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- Targeted Muscles:
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Buttocks (gluteus maximus)
- Additional Muscles:
- Inner Thighs (adductors)
- Hip Flexors
- Slowing down your movements can make the exercise harder and increase muscular and tendon strength. To slow down your movements, you can take 4 seconds to get down into the squat, pause at the bottom for 2 seconds and then take 4 seconds to get back up. This technique can be performed with or without weights.
- The wide leg squats are a variation of the basic squats and like squats work most of the muscles in your lower body, including your quadriceps, hamstrings, buttocks, hip flexors and inner thighs. However, the wide leg squats exercise your quadriceps better due to the stretch position of the body.
- Hold the legs two steps apart, facing your legs parallel to each other. Hold a dumbbell with both the hands and squat like in free squats and get up slowly.
- If you have trouble maintaining your balance while squatting, try to keep your head up, look straight ahead and focus on an object directly in front of you instead of looking down otherwise you will be more likely to lose your balance and fall forward.
- To improve your form, you can place a bench behind you and then lightly touch the bench with your buttocks each time you squat. As you come out of the squat, concentrate on pushing yourself up through your heels rather than the balls of your feet.
- Do not shift your body weight forward and allow your heels to lift off the floor.
- Do not hunch or excessively arch your back.
- Do not lift your head up or down. Keep your head and neck in line with your back.
- Do not lock your knees.
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