The squat, oh how we love thee, let us count the ways. We love thee for thy buttocks, back and leg activating goodness… Okay, we’re no poets, but the squat is definitely one of our favorite exercises – it’s simple, a compound movement and it hits the biggest muscles in the body. As far as bang for your buck, the squat delivers.
If you want great looking legs, a perky rump then you’ve got to squat! Not only that, but for all of us who work office based jobs, you want to work that entire postural chain to counteract the forward collapse many office-workers exhibit… and you guessed, the squat is awesome for working your postural chain!
If you’re missing out on squats, then you’re missing out. But there’s no need to simply stick to the vanilla squats (although those are great), you can spice it up whenever you want because there is plenty of squat goodness to go round. In homage to the humble squat, we present to you 21 amazing squat variations for you to add to your workouts.
21 Challenging Squat Variations
Bodyweight Squats
No gym, no equipment needed: keeping it simple – just the way we like it. You can do these in the comfort of your own home, in the Great Outdoors, or wherever the urge strikes you.
Regular Squats
The regular bodyweight squat which is a fundamental human movement and an excellent strength building exercise.
Prisoner Squats
A harder variation of your regular squat, this is also a good way to check your range of motion: see how low you can go, with a straight back and without your heels coming off the ground.
Sumo Squats
We love our sumo squats, if you really want to target your glutes and get that perky booty, then you want to do these.
Plie Squats
One borrowed from the ballet world and we can agree that ballet dancers often have amazing physiques, especial their legs and tush.
Jump Squats
If you’re looking for a more explosive movement try out these jump squats.
Split Leg Squats
Also known as Bulgarian squats, these guys are awesome for really hitting the glutes, definitely one to add into your workout.
Pistol Squats
This is an advanced squat, and boy is it a tough one – you’ve definitely got to build up to these slowly.
Overhead Squats
A favorite squat of CrossFitter’s the world over. Good for also working your core, arms and stability.
Hindu Squats
The Great Gama (an undefeated Indian wrestler) loved the Hindu squat. Good news is you don’t need to be a wrestler to do these; it’s a great exercise for working the whole leg.
Squat Hold
If you’re a fan of isometric exercises then you’ll love these squat holds; stay in the hold position for as long as you can. You could even do these while watching T.V.
Wall Squats
Similar to the squat hold, but using a wall for stability, which changes the muscle tension and also makes it a bit easier.
Rolling Squats
Rolling around on the floor isn’t just for kids, not when you’ve got these rolling squats up your sleeve. Why would you want to do these? Not only because they’re kinda fun, but they’re also a pretty good core workout too.
Side Squats
Similar to the normal squat, but really shines when you use a resistance band to pull your legs together.
Sissy Squats
Probably the strangest name and the weirdest looking squat we could find, but really work your quads!
Frog Squats
When you think about it, frogs have got great legs, so it’s no surprise that they should have their own squat. These guys work as a pretty good stretch too.
Weighted Squats
When the bodyweight squats get too easy you can make things more challenging by adding weight. Try out this selection weighted squats:
Dumbbell Squats
Like regular squats, but with dumbbells. Great way to make the regular squat more challenging.
Barbell Squats
Squats with a barbell, probably the best way to add more weight to your squats (dumbbells get unwieldly after a certain weight). If you really want to sculpt a perky posterior, then you want to do these.
Front Barbell Squats
Barbell squats, but front-loaded, which helps you maintain a better squat form.
Braced Squats
We love these! Work your core, arms, legs and glutes all in one.
Goblet Squats
Another great weighted squat variation. Wide stance, plus it’s butt to ground, which means… it really hits the glutes – enjoy!
Sandbag Squats
The sandbag is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment you can get – if you’re building a home gym, you’ve got to get your hands on one of these. Demonstration of a number of different squat variations using a sandbag.
Okay, we’ve given you enough squat variations to play with for a while; you should never be bored of squats again! Try a few of them out and let us know how it goes.
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