The squat is one of the most well recognised resistance training exercises. And rightly so because of the huge array of benefits, for instance, improved athletic performance, increased injury resilience and improved function in aging populations.

But here are 10 variations of the squat you may not have heard of…

1 - Zercher Squat

• Attach a Bar Pad to a Barbell and un-rack it between your biceps and forearm, squeezing the bar secure by pointing your fists to the sky.

• Stand tall with your feet shoulder width apart, facing slightly out (10 and 2 on a clockface)

• Sit between your knees until your hip crease is below parallel, keeping your fists to the sky to secure the barbell, and stand back up again

Key Benefits

The unique rack position forces you to brace and create a strong trunk, which is often neglected in the traditional squat, making the Zercher Squat a perfect core exercise to improve postural strength and induce muscle hypertrophy in your core muscles.

2 - Single Leg Squat to Box

• Stand upright, on one foot, with your standing foot’s heel up against a Plyo Box and your other foot raised off the floor.

• Sit down on the box, keeping your chest proud and your hands out in front.

• Drive the floor away to stand back up with the working leg.

• Keep your shoulders and hips level throughout.

• Start without weight and slowing add weight with a kettlebell held in a goblet position.

Key Benefits

This isolates one leg as a time, reducing side-to-side strength imbalances, targeting the quadriceps, without a requirement for lower body mobility.

3 - Skater Squat

• Stand upright, with the heel of one of your feet against a Drop Pad and the other bent and behind you.

• Squat down, keeping your chest proud and hands out in front for balance, until your back knee touches the drop pad.

• Drive the floor away to stand back up with the working leg, keeping your hips and shoulders level throughout.

Key Benefits

The skater squat works you through high levels of hip flexion, challenging the hip musculature, without needing heavy weights.

4 - Pistol Squat

• Stand on one leg, with the other out in front.

• Drop your bum straight down, thinking about ‘sitting on your standing heel’, driving your knee past your toes.

• Drive the floor away to stand back up.

Key Benefits

This targets the quadriceps and knee joint, making them strong and more resilient, making it a great functional exercise for runners. Note: This is an advanced exercise and so try mastering the skater squat and single leg squat to box first.

5 - Trap Bar Squat

• Stand in the centre of a Trap Bar.

• Sit between your knees to squat down to it, until your hands are on the handles.

• Stand back up with the barbell and continue multiple reps with the trap bar in your hands

Key Benefits

The trap bar squat allows you to squat heavy even if you struggle with upper body mobility. It is also useful if you do not have access to a squat rack.

6 - Kang Squat

• Perform a barbell Good Morning, but with your feet in a squat stance, pushing your bum back to the wall behind you.

• Sit down from the Good Morning position into a deep squat.

• Reverse this movement to finish the exercise.

Key Benefits

The Kang squat is great for improving lower body hamstring and hip mobility under load, making it a diverse and effective mobility exercise.

7 - 1.5 Rep Squat

• Stand upright, with a barbell across your traps and feet just outside shoulder width, facing slightly outwards (10 and 2 on a clock face).

• Sit between your knees until your hips are below your knees.

• Stand back up until in a half squat position, before sitting back into your bottom position.

• Stand up full to complete the rep.

Key Benefits

A common issue in the squat is the hips and shoulders rising and falling at a different rate. The time under tension and extra half rep helps to work on this by exposing the issue to the squatter.

8 - Cossack Squat

• Stand in an extra wide position, with feet facing forwards.

• Sit down on the inside of you right leg, pivoting around the heel of your left leg.

• Drive the floor away with your right leg to finish the rep.

• Repeat on the other side.

• Start without weight and gradually add weight with kettlebells in a front rack position

Key Benefits

The Cossack squat biases one leg at a time, while improving the strength and mobility of the adductor of the opposite leg, which can be a limiting factor in squat depth.

9 - Pin Squat

• Set the pins on a Power Rack at a ½ squat or ¼ height.

• Un-rack the bar like a normal back squat, standing with your feet just outside shoulder width apart, facing slightly outwards (10 and 2 on a clock face).

• Sit between your knees until the bar sits on the pins.

• Pause for 1-5 seconds, before standing back up.

Key Benefits

The pin squat takes the ‘bounce’/power element portion out of the squat, targeting pure strength adaptations. This is perfect for a very quick and powerful athlete that lacks raw strength.

10 - Barbell and Chain Resistance Squat

• Load a barbell with 80% plates resistance and Chain resistance.

• Un-rack the bar like a traditional back squat, held tight across your traps, standing feet just outside shoulder width apart, facing slightly outwards (10 and 2 on a clock face)

• Sit between your knees until your hip crease is below your knees, then stand back up to complete the rep.

Key Benefits

The chain resistance creates a variable resistance, whereby the load gets heavier as more chain links are lifted off the floor. This means the weight gets heavier the closer you get to the top of the lift, where it would normally get easier, forcing you to work hard throughout the full lift.

Add these lesser-known squat variations to your training plan to take your training to the next level and get every ounce out of your time in the gym! Remember, with single-leg variations, target your weaker side first, matching your effort with your stronger side, so that you are working to reduce imbalances instead of contributing to them.

You can read our complete guide to squat racks here, or learn how to perform a Zercher squat.

Written by guest author Ewan Hammond

For more content, follow us on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and on our official Mirafit Facebook page.

Tags: Equipment > Bars & Weight Plates ; Exercise Type > Conditioning ; Misc > Workout