Swiss Ball Squat

Teaching points

• Stand with your back to the wall and your feet hip width apart, toes pointing straight forwards
  
  
• Place the ball between your lower back and the wall
  
  
• Start to bend the knees and lower yourself down into a squat position, the ball will roll down the wall with you
  
  
• Keep your back parallel to the wall and stop once your thighs are parallel to the floor
  
  
• Your knees should not move forwards past your toes, if they do, stand further from the wall
  
  
• Push yourself back up to the starting position

Variations and progressions

• Perform shallow squats to make the exercise easier
  
  
• Add dumbbells in each hand to make it harder

Muscles worked

• Rectus Femoris
  
  
• Vastus Medialis
  
  
• Vastus Lateralis
  
  
• Vastus Intermedius
  
  
• Biceps Femoris
  
  
• Semimembranosus
  
  
• Semitendinosus
  
  
• Gluteus Maximus
  
  
• Iliopsoas
  
  
• Gastrocnemius
  
  
• Soleus

Alternative exercises

• Squat using body weight
  
  
• Leg press machine
  
  
• Swiss ball lunge

Related injuries

• Quadricep strain
  
  
• Patellofemoral knee pain
  
  
• Hamstring strain
  
  
• Anterior cruciate ligament rupture
  
  
• Posterior cruciate ligament rupture
  
  
• Meniscus tear
  
  
• Collateral ligament tear