Bodyweight Squat
72
/100
Best when...
- You need something you can do near your desk without much setup.
- You feel stiff from sitting and want to undo desk posture quickly.
- Your energy is dipping and you want a more activating break.
Not ideal when...
- You want a nearly effortless reset that will not elevate breathing much.
Pairs well with...
a chest-opening or shoulder reset after long sitting
Better than X when...
Longer break routines when you only have 60 seconds and need immediate value.
Office-clothes alternative
Sit-to-Stand or Wall Push-Up are easy alternatives when you want something even more office-friendly.
Compound movement primarily engaging quadriceps, gluteals, hamstrings
MET 5 (measured), 1.4x walking
Joint ROM: 85%, posture benefit: 70%
Can be performed at or near a desk
quadriceps
gluteals
hamstrings
erector spinae
calves
rectus abdominis
for 10 reps · roughly 0.7 min of brisk walking for a 70 kg person
72
5 reps
72
10 reps
72
15 reps
72
20 reps
72
30 reps
“Bodyweight Squat scores 72/100, driven by strong muscular demand. Suitable for a desk break.”
- Metabolic cost varies with body weight and fitness level
- mobility value, desk practicality are estimated, not directly measured
Measured (4)
- MET value
- quadriceps activation
- gluteals activation
- hamstrings activation
Derived (4)
- erector spinae activation
- rectus abdominis activation
- calves activation
- caloric expenditure
Modeled (3)
- joint ROM
- posture correction
- desk practicality
2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A Third Update of the Activity Codes and MET Values
Barbara E. Ainsworth, William L. Haskell, ... et al.
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2024)
Primary source for MET values across all exercises
Electromyographic activity in the gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and rectus femoris during the Monopodal Squat, Forward Lunge and Lateral Step-Up exercises
José M. Muyor, Isabel Martín-Fuentes, ... José A. Antequera-Vique
PLOS ONE (2020) · Vol. 15(4) · pp. e0230841
EMG activation data for squats, lunges, step-ups, and deadlifts