Squats: what is it for and how to do it correctly

In order to have firm and defined glutes it is important to do squats, at least 3 times a week, for about 20 minutes, and after a month of training, it is already possible to feel your butt bigger and firmer.

The squat, also known as squat, is a very complete exercise, because, in addition to exercising the butt, it works the belly, thighs and back, helping to lose weight, lose fat and cellulite and to harden the muscles, obtaining results in men and women.

In addition, squat exercises improve body contour and contribute to good body posture, which can be done at the gym or even at home.

1. Simple squat

To do the simple squat correctly you must:

1. Stand up: spread your legs, spread your feet shoulder-width apart and fully support them on the floor; Bend the knees: the knees should be flexed, throwing the hips down, until slightly beyond the knee line and, pushing the butt back, as if sitting in an imaginary chair, keeping the back always straight; Extend your legs: stretch your legs, which are bent, to return to the starting position, standing up.

During the exercise, you should always look straight ahead and keep your arms extended in front of your body, swinging them to the rhythm of the squat, to maintain balance. Learn more at: How to do squats correctly.

2. Sink

To do the sink, also known as lunge or squat with advance, it is necessary to remain upright and:

1. Step forward: the knee should be flexed until the thigh of the leg that advanced is parallel to the floor. The front foot should be fully supported on the floor and the back foot should keep the heel raised, not touching the floor. Lower the hip: slowly descending until the front joint forms a 90º angle and the knee of the back leg is very close to the floor, almost touching. Go up and return to the starting position. At the end of the repetitions, you must change the order of the legs, moving from front to back and back to front.

During the exercise, you can place your hands on your waist, behind your head, pick up dumbbells or do it on top of the bosu, to make exercise more difficult and work your butt muscles more. This exercise can be done standing, jumping, or moving around the room.

3. Squat juice

The juice squat is similar to the simple squat, it just requires you to move your feet apart, turning them slightly outward, and you must follow the same steps as the simple squat.

This exercise can be done without using weights, however, the results come faster when using dumbbells or kettlebells, for example.

4. Squat with barbell

The barbell squat can only be done at the gym and should be performed with the help of a teacher, so as not to injure your back.

The person should position the bar on the back, taking it with their hands and positioning their elbows forward. Then you have to follow the steps of the simple squat, never letting go of the bar.

In addition, discs with different weights or even squats with advancement can be added to the bar, which makes exercise difficult.

5. Squat with jump

When doing the squat with heels, besides helping to tone, it contributes to lose fat and increase cardiorespiratory resistance, as there is an increase in energy expenditure. So it is necessary to jump, jumping upwards, whenever you get up after bending your knees.

This exercise can also be done on top of an equipment called bosu, using the round part facing upwards or even with the equipment inverted.

6. Play ball on the wall

The exercise of ball on the wall, technically known as wall balls, implies that the person knows how to do the simple squat correctly and requires the use of a medicine ball. In this exercise you should:

1. Standing: should spread your legs shoulder-width apart in front of a wall and catch the ball; Do the squat simple: bending the knees, throwing the hips down and pushing, the butt back; Throw the ball against the wall: the ball must be propelled upwards and forwards by fully extending the arms, and must go as high as possible; Grab the ball: while the ball goes down, the person must catch the ball close to the neck, crouch and throw it again.

This exercise is a very complete exercise since you work your legs and arms in one movement.

How much squats to do

There is no universal number of squats to do, as it varies widely between people and their physical constitution, as well as physical fitness. However, in most cases it is advisable to do 3 to 4 sets with 12 repetitions, starting with no weight and then adding weight, holding dumbbells or barbells, for example.

However, the ideal is always to make an assessment with a physical education teacher in a gym, to obtain the best results.

Squat training for glutes

During the execution of the squat it is very important to maintain the contraction of the butt muscles and take a few seconds to make each movement in order to stimulate the muscles. In addition, in order for results to appear more quickly, weights should be added whenever possible, such as dumbbells, barbells or shin guards, for example.

Below is an example of training that you can do at home or at the gym.

Heating	Climbing stairs or using a stair simulator machine (5 min) 20 x Exercise 1 + 20 x Exercise 2
Training	20 x Exercise 3 + 15 x Exercise 4 Rest 2 minutes 15 x Exercise 5 + 20 x Exercise 6
Stretches	Stretch legs, butt and back (5 min)

The difficulty of the training must be progressively increased and, according to the person's capacity, increasing or decreasing the number of repetitions and series of each exercise or adapting the load of the equipment used.

At the end of the training it is essential to stretch the muscles that have been worked in order to allow for their proper recovery. Here's how to do it: Stretching exercises for legs.