Abstract: A squatting apparatus without spinal column compression, includes a platform for supporting feet of a person, a supporting structure at a height greater than that of said platform, a lever pivotally connected to said supporting structure by a hinge that allows vertical movement of the lower lever, the lower lever having an arrangement to support a weight load thereon, a cushioned backrest connected adjacent a front part of said lever to be supported on a lumbar-sacral region of the person, and handles for grasping by the person such that the person assumes a bent over position when the cushioned backrest is supported on the lumbar-sacral region of the person, without compressing shoulders or spinal column of the person.