Weighted Counter-Balance Squat
Counter-Balance Squats improve your squat form. The weight helps you sit back and stay balanced!
The Weighted Counter-Balance Squat is a compound exercise that mainly works the quads and glutes & hips, with help from the core. You'll need: weight plates.
Required Equipment
Weighted Counter-Balance Squat Muscles Worked
Primary
Quads (quadriceps femoris); Glutes (gluteus maximus)
Secondary
Abdominals (rectus abdominis); Obliques
Weighted Counter-Balance Squat Variations and Alternatives
How to do the Weighted Counter-Balance Squat
Instructions for Weighted Counterbalanced Squat:
Position: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a weight plate with both hands at chest level. The weight acts as a counterbalance.
Engage core: Keep your back straight and chest up.
Initiate squat: Push your hips back and bend your knees, lowering your body as if sitting back into a chair.
Maintain balance: Keep the weight plate extended in front; this helps balance your body as you lower down.
Lower down: Squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor, or as low as you can go comfortably with good form.
Lift up: Push through the heels of your feet and use your leg and glute muscles to return to the starting position.
Control movement: Keep the weight plate steady and ensure your knees do not bow inward or outward.
Repeat: Perform the desired number of repetitions and sets.
Tip: Always warm up before starting your workout and use a weight that allows maintaining proper form. If new to the exercise, consider using no weight initially to master the movement.
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Weighted Counter-Balance Squat FAQs
What muscles does the Weighted Counter-Balance Squat work?
The Weighted Counter-Balance Squat mainly works the quads and glutes & hips, with help from the core. The main muscles are the quadriceps femoris and gluteus maximus.
What equipment do you need for the Weighted Counter-Balance Squat?
Weight plates.
Is the Weighted Counter-Balance Squat a compound exercise?
Yes. It's a compound movement, meaning it trains several muscle groups at once rather than isolating one.
What workout day should the Weighted Counter-Balance Squat go on?
It belongs on leg day in a push/pull/legs routine.
What are some Weighted Counter-Balance Squat variations and alternatives?
Similar exercises include the BOSU™ Ball Counter-Balance Skater Squat, Skater Squat, Weight-Plate Standing Vibrate and Exercise Ball Weighted Wall Squat.
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