Squats are one of the best exercises to do to help your hips, tone your thighs, and work your muscles in the leg region. Basically they transform your lower region area. But using one basic kind of squat isn’t helpful, neither is it fun. To upgrade and make the squatting exercise interesting to do, here are the few ways to upgrade your squat:
1. Split squat
Split squats will wake up the glutes, which are often turned off thanks to long hours of sitting. Stand with feet a little less than shoulder-width apart; step left foot forward and slightly to the left.
Go by lowering down until your back knee touches floor. Drive off the heel of your left foot to stand. To make it harder, place your rear foot on a box to add a balance and stability challenge.
2. Jump squat
This power move is all about those glutes. Start by doing a classic squat, arms in front of you, palms facing in. Once your hips are slightly below parallel, jump up explosively, swinging your arms behind you. When you land, immediately lower back down. To make it harder, add a knee tuck to the jump to engage your core more.
3. Step-down squat
This challenges every muscle from core to calf. Stand on a low box (about 6 to 12 inches high): lower your hips, stepping your right leg out to tap the floor. As you rise, drive your right knee high while coming onto the ball of your left foot. To make it harder, use a higher box; you’ll have to squat lower to touch the floor.
4. Goblet squat
Adding weight helps you sink lower into hips for better range of motion; it works your abs, too. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a 10-pound dumbbell in front of your chest then push your hips back and sink into your heels until your thighs are just below parallel. Push back up. To make it harder, increase weight for more resistance, or do a shoulder press after you rise back to a standing position.
