I’m terrified of squats, i tried to do one yesterday, and with a janky chair-table setup, and it was not working out. when i finally semi-safely got the bar on my back, in a comfortable position, and just could not in any way get the squat on the way down without lifting my heels off of the ground. i looked at a lot of guides and maybe it’s my body type or something, it just wouldn’t work. especially not at my current strength and with the weight that i’d be using. so, at least for now, i’d like to find an exercise that is more approachable for a beginner and can bit similar muscles. do you have any recommendations, chapos? thanks in advance!
bad news, it’s super important to have your heels on the ground for a good squat, and having a good squat is kind of hard to replace for lower body work. Good news, anyone can get to that point! Something that’s often recommended is to put plates under your heels to create a wedge, a 2x4 or another similar platform would also work great. You’re definitely going to want to use an empty barbell or less, or even body weight, until the movement is very natural. Working inflexible muscles is a recipe for injury, so make sure your range of movement is good before you start trying to lift heavy.
As for alternatives, you can do goblet squats (probably particularly good while you get your flexibility up), leg press, Bulgarian split squats (these are somewhat advanced so give them a try but dont do them full weight until later), or a set of isolations that target the same muscle groups (donkey kicks + leg extensions + leg curls? it’s not the same but it’s something). This all depends on if you have a gym (it sounds like you don’t). Without a gym, some of the isolations probably won’t be possible and neither will leg press, but the other options are on the table.
thanks for the advice! this is very helpful