Did you know that Squatting is a fundamental human movement pattern that involves nearly every muscle in the body. Squatting improves fitness, performance, and mobility for daily-life tasks. But do you always do the same squat? You shouldn’t and here’s why:
Have you ever noticed that when you do an exercise or even squats when you haven’t performed them a few weeks or even months, you get intense delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) for two or three days afterwards. Well that is because your muscles are moving in a slightly different plane of motion than what they are used to, and they’ve become unaccustomed to this newly reintroduced movement. Don’t get stuck doing the same exercises each and every week. Change it up so that you can wake up muscles that may not be getting used if you are continually doing the same exercises.
When you add variations into your workouts what will happen is you will have more gains, potentially progress faster and see development and changes. Try new exercise movements that target the muscles in your program, or try to add extra weight. You can even perform more sets and reps each workout. It’s all about the variation. Variations also help keeps you mentally stimulated and non stagnant in your workout regime. This keeps the workouts fun and exciting as well as challenging. When you add variation exercises you will hit the fibers from different angles and create that nice and full muscle so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
Try these following variations for Squats remember to engage the muscles in the exercise and focus on the contraction. Don’t rush through the reps keep everything engaged and firing to get the full benefit of each exercise.
Front Squat
Place the barbell upper chest height in the rack. Step forward and position bar in front of shoulders. Cross your arms and place hands on top of barbell with upper arms parallel to floor. Then move the bar from rack. Squat down by pushing your hips backwards while allowing knees to bend forward, keep your back straight and your knees aligned with your toes. Squat down until thighs are just past parallel. Return to the starting position and repeat.
Bulgarian Split Squat
This can be done with a barbell across your back or dumbbells in both hands. Stand with dumbbells in your hands or bar across your back. Extend leg back and place top of foot on bench. Lower yourself down by flexing both the knee and hip of front leg until knee of rear leg is almost in contact with floor. Return to your starting position and repeat. Then switch legs.
Hack Squat
Position barbell just behind your legs. With feet flat on floor shoulder width apart, squat down and grasp barbell from behind with overhand grip. Lift bar by extending hips and knees to full extension to stand up tall. Squat down by bending hips back while allowing knees to bend forward, keeping back straight and knees pointed same direction as feet. Squat down as far as you can possible while keeping your head and chest up. Repeat.
Heels Elevated Hack Squat
Place some plates or a step behind you. Position barbell just behind your legs. With toes on the floor and your heels on top of the step making sure that your feet are shoulder width apart, squat down and grasp barbell from behind with overhand grip. Lift bar by extending hips and knees to full extension to stand up tall. Squat down by bending hips back while allowing knees to bend forward, keeping back straight and knees pointed same direction as feet. Squat down as far as you can possible while keeping your head and chest up. Repeat.
Goblet Squat
Stand holding a dumbbell or kettlebell close to your chest. Then squat down between your legs until your hamstrings are on your calves. Keep your chest and head up. At the bottom position, pause and make sure that your elbows are on the inside of your knees and legs. Return to the starting position, and repeat.
Sumo Squat
With bar upper chest height, position bar on the back of your shoulders and grasp bar to sides. Place feet wider than shoulder width apart and make sure to point your toes outward 45° to 30°. Begin by squatting down by bending hips back while allowing knees to bend forward. Keep your back straight and your knees aligned with the direction that your toes are facing.. Descend until thighs are minimally just past parallel to floor. Return to the beginning position and repeat
Curtsey Squat
Stand with your feet hip width apart and hands on hips, weights in your hands or barbell across your back. Move your right foot behind your left leg, as far past your left foot as is comfortable. Using a "curtsy" motion, squat down. Keep your weight in the front leg, head up and chest up. Return to the beginning position of standing and repeat.
Box Squat
From rack with barbell at upper chest height, position bar on back of shoulders. Grasp barbell to sides. Dismount bar from rack and back up until contact is made with box immediately behind. Stand with either a regular squat position with feet shoulder width or a wide stance with feet flared out slightly. Then sit back onto box by bending hips back while bending knees, keeping your knees in light with your toes and your head and chest up. Using a controlled movement then lower your glutes onto box. Once contact is made stand back up returning to the starting position and repeat.
Much of how you use the above squat variations comes down to what you are currently doing. I am not suggesting completely changing from one style to another. I am simply saying there is value in adding some variation in a small percentage of your training sessions so that you can see changes and spice up your routine.
At the end of the day, it is important to realize that no matter where you are in your training experience, there is value in occasional variation adjustment. Whether it is to bring up weak points or to keep your body healthy and in balance, varying stance and bar placement, using dumbbells instead of a barbell can add that missing element and help with your progress.
Happy Training!
Learn How to Build Your Glutes with Cable Kickbacks
Before I tell you how to build powerful glutes with cable kickbacks, I will discuss the importance of training them in the first place. Generally, people will think that training glutes is a feminine thing. But men should train too. Women will often train their glutes to look good. On the other hand, men should consider this exercise since a man’s “butt” is one of the physical features that women notice first.
Glutes offer a perfect base of power for most athletic movements. They are also accountable for hip extension. Powerful hips mean that you can jump higher, run faster, and tackle harder.
The Advantages of Cable Kickbacks
Before you decide to begin doing cable kickbacks, you might want to know their advantages first.
Here they are:
Glute isolation: you might have heard the term “mind-muscle connection” being used by bodybuilders. This is the notion that focusing on feeling a target muscle working its range of motion will enable you to activate it more. More muscle activation leads to increased growth. This mind-muscle connection can be used to activate your biceps. But the same cannot be said for glutes. This is where cable kickbacks come in. When performing a cable kickback, you isolate your glutes through hip extension. You can focus on one side at a time and you will feel the glutes stretching and contracting.
Similar to real-life movement: people will often train around exercises that work a specific muscle but which has little transfer to their daily life. Cable kickbacks do this by mimicking the movements you use when running and walking. This exercise will work out your glutes the same way they will be used each day when walking or running.
Offers constant tension on your glutes: cable kickbacks, unlike bars and dumbbells, provide constant tension to your glutes during the movement. There is no resting point since the cable is always pulling against you. The constant tension makes exercise tougher hence the target muscles work harder for longer. The duration spent under tension is the key driver for muscle hypertrophy.
How to Carry Out Glute Cable Kickbacks
Cable kickbacks can be done when standing or when kneeling. Kneeling provides a wider range of motion, which is helpful. However, it is easy to feel the peak contraction while standing. Additionally, it is easy to keep a neutral lumbar spine with standing kickbacks.
Face the stack of weights and take a step back to make the weights to lift a bit. This creates tension from the very beginning of the movement.
Use the machine for support but make sure that your abs are braced and your spine is in neutral alignment.
From the starting position, push the heel of the attached ankle behind you to extend your hip. Keep your knee straight and push your leg behind you until you feel your glute muscles contract.
Remain in that position for two seconds then return to the start position slowly.
Attach an ankle cuff to the machine and lower the pulley to the bottom.
Facing the cable stack, kneel on the bench with one leg and attach the other to the ankle cuff.
Swing the attached leg towards machine.
Push back your leg behind you until your hip is completely extended.
Hold this position for one to two seconds.
Move back to your original position and repeat.
Tips on Cable Kickbacks
There are several key points that will help you get the most out of cable kickbacks.
Keep your back straight and neutral: it is very important to keep back neutral straight. This ensures that tension is applied on your glutes and not your lower back. As a result, you will get better glute activation and you will not injure your back.
Keep in spine in alignment: to do this, keep your abs tensed during the exercise. Before each rep, make sure that your abs are braced.
Do not overextend your lower back: as you push your leg back to extend your hips, ensure that you do not overextend your lower back as this could hurt it.
Contract your glutes and pause at the end of the rep: this ensures that you activate your glutes even more.
Lastly…..
Try out the two cable kickback techniques and put more energy into the one that feels great for you. Including cable kickbacks in your routine is a great step towards activating your glutes. You can also perform big compound exercises such as squats and deadlifts.
Let me know if this guide helps you. Enjoy your cable kickbacks!
About Me
My name is Daniel and I am fitness trainer based in Toronto. I work with people of all ages to help them reach their fitness goals from their homes. You can contact me The Fitness Crab in order for me to help you set up your home gym, recommend what equipment you should buy such as exercise bikes, treadmills and rowers as well as prepare work out and nutrition plans that best suit you.
The Great Train It Right Pumpkin Butt Challenge
Summer is over and fall is here. That meals its pumpkin season. And if you are like me you love all pumpkin everything. The problem is that most pumpkin treats are loaded with sugar. Here is the great train it right pumpkin butt challenge that will show you how to combat those delicious treats! Grab your workout gear and get your butt on the move!
Stand with shoulder width stance. Start holding the weights in a standing position with your legs straight. Lower weights toward top of feet by bending hips and keeping the weight close to your body. Hinge back to starting position while keeping the legs straight making sure to squeeze the glutes at the end range for 1 second. Repeat.
Single Leg Glute Bridge
Sit on the ground with your upper back against the floor, with your knees bent, place one foot on the bench in front of you. Lift the other leg and keep it straight. Squeeze your glutes as you raise your pelvis high enough off the floor to create a straight line between your knees, hips, and shoulders. Pause for 1 second at the top before lowering. Repeat for both right and left legs.
Squat Jump
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, drop down into a squat with your head and chest straight. Then power through your feet jumping up as high as you can. Return to the squat position and repeat.
Happy pumpkin butt training!
Try This Exercise For Your Legs - Bench Step Ups With Med Ball
Bench Step Ups With or Without Med Ball
3 sets of 15 on each leg
For more of a challenge add a medicine ball and hold it in your hands. Make sure to bring the knee all the way to the ball.
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