Squat
Main muscle worked: Quadriceps, gluteus maximus.
Squats are one of the best compound workouts. A compound workout involves using several joints at once. Despite the fact that it targets your quadriceps and glutes, this exercise truly works your entire body. You can always start with a bodyweight squat to master your movement and then progress your squat with weights.
- Stand with your feet pointing forward or slightly outward and your legs a little wider than your hips
- Lower your body by moving back your hips and bending your knees outward aligning with your knees in a controlled movement as if sitting on a chair. You can squat down until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor.
- Push back against the floor by extending your legs, knees and hips with a controlled movement.
Perform 8-12 reps for 2-3 sets.
Tips: When you are squatting down, make sure you do not round your back. Keep it neutral, meaning not rounding or hyperextending your back.
Tips: When you are squatting down, make sure your knees are aligned with your toes but do not cave your knees in.
After mastering your movement with bodyweight, you may be able to add a weight and try goblet squat.
Goblet squat
- Grab a kettlebell or dumbbell and hold it in front of your chest.
- Stand with your feet pointing forward or slightly outward and your legs a little wider than your hips. Close your elbows.
- Lower your body by moving back your hips and bending your knees outward aligning with your knees in a controlled movement as if sitting on a chair. You can squat down until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor.
- Push back against the floor by extending your legs, knees and hips with a controlled movement.
Perform 8-12 reps for 2-3 sets.
Tips: Because there is a weight in front of you, there should be more core engagement than a bodyweight squat to maintain the right posture throughout the movement. It is easier to engage your core by closing your elbows.
Sumo squat
Main muscle worked: Quadriceps, adductors, gluteus maximus, hamstrings
Compare to regular squat, this exercise works adductors (inner thigh) muscles intensely.
- Stand with your feet outward and your legs wider than your hips.
- Lower your body by moving back your hips and bending your knees outward aligning with your knees in a controlled movement as if sitting on a chair. You can squat down until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor.
- Push back against the floor by extending your legs, knees and hips with a controlled movement.
Perform 8-12 reps for 2-3 sets.
Tips: When you are squatting down, make sure your knees are aligned with your toes but do not cave your knees in.
This is same with a regular squat but you feel the obvious difference in your muscle tension. Since sumo squat focuses on inner thighs muscle, you feel your inner thigh muscles are working out but you might feel less tension in your inner thigh muscles if your knees are caved in.
Split squat
Main muscle worked: Quadriceps, adductors, gluteus maximus, hamstrings
This exercise challenges your balance and cannot handle heavy loads like squat. Quadriceps work harder with shorter lunge and glutes work harder with longer lunge. By leaning your torso forward, you can engage your glutes muscle more.
- Stand with legs in shoulder width apart. Take a step forward, widen or narrow your stance by moving your front leg and find the most stable and well-balanced stance.
- Drive your hip down until the rear foot knee is touching or almost touching the floor and your front thigh is almost parallel to the floor in a controlled movement. Keep your knee aligned with your foot.
- Raise your body back as majority of your weight is on your front leg heel.
Perform 8-12 reps each side for 2-3 sets.
Bulgarian split squat
Main muscle worked: Quadriceps, gluteus maximus, hamstirngs
Depending the position of your leg on the floor, you can focus on either quadriceps or hamstrings and glutes more.
Bulgarian split squat: Quadriceps focused
- Stand with one leg on the floor and the other leg on the bench/chair.
- Put your leg closer to the bench/chair and then put the other leg on the bench/chair. Then squat down.
Perform 8-12 reps each side for 2-3 sets.
Tips: Keep your torso upright so that you can engage quadriceps more. And make sure your toes pass your toes
Bulgarian split squat: Hamstrings focused
- Stand with one leg on the floor and the other leg on the bench/chair.
- Put your leg further from the bench/chair and then put the other leg on the bench/chair. Then squat down.
Perform 8-12 reps each side for 2-3 sets.
Tips: Lean forward to active your glutes more and make sure your knees do not pass your toes.
When you squat down, make sure your upper body is straight but not tilted.