The squat is one of the biggest bang for your buck exercises for developing lower body strength and one that we perform throughout the day every time we sit down and stand up. But despite this, it is still a movement that people struggle to perform confidently. The issue is often poor ankle dorsiflexion and a lack of forward knee movement. This means that squat depth is very limited due to the inability to stack our centre of mass over our base of support in a deep squat. A great way to work on this is to include cyclist squats in your training.

What is a Cyclist Squat?

A cyclist squats is a variation of squat that encourages more work from the quads, and less on the hips, low back and adductors than a regular squat. It does this by having the feet together, to reduce the work of the adductors, and placing a ramp under the heels to increase ankle dorsiflexion and knee flexion, which places more stress on the quads. 

Bodyweight Cyclist Squat - Step By Step

• Stand on a squat ramp, with your feet together, torso upright and arms reaching forward.

• Start the descent portion of your squat by bending at the knees and hips at the same time.

• Once past parallel, push your knees even further forward, tucking your bum under your body as if trying to sit on top of your Achilles.

• Push the floor away to stand back up, with your shoulders and hips rising at the same rate until you are back to the start position.

• When you've mastered the bodyweight version you can perform this holding a kettlebell or Medicine Ball with Handles in a goblet position or as a barbell back cyclist squat. You can also use go to the Weights Set and hold one or two dumbbells by your side, or use them to try an advanced overhead cyclist squat.

Cyclist Squat - Benefits

• Improved squat depth - particularly for people with poor ankle mobility and/or long femurs.

• Greater quadricep bias - compared to other squat variations due to the greater knee flexion. This makes it a great exercise if you are looking to grow your anterior leg muscles.

• Strengthens your knees - for those with weaker knees, exercises that force you to load your knees more over time are very beneficial. So, if you need to strengthen your knees, opting for a cyclist squat may be helpful.

If you struggle with reaching full depth in the Gym Half Rack, or even just with the strength of your quads, be sure to add a variety of cyclist squats into your training. Remember, when it comes to building muscle with squats, the more depth, the better, so as you progress in weight and intensity week to week, strive to continue squatting deep, because that’s where the gains are!

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Tags: Exercise Type > Strength