Primary muscles: Glutes, hip flexors, quads
Secondary muscles: Abs, calves, hamstrings, lower back
Equipment: No equipment
SQUAT INSTRUCTIONS
1. Stand up with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend your knees, press your hips back and stop the movement once the hip joint is slightly lower than the knees.
3. Press your heels into the floor to return to the initial position.
4. Repeat until set is complete.
PROPER FORM AND BREATHING PATTERN
When doing squats maintain your back in alignment, by keeping your chest up and your hips back. Don’t let the knees extend beyond the toes and put the pressure on the heels of the feet. Breathe in as you squat and breathe out as you come up.
EXERCISE BENEFITS
Squats are a great exercise to tone the legs and the glutes and to strengthen the knee muscles. If done regularly, you can expect to see improvements in both your flexibility and balance. Squats are also great for getting the blood pumping through the entire body, thus promoting circulation, removing waste and reducing cellulite.
DEMONSTRATION
SETS AND REPS
Squats are a low intensity, bodyweight exercise, that can be performed virtually anywhere. If your goal is to lose weight and increase endurance, you can start with 3 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions. If you want to build muscle mass and gain strength, grab a set of dumbbells and do 3 sets of 8 to 15 repetitions.
CALORIES BURNED
To calculate the number of calories burned doing squats, enter your weight and the duration of the exercise:
RELATED LOWER BODY EXERCISES
Try these other lower body exercises to strengthen, sculpt and tone your thighs, hips, legs and glutes:
Glute bridge
Side lunge
Donkey kicks
Split squat