Squats are a staple in any lower body workout, especially if you are trying to work on your butt. However, squats aren’t just great for your butt they are also great at strengthening pretty much every muscle in your legs–think thighs, calves, glutes, hamstrings, and and the bonus core workout too (if you are doing them right).
Before trying any variations of squats you will want to master a basic squat first. To execute a squat you want to first stand tall with your feet spread shoulder-width apart, this is your starting position. To perform the actual squat motion, you will need to lower your hips to the floor by bend your knees. You will want to focus on lowering your butt back as opposed to straight down while keeping your core engaged. A good way to tell if you are performing a squat correctly is to look at your toes. You should see your toes and see that your knees are not in front of your toes. The idea is to lower your butt a little bit beyond parallel but you should only lower your butt down as the breath allows. You want to keep an inhale the whole time you lower. Once you can’t inhale a breath anymore then this is your depth. To return to the starting position, you are going to exhale, drive through your heels, keep your knees pressing outward and squeeze your glutes.
Once you have returned to a standing position, that is one rep. If you have mastered the squat then it is time for you to try some of these variations that all steam off of the Sumo Squat to get more out of your workout and challenge your glutes in a different way.
Sumo Squat
The Sumo Squat is very similar to a regular squat except your feet are in a wider stance. Your feet this time should be wider than shoulder width apart with your toes slightly turned out. Try this one out for size by starting off with 10 repetitions. You should feel this squat target more out of your outer glutes and inner thighs.
Sumo Squat With Pulse On Toes
Adding another layer to the Sumo Squat, this one is a Sumo Squat on your toes and with a pulse. Getting into your sumo squat position, you are this time going to raise up on your toes before you lower your butt back and down. After you get comfortable with this variation, try adding little pulses at the bottom of your squat before you stand back up. A pulse can be as small as one inch lower and to one inch higher than your regular Sumo Squat depth.
Sumo Squat Jack
Starting again in your Sumo Squat stance, you are going to perform a Sumo Squat like normal until you get to the bottom of the squat. From the bottom of the Sumo Squat instead of just standing back up, you are going to jump your feet in together and windmill your arms up overhead like a Jumping Jack. As soon as your legs and hands come together in your standing position, you will jump your feet back out into your Sumo Squat to lower back down. This is one repetition.
Squat Jump
Almost like the Sumo Squat Jack, this one is still slightly different. You will begin the same as you are performing a Sumo Squat Jack. Instead, when you are at the bottom you are not going to jump your feet together, you are still going to jump but keeping your legs wide in the Sumo Squat stance. It is like performing a Sumo Squat but adding in a little jump instead of just coming to a stand.
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