The wall squat is one of my favorite exercises for both assessment and warm up work.
Sometimes people don’t realize how much compensation they use during a squat until you take away the ability to lean forward. The wall gives immediate feedback and forces you to work on control, balance, and positioning.
All you need is a wall and a willingness to put yourself into a difficult position.
Stand facing the wall with the feet about shoulder width apart. Hands can stay overhead or in front depending on mobility and control. From there, squat down slowly while trying to maintain balance and position without falling backwards or driving into the wall.
The goal is not to force depth at all costs. The goal is to improve control and awareness of position throughout the movement.
This is a great exercise before:
Squatting
Olympic lifting
Lower body workouts
Movement prep sessions
It can also be used after training as a light positional stretch or movement reset.
Typical use:
2–3 sets
2–5 controlled reps
This exercise gives immediate feedback on:
ankle mobility
hip control
torso position
balance
squat mechanics
Sometimes the most frustrating positions are the ones that expose exactly what needs improvement.
The wall squat is one of my favorite exercises for both assessment and warm up work.
Sometimes people don’t realize how much compensation they use during a squat until you take away the ability to lean forward. The wall gives immediate feedback and forces you to work on control, balance, and positioning.
All you need is a wall and a willingness to put yourself into a difficult position.
Stand facing the wall with the feet about shoulder width apart. Hands can stay overhead or in front depending on mobility and control. From there, squat down slowly while trying to maintain balance and position without falling backwards or driving into the wall.
The goal is not to force depth at all costs. The goal is to improve control and awareness of position throughout the movement.
This is a great exercise before:
It can also be used after training as a light positional stretch or movement reset.
Typical use:
This exercise gives immediate feedback on:
Sometimes the most frustrating positions are the ones that expose exactly what needs improvement.