Achieve the J.Lo Booty of Your Dreams With These Squat Variations
There's no greater butt-defining exercise than the good 'ol squat, but if you're doing them right—and many people don't—you're strengthening more than just your glutes but your quads, calves, and core as well.
Larysa DiDio, a certified personal trainer and creator of Tone Up in 15, a fitness DVD filled with 15-minute workouts that target a variety of muscle groups, says, "Squats activate more leg muscle groups than any other exercise. They are also one of the best functional exercises. If you only do one exercise for the rest of your life, it should be a squat!"
As DiDio explains, functional exercises, like the squat, are great for carrying out daily activities because they mimic real movements you do in everyday life. For instance, every time you pick something off the ground, you need to squat down to pick it up. Climbing stairs and hiking up a steep hill are other ways you're essentially doing a squat.
But before you dive into the squat variations below, it's important to nail down how to do a proper squat. Here's what you need to know.
How to do a proper squat
The power in a squat comes from the glutes and quads, but it doesn't mean your back should be slouching. Activating your core helps you sit upright and takes pressure off your lower body so you can hold a squat longer. Here, DiDio explains step by step how to do a proper squat:
- Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and your hands by your sides. Tightening your core and glutes, sit back into your heels and push your butt back and down, lowering your body toward the ground until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
- Look forward—not up or down—and keep your back straight and chest lifted. Make sure your heels aren't lifting off the ground and are firmly in place. Your knees and ankles shouldn't cave inward either.
- Keeping your back upright and your core braced, push off of your heels to stand back up.
Ready to get your butt in gear? Here are the best squat variations to boost your glute game. These types of squats work your glutes, quads and core in different ways. "Depending on the width of the squat and the position of the toes, you can target different parts of the legs more. For example, a wider squat with toes turned out emphasizes the adductors and glutes, while a more narrow stance emphasizes the thighs and hamstrings," DiDio says.
Reps: 8 to 12 reps each
Equipment: 2 medium-to-heavy dumbbells, a chair, and a resistance band
Apparel: Sweaty Betty Zero Gravity 7/8 Run Leggings, APL TechLoom Pro Knit Running Shoes, and Athleta Speedlight Texture Tank in Coastal Teal
(Tyler Joe)Get low, get low, get low.
