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You could say squats are the fitness industry’s version of the contouring makeup trend. Everyone’s doing them, they’re very easy to do wrong, and their popularity has a lot to do with the Kardashian Klan.
Rather than a passing fad, squats really are a crucial part of your workout regimen. No matter what your age is, we all need to be able to sit down and stand up again – which is essentially all a basic squat is.
“Not only do they strengthen the legs and bum, but they are great for the spine and all of our postural and core muscles as well,” says founder of Revolution Personal Training, Luke Scott.
Once you feel confident with the normal squat, it’s great for your body to take the move to the next level. Here are four squat variations to strengthen that backside of yours.
1. Front squat.
2. Low bar squat.
You'll require a bar and some weights for this move; prepare to get low.
Set up as normal but move the bar lower down across your shoulders rather than the normal comfortable racked position. Perform the rest of the movement as normal.
"You will notice that your hip angle will be greater at the bottom of the movement requiring the glutes to work harder as you stand," says Scott.
3. Sumo squat.
For a sumo squat, you need to take your legs wider than your shoulders. Start in the standard position and aim to take your feet at least another foots wider than your normal position. Turn your feet out slightly.
As you lower yourself into the squat, Scott advises driving your knees out and squeezing your glutes tightly as you raise your hips up. Make sure you keep your chest high and abs strong.
4. Bench hip thrust.
Meet one of the best exercises to develop muscles in your backside.
