The Pile Squat

Video

Use the Pile Squat today and start strengthening your legs for the future.

The Pile Squat uses a similar stance to the pliè and sumo squat. Both of these variations have your feet in a unique position.

Your feet will be pointing outwards away from your body. You will use a wide stance and point the feet outwards by approximately 30 degrees.

This article will cover how you do the exercise with proper form. It will include a video and image example with a step by step description on how to perform it.

The muscles worked, its difficulty level, equipment required, and the benefits when you use it in your training routine. It also includes some training tips to make sure you do not make some of the more common mistakes.

Pile Squat How to Guide

Image Example

Step by Step Description

Step 1: Grab a dumbbell at its base with both of your hands and stand up with a slight bend in your knees and your arms extended between your legs.

Step 2: Move your feet, so they get positioned with a wider than shoulder width stance. Angle your toes outwards away from your body by 30 to 45 degrees. You are now in the starting position.

Step 3: Inhale and slowly push your hips back and bend at your knees lowering your body. Continue lowering until your thighs are parallel with the floor.

Step 4: Exhale and use the heels of your feet to press your body back up to the standing position.

Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Muscles Worked

Pile Squats have a primary focus on your Quadriceps.

The secondary muscles involved in this lift are your Hamstrings, Glutes, and the Calves.

When using a dumbbell or kettlebell your core will also be an active part of this lift.

Difficulty Level

Performing the Pile Squat is quite simple. It is a beginner level exercise.

Equipment Required

In the beginning, as you are learning the correct form it is best only to use your body weight. This is going to be essentially a sumo squat.

Once you have the movement down, you will need either a dumbbell or a kettlebell to do the Pile Squat.

Weighted clothing is another useful piece of equipment you can use to help increase the difficulty of the exercise.

Benefits

The action is simple to learn and when performed correctly has a low injury rate.

Pile Squats will increase the size and strength of your lower body.

The wide stance position used will put extra focus on the muscles in your inner thighs compared to other squat variations.

It also works out your core. When holding a dumbbell to perform the exercise your core muscles are activated to keep your upper body straight.

Training Tips

If you lack flexibility in your ankles, it will affect your ability to perform this exercise correctly.

You can try to place your heels onto two small blocks. If the floor limits your range of motion preventing your knees from reaching a 90-degree bend, you should use a platform. Aerobic steps get commonly used as a platform for your feet.

Keep your shoulders pulled back and down while pushing your chest out.

DO NOT Lean forward (adds stress to your lower back) or allow your knees to go past your toes (places higher pressure onto the knee ligaments) when performing this lift.

Inclosing

Squatting is one of the most useful exercises there is.

While squatting will mainly focus on your lower body, it will also help you to create total body strength.

The Pile Squat is another way to help add some variety to your squatting routine.

If you want to use this exercise for a specific time duration, use our Free Online Exercise Timer and set your active time, rest time and the number of rounds you will do.

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