Squat Hold

Muscles worked by the Squat Hold

Primary

GlutesGluteus MaximusQuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Secondary

AdductorsHip AdductorsLower BackErector SpinaeGlute MediusGluteus MediusHamstringsHamstring Muscles

Also called: glute, glutes, gluteus maximus, buttocks, butt, quad.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Squat Hold

1. Stand with the feet shoulder-width apart and the toes turned slightly out.
2. Reach the arms straight forward to counterbalance.
3. Squat down until the thighs are parallel to the floor, keeping the chest up and the heels down.
4. Hold the position, keeping the knees in line with the toes.
5. Stand up to finish.

Form tips

• Keep the weight through the middle of the feet and the heels on the floor.
• Do not let the knees cave in or the back round.
• Build the hold time gradually and rest when the thighs begin to shake.

At a glance

Squat Hold in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Banded Squat
• Barbell Back Squat
• Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat
• Bodyweight Squat
• Box Squat
• Bulgarian Split Squat
• Deep Squat Hold
• Dumbbell Front Squat

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "squat-hold",
  "name_en": "Squat Hold",
  "name_de": "Kniebeuge-Halt",
  "name_es": "Sentadilla Isométrica",
  "description_en": "A static squat held with the thighs about parallel to the floor and the arms reaching forward for balance. It builds endurance in the quadriceps and glutes without equipment.",
  "description_de": "Eine statische Kniebeuge, bei der die Oberschenkel etwa parallel zum Boden gehalten werden und die Arme zum Gleichgewicht nach vorn gestreckt sind. Sie baut ohne Geräte Ausdauer in Quadrizeps und Gesäß auf.",
  "description_es": "Una sentadilla estática en la que se mantienen los muslos aproximadamente paralelos al suelo y los brazos estirados al frente para mantener el equilibrio. Desarrolla resistencia en los cuádriceps y los glúteos sin equipo.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "static",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "body_part": "upper_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "adductors",
    "erector_spinae",
    "gluteus_medius",
    "hamstrings"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "endurance",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "leg_day",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "shoulder_safe",
    "no_axial_load"
  ],
  "variation_group": "squat",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand with the feet shoulder-width apart and the toes turned slightly out.",
    "Reach the arms straight forward to counterbalance.",
    "Squat down until the thighs are parallel to the floor, keeping the chest up and the heels down.",
    "Hold the position, keeping the knees in line with the toes.",
    "Stand up to finish."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Steh schulterbreit, die Zehen leicht nach außen gedreht.",
    "Streck die Arme zum Ausbalancieren gerade nach vorn.",
    "Geh in die Kniebeuge, bis die Oberschenkel parallel zum Boden sind, die Brust oben und die Fersen am Boden.",
    "Halte die Position und die Knie in Linie mit den Zehen.",
    "Steh zum Abschluss auf."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Colócate de pie con los pies a la anchura de los hombros y las puntas ligeramente hacia fuera.",
    "Estira los brazos rectos al frente como contrapeso.",
    "Baja en sentadilla hasta que los muslos queden paralelos al suelo, con el pecho erguido y los talones apoyados.",
    "Mantén la posición, con las rodillas en línea con las puntas de los pies.",
    "Ponte de pie para terminar."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Keep the weight through the middle of the feet and the heels on the floor.",
    "Do not let the knees cave in or the back round.",
    "Build the hold time gradually and rest when the thighs begin to shake."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte das Gewicht über der Mitte der Füße und die Fersen am Boden.",
    "Lass die Knie nicht einknicken und den Rücken nicht rund werden.",
    "Steigere die Haltezeit nach und nach und ruh dich aus, wenn die Oberschenkel zu zittern beginnen."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Reparte el peso por el centro de los pies y mantén los talones en el suelo.",
    "No dejes que las rodillas se vayan hacia dentro ni que la espalda se redondee.",
    "Aumenta el tiempo de mantenimiento poco a poco y descansa cuando los muslos empiecen a temblar."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "main": "images/flat/squat-hold-main.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "squat-hold");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.