Legs · Leverage Machine

Belt Squat

How to do the belt squat, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.

Animated demonstration of the Belt Squat

Equipment: Leverage Machine
Difficulty: Advanced
Logged as: Weighted reps
Movement: Squat
Mechanic: Compound

Find more:Quads exercises Machine exercises

How to do it

Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower until your thighs are at least parallel to the ground, keeping your chest up. Drive through your heels to return to standing.

1Feel your quads and glutes powering the movement without loading your spine
2Keep your torso upright and chest proud to feel a natural squat groove
3Press through your whole foot and squeeze your glutes at the top

Common mistakes

Avoid letting your knees cave inward; track them over your toes
Don't allow the belt to pull you forward or lean excessively
Avoid bouncing at the bottom; control both descent and ascent

Muscles worked

The belt squat mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings, lower back, and calves assisting.

QuadsPrimary
GlutesPrimary
HamstringsSupport
Lower BackSupport
CalvesSupport
Upper AbsMinor

Belt Squat strength standards

See how your belt squat ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.

Bronzee1RM155 lb
Silvere1RM225 lb
Golde1RM307.5 lb
Platinume1RM392.5 lb
Diamonde1RM442.5 lb
Champione1RM482.5 lb

Find your rank

Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.

Weight (lb)Reps

Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.

Kovo programs the belt squat for you and tracks it every session.

We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.

Get Kovo free Estimate your 1RM

More quads exercises

See all quads exercises →

Last reviewed April 2026.