Kneeling squats primarily target the gluteus maximus, with significant secondary work from the core muscles and hamstrings. Because your lower legs are planted on the ground and your ankles are taken out of the equation, this exercise isolates hip extension more than a traditional standing squat, shifting the emphasis away from the quadriceps and toward the glutes.
Primary Muscle: Gluteus Maximus
The gluteus maximus is the main driver of the kneeling squat. The entire movement revolves around hip extension: you sit your hips back toward your heels, then squeeze your glutes to drive your hips forward and return to an upright kneeling position. Your knees stay fixed on the ground throughout, which means the hip joint does nearly all of the work. This makes the kneeling squat one of the more glute-focused squat variations available.
In a standing squat, your quads share a large portion of the load because your knees bend and straighten through a wide range of motion. In a kneeling squat, your knees don’t move much at all. The result is that hip extension, powered by the glutes, becomes the dominant force producing movement. If you’ve struggled to “feel” your glutes during regular squats, the kneeling version can help you build that connection.
The gluteus medius, which sits on the outer hip, also contributes. It stabilizes your pelvis and prevents your knees from collapsing inward as you rise. The demand on this muscle increases if you perform the exercise without holding onto anything for balance.
Secondary Muscles: Hamstrings and Quads
Your hamstrings assist the glutes during hip extension. As you push your hips forward from the bottom of the movement, the hamstrings fire to help pull your torso upright. Research classifying the muscles involved in kneeling squats identifies the biceps femoris (the outer hamstring) as one of the key muscles working alongside the glutes during the extension phase.
The quadriceps, specifically the rectus femoris, still play a role. In a standard standing squat, the quads are a primary mover because they extend the knee under load. In the kneeling version, the rectus femoris acts more as a stabilizer than a prime mover. It helps control the rate at which your hips descend and keeps the front of your thigh engaged, but it isn’t doing the heavy lifting the way it does in a back squat or leg press.
Core and Lower Back Engagement
One underappreciated benefit of the kneeling squat is how much it demands from your core. Your abdominals and lower back muscles are especially engaged to maintain an upright posture throughout the exercise. Without your feet on the ground, you have a smaller base of support, which forces your trunk muscles to work harder to keep you from tipping forward or arching excessively.
The erector spinae muscles that run along your spine contract to prevent your torso from rounding as you sit back. Meanwhile, your deep abdominal muscles brace to keep your pelvis in a neutral position. If your core is weak, you’ll notice it quickly: your lower back may arch excessively at the bottom, or you’ll feel yourself wobbling side to side. This makes the kneeling squat a surprisingly effective core stability exercise on top of its glute-building role.
How to Perform the Movement
Start by kneeling on a padded surface with both knees hip-width apart. Your knees, hips, and shoulders should form a straight vertical line. You can tuck your toes under for extra stability or keep them flat. From this tall kneeling position, send your hips back so your glutes tap or nearly tap your heels, keeping your torso as upright as possible. Then drive your hips forward by squeezing your glutes until you return to the starting position.
A few form cues matter for maximizing the right muscles. Keep your chest up and avoid hinging forward at the waist, which shifts the work to your lower back. Think about pushing your hips forward at the top rather than leaning your shoulders back. Squeeze your glutes hard at the top of each rep and hold for a beat before descending again. If you find yourself rocking forward onto your hands or losing balance, narrow your stance slightly and slow the tempo down.
Knee Considerations
Because your knees are bearing your bodyweight against the floor, comfort is a real concern. Use a thick mat, folded towel, or knee pad. The actual kneeling squat movement itself is relatively gentle on the knee joint compared to deep standing squats. Most patellofemoral stress during squats occurs when the knee flexes between 60 and 90 degrees while the knee tracks forward past the toes. In a kneeling squat, the knee stays in a fixed position on the floor and doesn’t translate forward, which removes one of the main aggravating factors for knee pain.
That said, if you already have significant knee sensitivity or a history of patellofemoral pain, the pressure of kneeling itself may be uncomfortable regardless of the joint mechanics. Muscle imbalances between the front and back of the thigh, or weakness in the gluteus medius and the inner portion of the quad, are recognized risk factors for knee pain during squat-type movements. The kneeling squat can actually help address some of these imbalances by preferentially loading the glutes and hamstrings.
Adding Resistance and Progressing
Bodyweight kneeling squats are a good starting point, but most people will need to add resistance to keep building strength. The simplest option is holding a dumbbell or kettlebell at your chest in a goblet position. This adds load to the glutes and also increases the core stability demand because the weight pulls your torso forward.
A barbell across your upper back works well once you’re comfortable with the movement pattern, though a Smith machine version offers more stability and lets you focus purely on the hip extension. Resistance bands looped around your hips and anchored behind you create a different loading curve, adding the most tension at the top of the movement where glute contraction peaks. You can also hold a band between your knees to increase gluteus medius activation throughout the set.
For programming, kneeling squats work best in moderate to high rep ranges (10 to 20 reps) as an accessory exercise. They pair well with heavier compound lifts like deadlifts or barbell hip thrusts, where the kneeling squat serves as a lighter, glute-focused finisher that reinforces the hip extension pattern without taxing your lower back or grip.