The Squat: Why It's the King of Exercises for Desk Workers and Back Pain Relief

I spent 20 years sitting at a desk, and by the time I hit 38, my entire torso was a mess. My lower back ached constantly, and my upper back was so weak from hunching that it locked up my neck.

Prolonged sitting hurt. Driving for more than an hour hurt. Waking up in the morning hurt. I'd tried stretching variations I could find on the Internet. Nothing worked. (I spent 2 years stretching, months in physio, and took daily meds — read why none of it fixed my pain.)"

Then I started doing strength training, with the Barbell Squats included. Within a few months, the lower back pain I'd lived with for years started to fade and was finally becoming something of my past within a year.

I'm not exaggerating when I say this: squats saved my back (and improved other things, too). And if you're a desk worker dealing with chronic lower back pain, they might save yours too.

Here's why squats worked for me — and why they're called the "King of Exercises."

Why My Back Muscles Were a Mess (And What I Learned About Desk Work)

When I finally understood what was happening to my body after 20 years of a sedentary lifestyle — mostly sitting, it all made sense.

Here's what I learned:

My glutes had stopped working. They're supposed to keep me upright and stabilize my pelvis. But after years of sitting, they were basically turned off. Atrophied.

My hip flexors were tight. Sitting kept my hips flexed for 8+ hours a day. These muscles shortened and pulled my pelvis forward.

My core was weak. My abs and lower back were supposed to support my spine, but they weren't doing much while I sat. They got weak and lazy.

My lower back was doing everything. With weak glutes and a weak core, my lower back had to carry the load. It wasn't designed for this. So it was overloaded, tight, and painful.

My upper back was overstretched and thus weak. Sitting in front of the computer involved hunching forward reaching the mouse and keyboard, even having an ergonomic computer setup (ergonomic chair, split keyboard, and vertical mouse) doesn’t help much.

This was my reality. My glutes barely activated. My core couldn't support my spine. My lower back was screaming at me every morning. My upper back locked up my neck all of a sudden.

Between my chronic lower back pain and my frozen neck, I finally decided to see doctors and physiotherapists. But none of them could pinpoint the root cause of either issue. They treated my symptoms (gave me meds, manual therapies), but didn't identify what I later discovered through strength training: weak glutes and core were causing my lower back pain, and weak, overstretched scapular muscles from years of hunching were causing my neck to seize up. (Read the full story of my doctor and physio visits here.)"

Stretching didn't fix this because stretching doesn't build strength. It just temporarily relieved the tightness.

What I needed was to rebuild the muscles that were supposed to support my spine.

That's what squats did for me.

What Squats Did for My Body

The barbell squat targets multiple muscle groups that were completely wrecked from years of sitting:

My Glutes Started Working Again

My glutes are supposed to be the powerhouse — stabilizing my pelvis, keeping me upright, supporting my spine. But they'd been asleep for 20 years.

When I started squatting — especially deep squats — my glutes had to work to drive me back up. Over time, they woke up. They got stronger. They started doing their job again.

After a few months of squatting, I could actually feel my glutes activating when I stood up or walked. My lower back wasn't carrying the load anymore.

That was the breakthrough.

My Core Got Stronger

When I squatted with a barbell on my back, my core had to work to keep my spine stable. My abs braced. My lower back engaged. My entire midsection learned how to support load.

And here's the thing: if my core was strong enough to stabilize a barbell squat, it was strong enough to support my spine while I sat at my desk for 8+ hours.

That's what changed everything.

My Upper Back Got Stable

Here's something I didn't expect: squats also strengthened my upper back.

To keep the barbell secure on my back, my traps, lats, and shoulder blades had to engage and stay tight throughout the movement. Over time, these muscles got stronger and more stable.

This carried over to my desk work. My shoulders didn't round forward as much. My neck wasn't compensating for weak upper back muscles anymore.

Squats didn't just fix my lower back — they strengthened my entire torso from my hips to my shoulders.

My Lower Back Stopped Overcompensating

Squats didn't just work my lower back in isolation. They worked my glutes, core, upper back, and lower back together. They taught my body how to distribute the load properly.

My lower back wasn't doing all the work anymore. It was just one part of the system — the way it was supposed to be.

That's why squats fixed my pain when stretching didn't. Stretching treated the symptom (tightness). Squats fixed the cause (weakness).

What's Actually Happening When You Squat (Simplified)

I'm not an anatomy expert, but here's what I learned about what happens when you squat:

Your hips hinge back (like sitting into a chair)
Your knees bend (tracking in line with your toes)
Your torso stays upright (core engaged, chest up)
Your glutes and quads drive you back up (pushing through your heels)

The muscles doing the work:

• Glutes: Drive your hips up from the bottom and stabilize the pelvis.
• Quads: Extend your knees.
• Core: Keep your spine stable through the midsection.
• Lower Back: Support your torso by maintaining a rigid, neutral spine.
• Upper Back: Brace your shoulders, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and lock the bar in place.

This is a functional movement. It mimics real-life patterns like sitting, standing, picking things up. That's why it translated so well to my everyday life — and why it fixed my sitting-related pain.

How Deep I Learned to Squat (And Why It Mattered)

When I first started, I didn't know how deep I was supposed to go, or even whether I should go deep.

Turns out there are some established guidelines regarding depth.

Here's what I learned: you need to squat to at least parallel — meaning your hip crease drops to at least the level of your knees (or lower).

Why does depth matter? Shallow squats don't fully engage your glutes. I was leaving the most important muscle group on the table.

For me, squatting to depth was uncomfortable at first, especially when the weight got heavier. My hips were tight from years of sitting. But I started with lighter weight and focused on hitting depth with good form. Over time, my mobility improved, and so did my strength.

If you can't squat to depth yet — and I couldn't at first — here's what worked for me:

• I started with bodyweight squats at home to work on the pattern
• I worked on hip and ankle mobility between sessions
• I added deep squat holds as part of my warm-up before squatting

Depth mattered for me. It's where my glutes actually started working.

High Bar vs. Low Bar (And What I Chose)

When I started researching squats, I learned there are two main ways to position the barbell on your back:

High Bar:

• Bar rests on top of your traps (upper back/shoulders)
• Torso stays more upright
• Emphasizes quads and glutes more evenly

Low Bar:

• Bar rests lower, across your rear delts (mid-back)
• Torso leans forward slightly
• Emphasizes glutes and posterior chain more

What I chose: I started with high bar. Here's why:

• It felt more intuitive to me (like a natural squat)
• It kept my torso upright (less stress on my lower back as a beginner)
• It was easier for me to learn proper depth

I stuck with high bar for the first 1 year. Later, I experimented with low bar due to my body proportions (explained the why in next section).

Both work for me now, but I didn't overthink it at the beginning.

I'll break down the differences in detail (with form cues for each) in my next post. For now, if you're starting, I'd suggest trying high bar first and seeing how it feels.

How I Started Squatting (And What I'd Do Differently Today)

When I first walked into the gym, I had no idea what I was doing. I'd watched a bunch of YouTube videos, but actually doing it was different.

Here's the approach I took — and what worked for me:

I Started with an Empty Barbell

I didn't try to add weight on day one. I just practiced the movement with the 45 lb (20 kg) bar.

I'd stand with my feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly out. I'd take a breath, brace my core (though I didn't really know how to brace yet), and squat down as deep as I could.

Then I'd drive back up through my heels.

I did this for 3 sets of 8-12 reps. It felt awkward. My balance was off. But I kept doing it.

I Focused on a Few Key Things:

Hitting depth: I wanted my hip crease to drop at least to knee level. This was hard at first because my hips were tight. I also had to point my knees and toes outward. Turns out, this has to do with how the ball of my thigh bone sits in my hip socket. Everyone's hip structure is different — some people can squat with toes more forward, others (like me) need toes pointed out to hit depth without feeling a pinch in the hip.

Keeping my chest up: I tried to keep my chest as upright as possible, but this was really challenging for me. My torso would lean forward more than I saw in videos. Later I learned this had to do with my proportions — I have longer legs relative to my torso, which naturally makes me lean forward more.

Tracking my knees: I made sure my knees moved in line with my toes. They wanted to cave inward at first — I had to consciously push them out.

Keeping my heels down: My heels would lift off the ground at the bottom. I learned this was an ankle mobility issue. I worked on it between sessions.

I Added Weight Slowly

After 2-3 sessions with just the bar, I started adding weight. I'd add 5 lbs (2.5 kg) per side — that's 10 lbs (5 kg) total — the next session if my form felt solid.

Some sessions, I couldn't add weight. My form would break down, or I'd feel unstable. So I'd stay at that weight and work on it until I felt ready.

This was the smartest thing I did. I prioritized form over numbers. I wasn't trying to impress anyone. I just wanted to get stronger without getting hurt.

I Filmed Myself

This was huge. I used my phone propped against a water bottle. I'd film my sets from the side so I could see:

• Was I hitting depth?
• Was my back rounding?
• Were my knees caving in?
• Were my heels staying down?

I can't recommend this enough. What I thought I was doing and what I was actually doing were often different.

What I'd Tell Someone Starting Today:

If I were starting over, here's what I'd focus on:

1. Start with the empty bar (or bodyweight squats at home if you're not ready for the gym yet)
2. Film yourself so you can see what you're actually doing
3. Focus on depth and form before worrying about weight
4. Add weight slowly — 5 lbs/2.5 kg per side (10 lbs/5 kg total) per session if form is solid, stay at the same weight if not
5. Be patient — it took me weeks before squatting felt natural
6. Show up consistently — I squatted 3 times a week. Consistency mattered more than intensity.

You don't need to be strong to start. You just need to show up and practice the movement.

The Fears I Had (And What Actually Happened)

Before I started squatting, I had a lot of fears. Here's what I was worried about — and what I learned:

"Won't Squats Hurt My Knees?"

This was my biggest fear. I'd heard people say squats are "bad for your knees.

"What actually happened: Squats done properly actually strengthened my knees. The occasional knee pain I used to feel (from years of sitting) went away after a few months of squatting.

The key for me was focusing on form:

• I made sure my knees tracked in line with my toes (not caving inward)
• I went deep enough (I learned that shallow squats actually put more stress on the knees)
• I didn't add weight too fast

If you have existing knee issues, starting light and focusing on form might actually help. But I'm not a doctor — if you're concerned, check with a professional first.

"I Have a Bad Back — Isn't This Dangerous?"

I had chronic lower back pain when I started. I was terrified squats would make it worse.

Important context: My pain wasn't from a structural issue like a herniated disc or scoliosis. It was purely from muscle weakness and years of sitting. If you have a diagnosed spinal condition, talk to your doctor before starting squats.

What actually happened: Squats made my back better.

The key for me was starting light. I began with just the empty bar and built up slowly. My lower back got stronger by adapting to progressive load.

If I'd jumped straight to heavy weights, I probably would've hurt myself. But by starting light and being patient, my back got stronger instead of more injured.

"Isn't This Dangerous for Someone My Age?"

I was 40 when I started. I thought: "Maybe I'm too old for this. Maybe this is for younger people."

What I learned: Age wasn't the barrier. Weakness was the barrier.

I'm 43 now (as of writing, 2025). I'm in less pain than I was at 38, and heck, I even feel stronger than I was during my 20s. Starting squats at 40 was one of the best decisions I made.

You're not too old. You're just untrained. And that can be fixed at any age.

Mistakes I Made (So You Can Avoid Them)

I made plenty of mistakes when I started. Here are the big ones:

1. I Didn't Go Deep Enough at First

For the first few weeks, I was doing "half squats" without realizing it. I thought I was hitting depth, but when I filmed myself, I saw I wasn't even close to parallel.

What I learned: Depth matters. Shallow squats don't fully engage your glutes.

2. My Knees Caved Inward

When I got tired, my knees would collapse inward. This put stress on my knees and reduced glute activation.

The fix for me: I focused on actively pushing my knees out in line with my toes. It felt awkward at first, but eventually it became automatic.

3. I Looked Up (Hyperextending My Neck)

I'd read somewhere to "look up" during squats. Bad advice. It threw off my balance and put strain on my neck.

The fix: I learned to keep my neck neutral — looking at a spot on the floor about 3-6 feet (1-2 meters) in front of me. Much better.

4. I Used Running Shoes

For the first few months, I wore my get going all-purpose shoes — which is a running shoes — to squat. Running shoes have a soft cushion, and they're built in such a way that their soles aren't level front to back. This causes instability during squats, giving unnecessary challenges to the ankles and knees.

The fix: It's better to simply squat barefoot rather than using these kinds of shoes. Best option would be flat, hard, non-compressible soles shoes, like deadlift shoes, or squat shoes — that is, shoes with a solid elevated heel. Which to choose depends on the ankle mobility.

5. I Lifted My Heels Off the Ground

This was a mobility issue for me. My ankles were tight from years of sitting. When I squatted deep, my heels would come up.

The fix: I worked on ankle mobility between sessions. I also experimented with squat shoes (elevated heel), which helped. Eventually, my mobility improved and I could keep my heels down.

6. I Added Weight Too Fast

At certain point, I was too excited to see progress faster. So I'd add 10 lbs per side (20 lbs/10 kg total) instead of 5 lbs per side (10 lbs/5 kg total). My form would break down, but I'd push through anyway.

Bad idea. I tweaked my lower back doing this. Nothing serious, but it set me back a week.

The lesson I learned: Add weight slowly. Prioritize form over numbers. There's no rush.

My Squat Journey (What It Actually Felt Like)

The first time I squatted, I used just the empty bar. It felt awkward. My hips were tight. My balance was off. I wasn't sure I was doing it right.

But I kept showing up. Three times a week. I added 10 lbs (5 kg) when I could. I filmed myself to check my form. I watched videos to learn.

After about 6 weeks, something clicked. I could feel my glutes working. My lower back didn't hurt after sessions — it felt strong.

After 3 months, I noticed I could sit through a movie without my lower back tightening up. I could drive for an hour without pain.

After 6 months, I realized I wasn't thinking about my lower back anymore. The pain was just... gone.

That's what squats did for me. They rebuilt the foundation that 20 years of sitting had destroyed.

Why Squats Are Called the "King of Exercises"

Squats aren't just a leg exercise. They're a full-body strength builder.

They train:

• Your legs (quads, hamstrings, glutes)
• Your core (abs, lower back, obliques)
• Your upper back (stabilizing the barbell)
• Your nervous system (coordinating all these muscles together)

They build functional strength — the kind of strength that translates to real life. The kind that lets you sit at a desk for 8 hours without pain.

That's why they're called the king. And that's why, for me as a desk worker with lower back pain, squats became the foundation of my training.

What's Next?

This post covered why squats worked for me and how I started. But there's more I learned along the way that I want to share:

• How to brace properly (core stability under load)
• The difference between high bar and low bar in detail
• Squat depth and mobility considerations
• How squats promote growth hormone (HGH) production — which I learned is especially important for people over 30

I'll cover all of above in my future posts (I'll link them here when they're ready).

For now, if you're ready to start, here's what worked for me:

1. I went to the gym
2. I started with the empty barbell
3. I focused on hitting depth with good form
4. I did 3 sets of 8-12 reps
5. I showed up 3 times a week

That's how I started. That's how I rebuilt my back.

You don't need to be strong. You don't need to be fit. You just need to start.

Your lower back might thank you the way mine did.

If you're dealing with chronic pain from sitting and haven't tried strength training yet, I'd love to hear from you. What's holding you back? Drop a comment below or reach out on social media.

And if you're already squatting, how's it going? What's been your biggest challenge? Let me know.