Kim Kardashian. Jennifer Lopez. Chris Evans.
All three of these celebrities are known for various reasons — one is married to Kanye West, the other skyrocketed to fame when she portrayed Selena, and one of them donned an armor shield made of vibranium whenever the planet was in peril.
However, what they’re quite famous for isn’t their pretty faces, Hollywood connections, or their social media prowess.
They’ve all got really nice and firm booties.
Achieving such a bulbous behind can be challenging, but if you do it the right way your glutes will be the talk of the town (no, not really but you’d have a nice rear end!)
The Benefits of Doing Squats
Doing squats isn’t just for aesthetic purposes. There are many health benefits when you work out your gluteus maximus.
In a nutshell, squats are amazing. It’s one of the few movements we’ve been doing since we were babies. Our bodies used to naturally sit in a squatting position. Over time our bodies have grown accustomed to sitting on a contraption that prevented us from doing a full squat: the chair.
Doing squats the right way has been proven to be beneficial:
- Lifting heavy objects becomes a breeze – Because squats use your lower body, – legs, knees, feet – trying to lift heavy objects will let your body get used to using these muscle groups instead of your back
- Time efficiency – I cannot stress enough how squats give your lower body a proper workout. The road to getting a better booty gives your lower body the chance to strengthen itself. It’s a win-win: feel strong, look strong.
- Prevents injuries – Squats help strengthen ligaments and connective tissues, as well as weak stabilizer muscles. A lot of physical injury (especially to athletes) have been linked to the lack of strength from these body parts. Having knee issues might be a reason why you shy away from squats but doing this exercise properly will actually strengthen its connective tissues and may actually improve your condition.
- Real-world benefits – Many of our daily activities involve muscles strengthened through squats. It is a functional exercise that promotes balance, mobility, and flexibility.
- Improved self-esteem – We live in a world that devours media content on such a grand scale, it is quite impossible to avoid it altogether. The beginning of the Kardashian era meant the world put a spotlight on the importance of great glutes. And while you may not agree in the Kardashian approach, there’s no doubt that toned glutes can do wonders for increasing self esteem and confidence and are one of the most desired parts for toning as part of any fitness routine.
How to Squat Properly
So you’ve been going to the gym for quite some time. Think you’re a pro at doing squats? Think again.
Many of us still don’t know how to squat properly (whether we admit it or not) and though the exact percentage is debatable, I can bet that this exercise has been poorly executed in fitness gyms around the world. It is very important to know how to squat properly. You get to maximise its benefits, plus you avoid injuring yourself.
The Basics – The Right Squat Form
Imagine a chair behind you as you attempt to do a proper squat. This will allow your hips to thrust back.
- Stand with your legs open, toes facing front. Your feet should be slightly wider than your hip width.
- Now lower your body, driving your hips back. Bend your knees. Your ankles should be steady. Slightly open your knees.
- Now you are in a squatting position. Keep your toes and heels on the ground. Your chest is up (but not protruding) and your shoulders are back.
- Now lift yourself to the standing upright position using your heels. Slowly straighten your legs.
The Basics – How to Squat
- As you squat, lower yourself to a comfortable angle. If you have knee issues, it is advisable to never go deeper than a 90-degree angle. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor.
- Your heels should help keep you balanced. Keep it solid on the ground, especially when you straighten your legs. This will help enhance your glutes even more.
- Your knees should pointing outwards, in line with your toes.
- Allowing your torso to tilt naturally will prevent too much strain on your knees and prevent your hips from thrusting back. Just make sure not to slouch.
Variations of the Squat You Can Do
A squat is a squat no matter what you do. Whether you make use of your body weight or gym equipment, you will still be getting the same benefits from doing squats.
If you’re bored with the basic squat and want more variation, there are other ways to do it. The variations included here make use of a barbell. The main difference is the placement of the barbell.
Olympic squats – There are two variations of this: the low bar back and the high bar back. The barbell is placed behind your shoulder. How wide or narrow your hand placements are will be dependent on your flexibility.
Front squat – as the name implies, the barbell is placed in front as you do squats. This exercise is more quad-dominant and helps keep your back upright compared to an Olympic squat. These exercises might require a personal trainer, especially if you haven’t tried them yet. Preventing any sort of injury should always be your top priority.
Work Your Butt Off
The squat can easily become the bane of your gym experience if you don’t do it correctly. But just like any other activity, the more you do it, the better at it you become. The hard work and effort you’ll put into working out your glutes will eventually pay off.