Anatomy of the Perfect Wall Sit

Sure, a wall sit is a pretty straight forward exercise—stand against a wall, bend your legs, slide yourself down, hold and repeat—so why aren’t you reaping the results of this powerful exercise as you should? If you aren’t getting a stronger core, toned legs and some die-for glutes, your form may be off. Here’s how to nail the wall sit—and make each second of it count, to perfection.

Perfecting the Wall Sit

If you don’t watch your form and concentration on how your body is positioned, a simple exercise like the wall sit has the potential to cause injury—just as any other exercise does. The wall sit—when done correctly—requires use of your core, back, hips, thighs, feet and knees. If you have had a knee or ankle injury in the past, it’s very important to nail your posture. The same rule applies even if you haven’t, because when you use the muscles in your body correctly, you’ll be able to see fast results, and refer to the wall sit as a powerhouse of a lower body exercise you depend on!

Start by making sure that you are in the correct starting position. You should have your back pressed flat and straight against the wall behind you, and with your legs shoulder width apart. Take a look at where your legs are positioned. Are they touching the wall? If so, move them to be about two inches or two and a half inches away from the wall. Your arms should be loosely placed on either side of your body, and you should tighten your abdomen muscles as you lower yourself down the wall.

Control Your Movements

As you begin to slide down the wall, pay attention to your core. Continue to tighten your abdominal muscles as much as you can, and keep your back straight. If you’re brand new to this exercise, you may tend to curve your back from time to time (and that’s ok!) just correct it as quickly as you can by straightening your posture, tightening your core, and bending your knees until they are at a 90 degree angle. Your knees should not be in front of your ankles, but directly above them. Focus on the placement of your knees and ankles, as this is very important in order to prevent injury.

Once you’re at this 90 degree angle (or if you’re a beginner and can’t slide down that far, just go as far as you comfortably can), hold the position while continuing to tighten your abdomen muscles. Then, slowly and in a controlled manner, slide yourself up back to your starting position. When you’re got your form under control, you’ll reap the benefits of a workout, well done!