A Nike trainer Alex Silver Fagan claims that if you want to have the perfect lower body legs and butt, you should be doing more squats. She states that the best exercises for tight legs and butt are squats. The best part about doing squats is that you can either do them separately or mix them up with different exercises, depends on your preference.
This article will give you the perfect weekly exercise program which consists of 10 versions of squats that will target your lower body muscles. You can perform the exercises at home easily and they will only last for 15-20 minutes.
Here are the 12 versions of squats and how to do them:
- Ordinary Squat
- Begin the exercise in the ordinary squat position with your feet the same distance as your hips.
- Your knees, hips, and toes should be turned forward.
- By bending your knees, your butt needs to be extended as if your body is trying to sit on a chair.
- Make sure during this movement that the knees are behind your toes and the weight of your body is on your heels.
- Return to the starting position to finish one rep of the exercise.
- Squat with Kickbacks
- Kickback movements are best for your buttock muscles.
- Begin the exercise by standing up with your feet parallel to your shoulders.
- Perform the ordinary squat movement, however, before moving back to the starting positing, you’ll need to transfer your body weight to one of your legs and kick back with the other leg.
- After, come back to the beginning position and make the same movement but alternate legs.
- Sumo Squat
- Sumo squat is an amazing exercise for your torso and butt.
- Begin the exercise with the feet a little bit wider than with the last exercise.
- Face your toes towards the side.
- Your knees need to be bend so you can lower your body.
- After, bring your butt and hips down but make sure that you keep your thighs in a parallel position with the floor.
- Return to the starting position for finishing a rep.
- Reaching Sumo Squat
- This exercise is a combination of squats and cardio.
- Begin the exercise by standing with both your feet on the ground with the same distance as your shoulder.
- Face your toes on the sides.
- Place your arms on your hips and keep them there hanging.
- Begin the movement by pushing your hips to the back to perform a squat.
- During the movement, make sure that your chest is kept steadily up and your knees out.
- Your hands need to be still hanging during the movement
- After, swing your arms around and then up, while simultaneously standing on your toes.
- The best thing about the exercise is that it keeps your torso lifted during every movement. This gives an extra concentration on your glutes.
- Oblique Squat
- The oblique squat is one of the best exercises that you can do for your hips.
- Begin the exercise with your feet on the ground shoulder-distance apart.
- Do the same movement as an ordinary squat, however, before returning to the beginning position, squeeze and crunch your leg.
- Do the same for the opposite leg and finish one rep.
- Jump Squat
- The jump squat is an amazing exercise for the arms.
- Begin the exercise with your feet shoulder apart, standing up.
- Do a basic squat and when you reach the lowest position, engage your core and jump into the air simultaneously.
- After you land, bring your body back into the starting position to finish the one repetition.
- Make sure you land as safely and quietly as possible.
- Narrow Squat
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- Many people consider narrow squat exercise to be a warm-up exercise for the pistol squat.
- Begin by standing up on your feet, but the feet need to be placed together.
- Put out your arms on the sides.
- Keep your feet together and perform squats. While going down, make sure your knees reach a 90-degree angle.
- Pistol Squat
- This is considered to be one of the hardest squat versions, if not the hardest. Most of the movements that you will be doing will be working your knees.
- Make sure you’re performing this exercise correctly and not squatting to low. Either way, you might get injured, so be careful.
- If you haven’t exercised before, make sure you are holding onto something for control.
- Begin the exercise with your arms and feet as extended as possible in front of you.
- Extend your right leg forward as high as you can. Your body needs to be balanced with your left leg at this time.
- While keeping your leg elevated from the ground, squat down as much as you can. Remember to not overdo the squatting because you might fall and injure yourself.
- Additionally, keep your back straight while squatting.
- You must also support your knees pointed in the same line as the supporting foot.
- Later, bring back your body along with your supporting leg (which is bent right now from the squat) in the starting position.
- Repeat the same movement with your left foot stretched up and your right foot supporting to finish a rep.
- Curtsy Squat
- Begin the exercise with your feet shoulder-distance apart while standing.
- Keep your hands on the hips and your right leg needs to be bent behind the body to the left leg with the inner thighs touching each other.
- Your toes need to be pointed up front and your knees bent in a 90-degree angle.
- Start to return to the position in the beginning.
- After, lift your right leg to the outside as high as you can.
- Keep your left leg straight so that your hips do not shift.
- Return to the starting position and do the same exercise with alternate legs.
- Split Squats
- The split squat exercise will target your glutes, calves, and hips.
- Begin the exercise with your both feet as if you would be standing up normally.
- Place your hands up in front of your chest with the left hand holding your right.
- Move one of your feet to the front and the other to the back.
- After, do a squat by flexing by bending your front knee and hip, knee reaching 90-degree angle. Also, your other leg should be bent until it almost touches the floor. The heel of the back leg needs to be lifted.
- After, bring yourself to the starting position and repeat by switching the legs, back leg up front and front leg in the back. Repeat the same movements for each.
- Isometric Squat with Toe Taps
- The exercise is widely known as a booty burn. This exercise will tighten the muscles as much as possible.
- Begin the exercise standing on both feet with hips width.
- Your arms need to be placed by the sides.
- Do an ordinary squat and bring your hands up front in a clasp position with your elbows to the sides.
- By remaining in this position, extend one of your legs on the outside as much as you can. Your toe of that leg needs to be tapping the ground.
- Return to starting position and repeat the same movements for the opposite leg.
- Pop Squat
- This exercise will help rest your muscles after the static postures and flush out all the lactic acids.
- Begin this exercise by standing up on both feet with hip- distance apart.
- Bring your hips down as if you are doing a squat.
- After reaching the lowest squat position, bring yourself up and jump in the air, landing onto the starting position.
- Make as many repetitions as you can with this exercise.
Lastly, you will be requiring a weekly plan that will include these exercises for you. This is the week-long training plan. You can modify some of the exercises as you like, but it is preferred to do them by this plan:
Day 1 – Exercise 10 ordinary squats and 5 kickback squats for this day. Make sure that you’re doing 2 sets for each of the squat exercises.
Day 2 – Exercise 10 reaching sumo squats and 10 ordinary sumo squats with 2 sets for each exercise.
Day 3 – Perform 10 pop squats and 5 oblique squats with 2 sets for both squat exercises.
Day 4 – Do 5 pistol squats but make sure you start with 10 narrow squats with 2 sets for each squat exercise.
Day 5 – The needed exercises for this day are 5 split squat and 5 curtsy squats with 2 sets for both.
Day 6 – 5 isometric squats with toe taps and 10 pop squats are required for this day. Do 2 sets for both the squat exercise.
Day 7 – Do 5 oblique squats and 10 sumo squats with only 1 set each.
Performing these exercises correctly and sticking to the schedule will give you the best results. If you don’t do them correctly or you’re skipping days or reps in your exercises, don’t be disappointed to anyone but yourself. If you want to get results, you need to keep a good mindset and stick to whatever exercising plan that you have. Stay motivated, anything that you can get your mind focused on, you can do.
Just stick to the plan, and you will see the results in the next 4 weeks. If you want additional results, continue the exercises after one-week rest. If you think that you don’t need a week of rest, then just take one day off and continue.
You will not regret the effort that you’ve put up with.
