Squats mainly work your legs and glutes , but they also hit your core and even upper body depending on the variation.

Main muscles squats work

  • Quadriceps (front of thigh) – big driver when you stand up from the bottom of the squat.
  • Glutes (butt muscles) – especially gluteus maximus, pushing your hips forward as you rise.
  • Hamstrings (back of thigh) – help with hip extension and stabilize the knee.
  • Adductors (inner thigh) – help keep your knees from collapsing in and assist with hip drive.
  • Calves (gastrocnemius and soleus) – help stabilize the ankle and assist as you drive up.

Core and upper body involvement

Even a bodyweight squat works your core to keep your torso upright.

  • Core: rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis, erector spinae.
  • With barbell or overhead squats, you also use upper back, shoulders, and even arms to hold and stabilize the weight.

Simple way to remember it

If you just want a quick mental picture:

Squats = primarily quads, glutes, and hamstrings, with help from inner thighs, calves, and core for stability.

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