Squats are one of those exercises in which your creativity comes into play! The variations are endless, and you can play around and make sure you are hitting multiple muscles.
Squat is a highly effective lower-body exercise, and the best thing about it is that you don't need any equipment to perform it. You can easily do many squat variations conveniently from home, or even spice it up with common household objects such as chairs, sofas or water bottles. If you want to make the squat even more challenging you can add free weights or resistance bands.
But why are squats so hyped up and a must-have exercise in almost every routine? Squat is a compound movement, meaning it targets multiple muscle groups. Bear in mind that squats are indeed a powerful exercise, but form is key, and learning basic movements is a foundation of every quality workout regime.
Possibilities with squats are endless, and you can adapt the exercise to hit your desired muscle groups, in order to feel the burn in your quads, hamstrings, glutes, abs and calves.
Want to step up your squat game, but don't know how? With Krew you will get real-time feedback from a professional, on your pose and technique, enhanced by our motion tracking technology. You will see what you do wrong and how to improve instantly, but for now let's get you started with the basics.
Let's do some squats!
Meet Krew Pro Jovana, a professor of Physical Education and NTC trainer, with 15 years of personal training experience. You can train live with Jovana, or explore more of our amazing of Pros and their classes here.
Jovana will be showing you proper technique for three squat variations.
"If my clients don't have any injuries, I always make sure to include at least one squat variation in my workouts! I love squats because they are functional, versatile and hit many muscles at once. The ability to turn on pose correction and track my client's movements on Krew, has reinvented my online training sessions. Squats have never been this easy to teach!"
- Jovana Vlaski, Krew Pro
#1 Basic squats
You should always learn to perform the basic bodyweight movement, and once you master it, you can start playing around with weights and different variations of the exercise. The same rule applies to squats, and that is why we will be covering the basic squat first.
Learn basic squats, even if the tech is all but basic!
P.S. With Krew there is no need to read instructions, you will have an experienced professional by your side, giving you real-time feedback. And not any kind of feedback, but AI-powered feedback, meaning that your trainer will use cutting edge motion-tracking technology to correct your pose. Want to see how it works? Book a session and try it for yourself.
Follow these steps to perform a basic squat:
1) Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and your chest up.
2) Push your bum back slightly, and only after you do that start bending at your knees and hips.
3) Remember to squeeze your glutes out as if you wanted to sit on a chair.
4) Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Keep your knees behind your toes!
5) Go back to the neutral position, while not overextending your hips. Control the movement!
*Pro Tip: If you are uncomfortable with the movement and don't know how deep to go, you can always use a chair for support and learn the movement like that.
#2 Sumo squats
Release your inner sumo warrior and get ready to burn those glutes and inner thighs. The sumo squat is particularly popular with the gals, because it is a great exercise to target and grow your glutes without having to overload your back. You can book a live Booty Burner Session with Jovana on Krew, and grow those glutes with the guidance of an expert.
Let's learn sumo squats, with a the help of a dash of AI magic
To recap, follow these steps to perform sumo squats properly:
1) Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width, as your toes are pointed outwards.
2) Lower your body into a squat, keeping your core engaged and your back neutral.
3) Don't flex your back, make sure you are pushing down with your glutes. Don't bend your legs!
4) Pause at the bottom, when your hips are in line with your knees.
5) Try to establish that mind-muscle connection as you go up.
6) Squeeze your glutes as you return to the neutral position, but don't overextend your hips. There is no need to thrust your hips when performing sumo squats.
*Pro Tip: If you want to make the exercise more challenging and isolate your glutes even more, you can use a resistance band. Resistance bands are affordable and versatile. You should find a band that is challenging for you, but which still allows you to perform the movement with proper technique. You can find a wide array of resistance bands online, and prices range around the $10-15 mark for a high-quality set.
#3 Curtsey squats
So effective we should all give it a curtsey! The curtsey squat is a single leg exercise, meaning that it can help improve your stability and keep you from relaying too much on the dominant side of your body. This squat variation puts additional emphasis on your gluteus maximus (the largest and outermost of the three gluteal muscles) and your inner thighs.
Time to learn how to curtsey 👸
To sum up, these are the steps for curtsey squats:
1) Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and your chest up.
2) Take a big step back with your right leg, crossing it behind your left.
3) Squat down as deeply as possible, keeping your knee a couple of inches off the floor.
4) Try to establish that mind muscle connection as you go up. Control your breathing and don't overextend your hips.
5) Return to the starting position and switch legs after each rep or after each set.
Let's recap once again: By doing exercises with the right technique and by establishing a mind-muscle connection, you will maximize your results and prevent injury. Nothing beats good technique!
How can you incorporate technology to keep you honest with technique?
It's always good to read and learn, but it's even better to train live with a pro who can keep you on your toes (but not literally, because that's bad technique). Instead of learning from trial and error and hoping for a day of inspiration/discipline, get a trial subscription and try a session with a pro on Krew. Let us walk you through the ancient art of the squat technique with the help of a professional, from the convenience of your home :)
Pros at Krew give real-time feedback by using our motion tracking technology, which enables the pro to see and capture your mistakes (but don't worry, they're nice when they correct you!)
Try a free trial subscription and browse through our sessions. We have lots to fit your schedule, goals and budget.
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