Today we’re diving into one of the most underrated tools in your weightlifting training toolbox: the air squat. Now before you roll your eyes and move on to your heavy barbell work, hear me out. Air squats aren’t just a warm-up for beginners. With the right variations, they can build strength, improve mobility, and fix movement issues you didn’t even know you had.
Let’s break it all down: the muscles involved, the most useful variations, and how each one can help different athletes become better lifters.
Table of Contents
What Muscles Do Air Squats Work?
What are air squats? They're just body weight squats you do without the help of a squat machine. And there's a reason air squats are the center of so many workouts and fitness programs. While regular squats usually focus on adding extra weight, air squats help you master the movement while working targeted muscle groups.
Here's what muscles they work. At their core, air squats target three big players in your lower body: the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps.
But once you start digging into the movement, you realize it’s not just your legs doing the work. Your erectors, abdominals, and even your calves are contributing. Whether you’re controlling your torso, maintaining balance, or staying braced throughout the movement, your whole body’s involved.
The beauty of the air squat is that it highlights any weak links and gives you room to fix them before you worry about the rules for powerlifting squats. And there are a few different ways to do these on leg day. The thing to consider: What do you want to accomplish with air squats?
That will help you determine which type to add to your training program.
Which Variation Is Right for You?
If you’re a powerlifter or a serious weightlifter, your go-to moves are probably the zombie and prisoner squats. They build the glutes and teach you to stay upright. If you’re a traditional athlete, go with knees-over-toes and toe squats to reinforce speed and movement patterns.
Strongman competitors? You’d probably benefit from all of these, depending on the event and your weaknesses.
You don’t need to spend hours on air squats, but mixing in 2–3 sets of a specific variation can warm up your nervous system, fix movement flaws, and make your heavy training more effective. Once you've done your warm up, add additional weights and work on Olympic or powerlifting squats.
Zombie Squat: Glute Dominant and Back-Friendly
One of my favorite variations is the zombie squat. Extend your arms straight out in front of you while squatting. And keep your feet shoulder width apart. This shifts your weight back and forces your hips to travel further behind you. It’s great for glute recruitment, and it takes pressure off the knees.
If you’re dealing with knee pain or you’re a powerlifter who wants to work posterior chain dominance, zombie squats should absolutely be part of your rotation.
Prisoner Squat: Better Posture and Thoracic Mobility
Next up is the prisoner squat. Hands behind the head, elbows wide, chest tall. It might feel awkward at first, but this variation teaches you to maintain better upright posture. That’s important not only for squatting but for any movement that requires strong mid-back engagement.
If you tend to fold forward in a squat or you’re working on your thoracic mobility, this one is gold. Like the others, your starting position is standing with feet shoulder width apart.
Knees Over Toes Squat: Quad Focus and Athletic Carryover
If you’re a traditional sport athlete, think football, basketball, track, the knees over toes squat will feel very familiar. You’re mimicking real athletic positions where the knees track forward and the hips drop straight down.
This variation requires solid ankle mobility and flexible calves, so it’s not for everyone. But if you want to train your quads more directly and reinforce joint angles you’ll use on the field or court, this is the one to try. Not ready yet? Use heel-elevated shoes or small plates under your heels to help you get started.
This is common in squat drills for athletes, and there's a reason for that. It's a beast at building your quads.
Toe Squat: For Calves, Ankles, and Explosiveness
The toe squat might look strange, but it targets a weak point that most lifters ignore: your calves and ankle stability. In this version, you squat down while keeping your heels off the ground, staying balanced on the balls of your feet.
Powerlifters often neglect the feet and ankles, but I’ve seen plenty of lifters who get thrown forward in a heavy squat because they lack that stability. The toe squat helps you get ahead of that. It’s also useful for athletes working on triple extension, hips, knees, and ankles, like jumpers or sprinters.
Like the others, you'll start standing with your feet shoulder width apart and dip into a squat with a neutral spine. The main difference here is foot position. Your weight is on your toes.
Benefits of Air Squats
Air squats aren’t just beginner fluff. They’re versatile, useful, and easy to scale to your needs. Whether you're trying to reinforce better positions, improve joint health, or just move better in general, there’s a variation for you.
Plus, air squats are a great way to ramp up your training if you find squats difficult.
Air Squats help lifters:
- Build lower body strength with a natural movement
- Master proper squat form
- Balance muscles at full squat depth
- Maintain a neutral spine during squat movement
- Warm up for heavier lifts
Next time you're in the gym, give these a try and see what your body tells you. You’ll be surprised how much more you can get out of a “simple” bodyweight squat.
