01Foundation
10 sit-to-stands from a chair, no hands
The eleven tests / Squat
Test 03 of 11 · Strength
The squat test, and what depth actually means
The rule. Hip crease below the top of the knee, heels flat, chest up. If you cannot reach depth yet, that is a mobility problem, see the deep squat hold, not a strength problem.
Two different men fail this test for two opposite reasons. One cannot produce the force. The other has plenty of force and cannot get into the position. Sorting out which one you are decides everything about what you train next.
The four rungs
Find yourself on one of these.
Your level on this test is the highest rung you can hold cleanly today. Not the one you could hit on a good day five years ago.
02Working
20 bodyweight squats to depth
03Strong
10 goblet squats · 24 kg / 53 lb
04Standard
20 goblet squats · 32 kg / 70 lb
Where it goes wrong
The two that cost people a rung.
Mistake 01
Heels lifting to find depth
The moment the heels come up, the test is measuring your ankles, not your legs. Heels flat is part of the standard. If they will not stay down, the deep squat hold is the test to work on first.
Mistake 02
Counting a quarter squat
Hip crease below the top of the knee, and nothing shallower counts. Film it from the side once. Most people are three or four inches higher than they believe they are.
Moving up
How to earn the next rung.
- 01
Sit-to-stands, no hands
From a normal chair, no arms, no momentum. Ten of those is the Foundation rung and a genuinely useful thing to own on its own.
- 02
Add depth before adding weight
Twenty bodyweight squats to real depth comes before a single loaded rep. Loading a shallow squat just makes the shallow squat stronger.
- 03
One bell, held at the chest
The goblet position keeps the chest up and the spine honest, which is why it is the loaded version in this standard rather than a barbell on the back.
What this test needs
The kit that helps with this one.
Links go to Amazon and a purchase through one pays me a small commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what gets recommended. The full list, with what each piece is actually for, is on the gear page.
Before you ask
Two questions that come up every time.
How many squats should a 50 year old do?
Twenty bodyweight squats to real depth is the Working rung. Ten goblet squats at 24 kilos is Strong. Below that, ten sit-to-stands from a chair with no hands is a real and useful starting point.
Are deep squats bad for the knees after 50?
Depth itself is not the problem. Depth you have not earned is. Build the range with the deep squat hold before you load it, and the knee gets stronger rather than sorer.
Going deeper on this one: One Bell, Three Lifts
Read about itOn the channel
Watch the squat tested at every rung.
What Foundation looks like next to Standard, filmed from the side so the form is actually visible. Every one of the eleven gets its own video.