How squat depth and weight affect muscle use in group exercise
The effect of back squat depth and load on lower body muscle activity in group exercise participants
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at how deep you squat and how much weight you use affects which muscles work harder during squats in a group fitness class.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 526 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at how deep you squat and how much weight you use affects which muscles work harder during squats in a group fitness class.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 526 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Publication
Authors
O'Neill KE, Psycharakis SG
Related Content
Claims (4)
Your quads work hard during squats no matter how heavy the weight, but your glutes really kick in only when the weights are heavy or you're almost too tired to keep going.
For women doing squats in BODYPUMP classes, how deep they squat and how heavy the weight don’t affect each other when it comes to which muscles are working — each factor works on its own.
Women doing Les Mills workouts get more muscle activation in their quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves when they squat deeper (90 degrees) compared to a more shallow squat (125 degrees).
For women doing Les Mills BODYPUMP, using heavier weights (about 38% of your body weight) in squats makes certain leg muscles work harder than using lighter weights (23% of your body weight).