The Best Squat Alternatives for Building Muscle, Gaining Strength, & Sparing Your Knees

They call barbell squats “the King of All Exercises.” Who are “they”? Meatheads the world over who, since and after Arnold Schwarzenegger helped popularize strength training in the 1970s, revere squats as the crucible of the weight room: If you can’t squat, you aren’t a “real lifter.” 

Which, you know, is nonsense. Luckily, strength training has come a long way since then. Don’t get us wrong—squats are an incredible exercise for building muscle, gaining strength, and everything in-between.

But they aren’t for everybody. When it comes to squat alternatives, you need practical movements that target the same muscles without the wear and tear that tends to accompany heavy squatting. 

You’re in the right place. We’re breaking down the best squat alternatives for bad knees, a stiff back, or anyone who just wants to switch things up on leg day.

Why You Might Want a Squat Alternative

First things first, we need to clear the air. Free-weight squatting is not inherently dangerous. Studies have repeatedly shown that deep squats are “a safe exercise for knee joint health and could be included in resistance training programs without risk, provided that proper technique is maintained.”

But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Just because squats haven’t been shown to cause knee pain, doesn’t mean they can’t aggravate it if you push your effort too much or have subpar technique. 

You might also want to shop for a squat substitute if:

• You’ve plateaued on squats and can’t add reps or weight
• Your gym doesn’t have appropriate equipment, like a power rack
• You just want to inject some variety into your workouts

If squats are uncomfortable or you fall into any of those camps, you’re a prime candidate for a squat replacement. Here are some of our favorites: 

Best Squat Alternatives

Squats have plenty of variations and modifications; they’re actually one of the most customizable exercises you can do. When it comes to squat swaps, what we’re looking for here are any movements that aren’t bilateral (two-legged) squats done with free weights, but which still train the target musculature effectively. 

Lunges

Lunges add a dynamic element to your leg day training without straying too far from the kind of stimulus provided by squats. The best part? You can do them with or without weight, and small changes to your stride length or cadence can dial up the cardiovascular benefits as well.

How To Do Lunges

What you’ll need: Open space, plus free weights like dumbbells, kettlebells, or a barbell if you want to add extra resistance.

• From a standing position, step forward with your dominant leg, bending your knee and sinking down until your thigh is parallel to the ground.
• Push off with that leg, using the force to bring your back leg in line.
• Step forward with the opposite leg and repeat. 

Why it works: The dynamic nature of lunges ensures that you can work hard without needing lots of weight. If you’re looking for training variety, lunges challenge your cardiovascular capacity and coordination in a way that squats or leg presses simply don’t. 

[Read More: Why Smith Machine Lunges Are a Leg Day Must]

Hip Thrusts

When it comes to the glutes—something squats are famous for building—you really can’t find a better movement than the barbell hip thrust. The best part? Despite the potential to lift heavy, hip thrusts are extremely joint-friendly.

How To Do Hip Thrusts

What you’ll need: A weight bench or box to rest against, a barbell with plates, and a bar pad or folded yoga mat. 

• Sit on the ground with your upper back against the bench or box, and a loaded barbell over your hips.
• Wrap a yoga mat around the middle of the bar or fasten a bar pad to reduce discomfort, then hike your feet back toward your butt so the bar rests in the crease of your hips.
• Grab the bar gently for stability, then squeeze your butt to push the bar off the ground until your body forms a straight line from head to knee. 

Why it works: The physics of the hip thrust eliminates shear force on the knee joint, while also being surprisingly easy on your lower back. As such, hip thrusts are extremely joint-friendly for an exercise which enables you to haul serious weight. 

[Read More: Grow Your Glutes With the Smith Machine Hip Thrust]

Bulgarian Split Squats

Single-leg training is famously humbling, and for good reason; it works. Bulgarian split squats, also called rear-foot-elevated split squats, are the one squat alternative that just might work better than the standard movement. 

You can load them quite heavy, there’s not as much balance or endurance required as lunging, and you can adjust your foot positioning to reduce stress on your knees if necessary. 

How To Do Bulgarian Split Squats

What you’ll need: A 12-18” stable surface like a weight bench or plyo box to rest your non-working leg on, plus resistance from dumbbells, kettlebells, a sandbag, or a barbell.

• Place your non-working leg on the bench or box with your working leg about three feet out.
• If you’re holding one weight, doing so on the corresponding side as your working leg will make the exercise easier to balance.
• Once you’re set and stabilized, brace your core and sink your hips down and back as low as you can. 
• Push yourself back to the starting position using only your working leg; your back leg should be used only for balance.

Why it works: Bulgarian split squats unmask weaknesses in side-to-side strength or stability that standard squatting may conceal. Moreover, taking a long stance forces you to use more range of motion in your hips and less in your knees.

[Read More: The Bulgarian Split Squat Is a Leg Day Must]

Leg Presses

You might think that, if you can’t do squats because they hurt your knees, other compound exercises like the leg press are off limits, too. But the reality is, even a leg press machine offers plenty of customization to mitigate pain while still blasting your quads.

To minimize knee discomfort, shift your feet higher up on the plate, and take a wide stance with your toes turned out. This will shift stress off your legs slightly and onto your glutes.

How to Do the Leg Press

What you’ll need: A leg press machine, which you can find in just about every commercial gym.

• Load up the station with a light to medium weight, then sit down into the seat.
• Place your feet onto the plate in a high, wide stance, with your toes turned out slightly. 
• Extend your knees to unrack the sled, then shift the safety handle. 
• Lower the sled by letting your knees bend and drift back toward your shoulders, opening up at the hips.
• Sink into the press as deep as you can without your lower back rounding or coming off the seat, then press the plate away.

Why it works: Leg presses hammer your quads and glutes. The lower your feet rest on the plate, the more stress the movement places on your knees. Sliding your feet up prevents your knees from passing your toes, putting a bit more emphasis onto your backside. 

Box Squats

If you’re unable to do standard squats but don’t want to give up on the movement altogether, consider the box squat. This movement is technically a squat variation, but its unique technique allows you to shift stress off your knees and onto your posterior chain without falling backward.

How To Do Box Squats

What you’ll need: A squat or power rack and a barbell, plus a medium to large plyo box.

• Set the box up about three feet behind your barbell, then unrack the bar and take short steps until your calves are in gentle contact with the box.
• From here, break at the waist and shoot your hips back and down until your butt touches the box.
• Rest briefly on the box, then thrust your hips up and forward to return to the starting position. 

Why it works: Having the box behind you allows you to emphasize sitting back into a hip hinge without losing your balance. This lets you sink into a squatting position without relying on forward knee travel, which may be painful. 

Swap Your Squats

Look, squats are great; they build muscle on basically every part of your legs (and train your core to boot), are second-to-none for absolute strength, and are just plain cool. 

But they don’t work for every gymgoer, every time. Whether you’ve got cranky knees, a bad back, or you’re just bored to tears of starting leg day with squats, smartly swapping squats out can make all the difference.

FAQs

What's the best squat alternative?

The best squat alternative depends on who you are, what you're looking to target, and your goals. However, the Bulgarian split squat, also known as a rear foot elevated split squat, is a solid substitute, helping to identify and target muscle imbalances from one leg to the other.

What's the best squat alternative for bad knees?

If you have knee pain when performing barbell squats, try tackling hip thrusts, box squats, or the machine leg press with your feet placed higher up and toes pointed out. Test out the movement pattern with your bodyweight before adding resistance.

References

1. Rojas-Jaramillo A, Cuervo-Arango DA, Quintero JD, Ascuntar-Viteri JD, Acosta-Arroyave N, Ribas-Serna J, González-Badillo JJ, Rodríguez-Rosell D. Impact of the deep squat on articular knee joint structures, friend or enemy? A scoping review. Front Sports Act Living. 2024 Nov 19;6:1477796. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1477796. PMID: 39640505; PMCID: PMC11618833.

Jake Dickson holds a B.S. degree in Exercise Science and is a NASM-CPT. As a health & wellness writer, Jake focuses on making fitness practical and accessible for any audience. Off the clock, you can find Jake at the gym or unwinding by the beach.

This article was reviewed by Rosie Borchert, NASM-CPT, for accuracy.