics of squatting to a bench. Transfer: as a mechanism only, with powerlifters using a very wide stance and a barbell. (Evidence type: Biomechanics)
Glave AP, Olson JM, Applegate DK, Brezzo RD. (2012). The effects of two different arm positions and weight status on select kinematic variables during the bodyweight squat. J Strength Cond Res 26(11):3148–3154. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318243fefb — Measures the bodyweight squat in 28 people, once with the arms reaching forward at shoulder height and once with the arms at the sides. With the arms forward, knee flexion was greater (86.3 vs 80.8 degrees). The basis for saying your arms forward help you sink deeper into the squat. The study says nothing about balance or an upright torso, so Andreas' observation on that is labelled as from the studio. Age not given in the abstract. Transfer: yes for the arm position. (Evidence type: Kinematics)
Kubo K, Ikebukuro T, Yata H. (2019). Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volumes. Eur J Appl Physiol 119(9):1933–1942. DOI: 10.1007/s00421-019-04181-y — A 10-week study in 17 men training deep versus half squats twice a week (MRI). The quads grew similarly in both groups (+4.9% vs +4.6%); the glutes (+6.7% vs +2.2%) and adductors (+6.2% vs +2.7%) grew more with deep squats. The basis for the muscle table and for saying the lower the bench, the more your glutes and adductors work. Transfer: limited, with men using a barbell; the training frequency suits limited training time. (Evidence type: RCT)
A note on context: EMG studies show which muscles an exercise recruits — that is a good reason to pick it, but it does not replace adjusting things to the person in front of you. See a doctor for persistent or severe pain.