If you struggle with squats, try the Spanish squat for pain-free lower-body strength development. You don’t need weights or fancy gym equipment, and you could strengthen your legs and glutes and bulletproof your joints against injury.
The Spanish squat demonstration below comes courtesy of Steven Collins, an online health and performance coach and Hyrox specialist. As a personal trainer myself, I’ve used this squat variation with clients and it’s a certified muscle-burner. You just need a set of the best resistance bands and something stable you can wrap them around.
Here’s how to do the Spanish squat, the benefits, and ways to improve your squat game and develop stability without heavy weights.
What is a Spanish squat?
Spanish squats use isometric muscle contractions, meaning you’ll hold a static position without the quads, hip flexors, or hamstrings lengthening or shortening (flexing or extending) like they would during a standard squat. In this case, you’re holding tension in your quads.
Collins explains that Spanish squats help isolate the quads while reinforcing proper knee positioning (without them caving in or excessively turning outward), reducing the strain on your knees. The narrower foot position also helps zone in on one of the largest and most powerful muscle groups — the quads.
“Those quads are placed under huge demands,” explains Collins in his video, posted to social media. “The Spanish squat locks the shin in place, forcing the quads to do all the work.” Collins also says this adaptation should protect the patella and quad tendons.
Given that running can be very quad-dominant (overloading the muscles), yet weak quads can contribute toward knee pain, this squat variation could help runners strengthen their legs and protect against injury.
Collins also explains that the constant tension during Spanish squats has an “analgesic effect,” reducing knee pain for some time after performing the exercise. You can do this before or after running, or during a strength workout, to warm up for weightlifting.
To perform the movement, tie two activation or resistance bands around a squat rack or similar, and step inside them, one leg per band. Place feet roughly hip distance apart, toes forward, then send your hips back to sit into a squat position.
Notice Collins doesn’t sit super low into the squat, but regardless of the depth you choose, keep your back straight and chest proud, lightly engaging your core to keep your torso stable.
With time and practice, you may opt for a thicker band to increase load tolerance. Experiment with how low you can hold the squat. I personally program 30 to 45 seconds, but this depends on ability.
According to Collins, this move has the potential to “boost running efficiency by enhancing muscle activation and stability.” Improving this area of your physical fitness could even translate to other areas, like running, or activities that are knee-dominant, including Hyrox.
