Wall sit
Also called wall squat, static wall squat, wall chair.
What is a wall sit?
A wall sit is a bodyweight exercise in which you hold a squat position with your back supported by a wall. Unlike a regular squat, you stay still once you reach the working position. It mainly trains the quadriceps, while the gluteus maximus and hamstrings help maintain the hold.
How do you perform a wall sit?
Set up
- Stand with your back against a clear wall, feet about shoulder width, then step your feet forward.
- Keep your upper back and hips against the wall, with your arms relaxed or extended forward for balance.
Execution
- Slide down the wall until your thighs are near parallel to the floor, or stop higher if that is the deepest position you can hold comfortably.
- Keep your whole feet down, let your knees point in the same direction as your toes, and breathe normally while you hold still.
- When the set is over, press through your feet and slide up the wall until you are standing.
Common mistakes
Placing the feet too close to the wall
The knees then travel far beyond the feet as you slide down, which makes the position harder to settle. Step the feet forward before descending.
Letting the knees collapse inward
The base becomes less stable when the knees no longer follow the feet. Keep each knee pointing in the same direction as its toes.
Holding the breath
A wall sit is already a sustained effort. Keep breathing instead of turning the whole hold into one long brace.
Forcing the thighs to exactly parallel
The illustration shows one common position, not a pass-fail depth. A shallower hold is still a wall sit and is easier to control.
Where it fits in a session
Use it wherever an isometric lower-body exercise fits the session, either as the main bodyweight leg exercise or after moving squat variations.
Choose the depth and set length that match the workout. End the hold when you can no longer keep your back supported, feet planted and knees aligned with your toes; the guide does not prescribe a universal duration.
Muscles worked
Primary
Secondary
Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.
The quadriceps are the main target. The gluteus maximus and hamstrings contribute during the isometric squat, but the available wall-squat EMG work does not justify presenting them as equal to the quadriceps. The illustration also shades the inner thigh and lower leg; that artwork is descriptive and was not used to expand the target list.
Scientific studies on wall sits
Wall-sit studies often use the name isometric wall squat. Their findings distinguish the immediate cardiovascular demand of a hold from changes in resting blood pressure after several weeks of training.
Deeper wall sits produced higher heart-rate and blood-pressure responses during a hold. Separately, small training trials found lower resting blood pressure after several weeks. Neither finding establishes one depth or hold duration for everyone.
Does depth change the demand of a wall sit?
Twenty-three adults completed two-minute wall squats at different knee angles on separate visits. Heart rate and blood pressure were higher in the deeper positions, with the most demanding tested position having a right angle at the knee.
The study measured the immediate response to holding still. It did not establish a best depth for muscle growth or a depth that is safe for every person. The position shown in the illustration is therefore an example, rather than a required intensity.
Sources
Can wall-sit training change resting blood pressure?
In a study of twenty-eight men with normal blood pressure, four weeks of home wall-squat training reduced resting blood pressure compared with a control period. The depth was selected for each participant from heart-rate testing, rather than requiring everyone to hold the same knee angle.
A later pilot trial in thirty adults also found greater reductions in seated resting blood pressure with wall-squat training than with no intervention. One group selected intensity using a taught effort-rating method and the other used heart-rate testing. The groups differed in age and starting blood pressure, and the small sample cannot establish that the methods are equivalent.
These are training effects measured at rest, not evidence that blood pressure falls during the hold. The studies do not show that any wall-sit routine replaces prescribed blood-pressure treatment, or that the tested schedules are right for every reader.
Variations
- Shallow wall sit — Use less knee bend to make the position easier to hold while keeping the same wall-supported setup.
- Weighted wall sit — Hold a plate or dumbbell after the bodyweight version is stable and repeatable.
- Single-leg wall sit — Lift one foot after settling into position, leaving the other leg to support the hold.
- Exercise-ball wall sit — Place an exercise ball between your back and the wall, changing the contact point as you move into position.
Frequently asked questions
What muscles do wall sits work?
Wall sits mainly train the quadriceps. The gluteus maximus and hamstrings also contribute while the hips and knees stay bent. The illustration shades additional areas of the inner thigh and lower leg, but artwork alone is not enough to rank those as training targets.
Do your knees need to be at 90 degrees?
No exact angle is required for every person. Thighs near parallel is a common working position, while a shallower wall sit is easier and still recognisable. Choose a depth you can hold with your feet down, back supported and knees following your toes.
How long should you hold a wall sit?
The appropriate duration depends on why the wall sit is in your workout and how demanding the chosen depth is. Follow the set target in your program, and finish sooner if you cannot maintain the same position and normal breathing.
Is a wall sit the same as a squat?
They share a bent-knee squat position, but a wall sit is an isometric hold with the back supported. A bodyweight or loaded squat repeatedly lowers and raises the body without using the wall for support.
How can I make a wall sit easier or harder?
Use a shallower position to make it easier. To make it harder, use more knee bend or add external weight only after the bodyweight position is stable. A single-leg wall sit is a separate, more demanding variation.
Sources
- Lee JH, et al. Differences in the muscle activities of the quadriceps femoris and hamstrings while performing various squat exercises. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-022-00404-6
- Barton CJ, et al. Gluteal muscle activation during the isometric phase of squatting exercises with and without a Swiss ball. Phys Ther Sport. 2014. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23770356/
- Goldring N, Wiles JD, Coleman D.. The effects of isometric wall squat exercise on heart rate and blood pressure in a normotensive population.. 2014. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23879248/
- Wiles JD, Goldring N, Coleman D.. Home-based isometric exercise training induced reductions resting blood pressure.. 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27853886/
- Lea JWD, O’Driscoll JM, Wiles JD. The implementation of a home-based isometric wall squat intervention using ratings of perceived exertion to select and control exercise intensity: a pilot study in normotensive and pre-hypertensive adults. 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10786991/