7 squat variations to try

Published: 2018-12-30
(Last updated 2024-12-30)

Bored of regular squats (shame on you) or just feel you need some variation to help them progress? I’m here to help. In this article we take a look at some squat variations I make use of for athletes and lifters.

Front squat

Being a former Olympic weightlifter and trained in Bulgaria on top of that I’ve done my fair share of front squats but they’re not only for weightlifters. The front squat is a tremendous exercise for, well, just about anyone! For powerlifters it's a great squat variation and for folks who just want to be strong for life I actually favor it over the regular squat.

I prefer doing it with a clean grip but there are some who just don’t have the mobility for it and in that case you can do it with arms crossed (like you will see most bodybuilders do) or with straps.

One of the benefits of the front squat is it teaches you to keep your torso upright. You have no choice, not doing so will make you drop the bar. It’s also a safe squat to fail in. You don’t want to get pinned at the bottom in a regular squat but if you can’t get up in the front squat you let go of the bar.

When doing the front squat with a clean grip you should always try to keep your elbows high. By far the most common mistake in non-weightlifters (and beginning weightlifters for that matter) is that they let the elbows come down and round the upper back. That puts all the strain in all the wrong places. You want to always keep your elbows high. At first you probably need to cue this every set until it becomes automatic. Coming out of the hole you want to focus on driving your chest upwards, this will help keeping an upright torso.

MOBILITY: Is your mobility lacking? Try these two things. Have the bar in the stand and get under it like you're going to unrack it but don't. Have someone hold the bar down on the rack and come up with their shoulders under your elbows, pushing them up. It will not be comfortable but it will help. The second thing to try is doing front squats with straps like you would use straps in deadlifts or any other exercises. Do not do this in your top sets, only for warmup!

I've taken so many 1 rep max attempts in front squats it's not even funny. An Olympic weightlifter need to constantly push it! Regular gym rats don't have that need and for them I tend to stay around 3-5 reps with occasional forays into higher territories. Same for powerlifters. Going very high in the reps is typically harder than in regular squats because you can't afford to bend over or lose form.

Box squat

The box squat is a tremendous exercise to further strengthen your hips. Note that when I’m talking about the box squat I’m not talking about the following two exercises:

The one where you squat down, touch a box and stand up. I refer to that as “squat to box” and rarely if ever prescribe it.
The one where you ram your ass down to the box and bounce up. I refer to that as the “stupid as hell squat”.

The second point is of major importance, it will absolutely wreck your spine so don’t do it! You must pay the utmost attention to sitting on the box with control. As for the first point, yes, sit on the box, keep your abdominals and upper back tight but actually sit down.

Another common mistake I see is leaning forward and pushing the knees forward when coming up, this must be avoided. You want to focus on standing straight up with the bar almost traveling in a straight line. It will not happen that way but have the intention and you will be on the right path. Standing straight up makes sure the load is placed more on the posterior chain which is what we want in this lift.

A lot has been said about the box squat due in large to the way Westside Barbell use it. Some claim it only works for geared powerlifters, some are under the impression that you must sit far back and have an ultra-wide stance. Neither is true. The box squat has been around for a long time, way before Westside Barbell and powerlifting gear so rest assured that it will make you stronger.

If my plans say "box squat" and nothing else it actually means your squat should be at around parallel when sitting on the box. Incidentally it often works out to be around the height of a regular powerlifting bench so it’s no surprise that an alternative word for the box squat back in the day was “bench squat”.

Low and high box squat

“Low box squat” is what I write in my plans when the box is to be below parallel. In this case I will almost always suggest using the athlete use their regular squat stance. I like to low box squats these after using a higher box. I got this idea from the OG Westside club in Culver City. (Not Louie's club.)

The high box squat is another exercise I sometimes use, albeit a bit less. In this case the box is placed such that your squat is above parallel. “But in powerlifting competitions I squat lower” I can already hear you say and I say… So? The purpose of the high box squat is to overload and strengthen certain muscle. You don’t do rows in competition either but I certainly hope you do them in training! High box squats can build tremendous hip strength.

Both high and low box squats have their purposes but the regular box, or bench squat at around parallel is usually the ticket for me. For powerlifter competitors I do see the value of a lower box and not so much of a higher but I'm biased by training people in federations where they actually need to squat deep and without gear. In both high box squats and regular box squats I usually suggest a wider stance than normal. Unsurprisingly I have noticed a high carryover to sumo deadlifters with this stance but even my conventional pullers do it on a fairly regular basis.

Fatigue from reps can be a hazard in all kinds of box squats and make the lifter sloppy and crash on the box so I suggest keeping the reps low.

No no no squat

Unless you’re a competitive powerlifter this exercise might very well be what you simply refer to as a squat. The no no no squat name comes from an IronMind video of the Bulgarian weightlifter Ivan Chakarov. Search for "Ironmind no no no squat" on the video platform and you'll find it.

Ivan Chakarov squatting 270 kg for a triple. Solid depth. Credit: IronMind

Of course Ivan Chakarov always squatted like that. The name stands for “no belt, no wraps, no spotters” but the way I mean it is simply don’t use gear. With gear I’m not talking about a squat suit, I’m talking about belt and sleeves. I first started using it when I saw that one of my raw powerlifters was very weak without her raw gear, not even being able to handle 80% of her maxes without belt and sleeves. To me this was unacceptable so I immediately put her on a high dose no no no squats and guess what, her squat improved.

This is among the most common variations I use for powerlifters, especially if they’re weak without their belt and sleeves. It will have a tremendous effect if you’re having trouble getting out of the hole. I will add that I don’t care if they use spotters or not, the point is getting rid of the gear.

No no no squats can be done using any intensity at any rep range.

Belt squat

In my plans the belt squat is typically done as an accessory after the main squats. You need some special equipment, either a belt squat machine or a belt you can attach weight to. A regular chinning belt works OK but the ones I have tried have been very uncomfortable when loading with significant weight. The belt and loading pin from IronMind is by far the best solution I’ve tried but it will cost you a few bucks. When using a belt you will have to stand on two blocks so the weight can drop down between them to achieve full range of motion.

For belt squats, machine or not, I prefer high reps, around 10-20 for 2-4 sets. It also lends itself to highish frequency, you can easily do it three times per week and watch your legs grow from week to week. A final note, if you have back problems I strongly suggest you give it a go over regular squats. Actually, I think you should give belt squats ago regardless. It's much easier to recover from than heavy squats and I find them useful for just about everyone.

Pin squat

Here’s a fairly uncommon exercise these days. In the pin squat you start with the bar on safety pins, stand up with the weight, go down (carefully) and let the bar rest briefly on the pins before standing up again for the next repetition. You want to make sure that you let the bar come to a dead stop between repetitions instead of “bouncing” it off the pins. You can do it both above and below parallel just as with the box squat. For me the default is below parallel.

It’s a safe way to squat as the pins will save you if you can’t get up. You can also really overload it if you start above parallel. When you start low you will notice that some sets you might not be able to budge the bar off the pins only to rep out with the same weight the next set. This can happen if the setup under the bar isn’t correct. In certain positions you will be a lot weaker than in others. Let that be a lesson to your regular squatting – always strive for perfect position! Speaking of lessons, the pin squat is certainly a lesson in tension, you really want to stay tight before initiating the lift.

With pin squats I tend to keep the reps low, 1-4, although they have at times crept as high as 6. I'd rather focus on more sets than reps in this one. And I'm certainly not adverse to 1 rep max attempts!

Bands and chains

This means hanging chains from the bar, and/or attaching bands to the end of the bar and on the floor. While the idea behind both bands and chains is to change the strength curve and make the lift harder in the strongest position (at the top) the two are actually quite different. The bands pull you down in a way you can’t really understand before you try them while the chains are mostly just there as more weight.

When setting up chains you want to assure that at least one or two links touch the ground even at the top position. This ensure that it doesn’t abruptly change the strength curve and that you won’t have too much balance issues. With bands you want to ensure that you have at least a little tension even at the bottom position for the same reason, you want a smooth increase in resistance.

You can obviously apply bands and chains to any type of squat. In my plans I mainly use them in the regular squat but they’re certainly not a mainstay. When I do I try to avoid failure and keep the reps lowish. 2-4 reps is probably the most common and weights (with the bands and chains calculated into it!) at around 70-90% of 1RM depending on if it's for training speed or strength.

That’s it for now

These are my most commonly prescribed squat variations for powerlifters, athletes or just people who want to get stronger. Try them out and see which works well for you.

Good luck.

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