The following Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Marksissons and is narrated by Brock Armstrong.

Nine worthy alternatives to the back squat.

As great as back squats are for strength, general fitness, and body composition,

sometimes they just don't work for a person. Maybe they cause knee, shoulder, or wrist pain.

Maybe somebody's body proportions aren't conducive to proper back squatting. Maybe their legs are

too long to achieve good depth without compromising position.

While there are dozens of articles imploring you to mobilize this or that joint and work out

the kinks in this or that muscle so that the back squat will work, and those can be very informative

and helpful, some people just don't want a back squat. For whatever reason,

it doesn't work for them. So, are these people doomed to perpetual chicken legs? Should they

turn in their gym card forever and resign themselves to a life of sedentary existence?

Absolutely not. Plenty of other knee flexion exercises are worth doing. Let's take a look at some of the best alternatives.

Goblet squats. Goblet squats are easier on most bodies than back squats for two reasons. Less weight is used, because you have to hold it in your hands at chin level and they promote a more natural squating technique

To perform a goblet squat you hold a weight kettlebell weight plate dumbbell small child at chin level

Stay tall and squat down between your legs while maintaining an upright torso

Many seasoned strength coaches use the goblet squat to teach beginners how to squat because it's so intuitive. That said, there are some small details to keep in mind.

1. Tuck your elbows against your body.

This creates a more stable shelf of support for your weight.

Two, keep your chest up. Three, push your knees out. Since you won't be pushing heavy weights

with the goblet squat, focus on higher reps and more overall volume. If things get dicey,

dropping the weight in a goblet squat is way easier than dropping

a barbell sitting on your back. Go over to Marksdailyapple.com for a textbook on the goblet squat.

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