Air Squats

How to do it

Stance is shoulder-width. Hips descend back and down until the hip crease is below the top of the knee. Stand completely tall, locking out the hips and knees at the top.

The coaching cue

"Tear the floor apart with your feet." This externally rotates the femur, activating the glutes and preventing the knees from caving in.

What changes inside an AMRAP

Let gravity do the work on the way down. Pull yourself into the bottom quickly, then explode up. Use your arms for rhythm.

Common mistakes

• Cutting the depth once the legs burn, so the hip crease stops above the knee.
• Standing up only part-way between reps, leaving the hips short of lockout.
• Letting the heels lift as the hips drop, shifting the weight onto the toes.

Workouts that use air squats

• The Piston

  5 minute AMRAP — 10 Air Squats, 10 Hand-Release Push-ups

• The Valve

  10 minute AMRAP — 15 Air Squats, 10 Hand-Release Push-ups, 30 Mountain Climbers

• Vascular Drive

  10 minute AMRAP — 10 Combat Sprawls, 12 Plank Shoulder Taps, 15 Air Squats

• The Rip Tide

  10 minute AMRAP — 30 Jumping Jacks, 12 Back Widow, 15 Air Squats

• The Long Haul

  15 minute AMRAP — 20 Air Squats, 10 Pike Push-ups, 40 Jumping Jacks

• The Steady State

  15 minute AMRAP — 20 Air Squats, 10 Diamond Push-ups, 20 Down-Ups

• The Acid Bath

  5 minute AMRAP — 8 Jump Squats, 12 Air Squats, 10s Bottom Squat Hold

• The See-Saw

  10 minute AMRAP — 10 Hand-Release Push-ups, 15 Supermans, 20 Air Squats

• The Yoke

  10 minute AMRAP — 10 Hand-Release Push-ups, 15 Supine Floor Scapular Shrugs, 15 Air Squats

• The Trinity

  15 minute AMRAP — 20 Air Squats, 10 Hand-Release Push-ups, 15 V-Ups

• The Locomotive

  10 minute AMRAP — 10 Down-Ups, 20 Air Squats

• Aerobic Flush

  10 minute AMRAP — 15 Air Squats, 30 Jumping Jacks

• The Cruiser

  10 minute AMRAP — 5 Burpees, 15 Air Squats, 30 Butt Kicks

• The Pacesetter

  15 minute AMRAP — 10 Combat Sprawls, 20 Air Squats, 30 Mountain Climbers

• Aerobic Threshold

  15 minute AMRAP — 12 Sprawls (Standard), 24 Air Squats, 24 Lateral Line Hops

• The Cadence

  15 minute AMRAP — 10 Half-Burpees, 20 Air Squats, 30 Cross-Body Mountain Climbers

• Endurance Protocol

  15 minute AMRAP — 5 Bear Crawl to Broad Jumps, 15 Air Squats, 40 Double-Tap Jumps

• The Washout

  15 minute AMRAP — 20 Air Squats, 15 Reverse Snow Angels, 30 High Knees (Total)

• Tactical Down-Regulate

  5 minute AMRAP — 15 Air Squats (Slow), 15 Supine Floor Scapular Shrugs, 15 Glute Bridges

• The Iron Cross

  10 minute AMRAP — 12 Plank Knee-to-Elbows, 15 Air Squats, 20 Jumping Jacks

• The Anchor

  10 minute AMRAP — 10 Side Plank Dips (L), 10 Side Plank Dips (R), 20 Air Squats

• The Truss

  10 minute AMRAP — 20s Plank Hold, 12 W-Press Ups, 15 Air Squats (Slow)

• The Monolith

  15 minute AMRAP — 20s Plank Hold, 20 Air Squats, 30 Jumping Jacks

• The Pillar

  15 minute AMRAP — 10 Side Plank Dips (L), 10 Side Plank Dips (R), 20 Air Squats

• The Four Horsemen

  20 minute AMRAP — 10 Push-ups, 15 V-Ups, 20 Air Squats, 30 Jumping Jacks

• The Horizon

  20 minute AMRAP — 12 Wide Push-ups, 24 Air Squats, 12 Hollow Rocks, 36 Lateral Line Hops

• The Sentinel

  20 minute AMRAP — 10 Sprawls, 15 Superman Raises, 20 Air Squats, 30 Mountain Climbers

• The Long Tow

  20 minute AMRAP — 12 T-Press Ups, 24 Air Squats, 15 V-Ups, 40 High Knees

• The Baseline

  20 minute AMRAP — 20 Jumping Jacks, 10 Hand-Release Push-ups, 20 Air Squats, 10 V-Ups

• The Piston

  20 minute AMRAP — 15 Half-Burpees, 10 Wide Push-ups, 20 Air Squats, 10 Alternating Bird-Dogs

• The Barricade

  20 minute AMRAP — 20s Side Plank Hold (Switch sides each round), 15 Air Squats, 10 Dive-Bomber Push-ups, 20 Mountain Climbers

• The Suspended Scapula

  20 minute AMRAP — 20s High Plank Hold, 12 T-Press Ups, 20 Air Squats, 20 Mountain Climbers

• First Contact

  10 minute AMRAP — 15 Air Squats, 15 Strict Sit-Ups, 10 Push-Ups

Run one with your friends

Every workout above runs on a shared countdown — one clock for the whole crew, one leaderboard, wherever everyone is training.