10 exercises better than squats
Simran Khosla shows us a variety of butt exercises, interesting variations that can put the humble squats to shame.
1. Lunges – To perform this exercise, keep your upper body straight, with your shoulders straight yet relaxed. Chin up (pick a point to stare at in front of you) and engage your core. Move the right leg backwards and then left, while lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about 90-degree angle. Repeat the same with the other leg.
Benefit: Lunges are a good exercise for strengthening, sculpting and building several muscle groups, including the quadriceps (or thighs), the gluteus maximus (or buttocks) and the hamstrings.
This exercise gives you better balance, improvised glute activation and better core stability.
2. Lifted heel squats – Get into the basic squat and add variation by elevating your heels when you go down. This decreases the range of motion at the hip and improves range of motion at the knee, helping to recruit more quadriceps muscle fibers. Doing this exercise will help you get that curvy butt in no time.
3. Sumo squat to calf raise – Stand with your feet about three to four feet apart and toes pointing out. Raise your left heel off the floor, and begin to pulse the hips up and down, isolating the left calf. Next do it for the right calf.
Benefits – Tones the thighs, glutes, and calves.
4. Reverse lunges – Stand tall with your hands on your hips. Take a large and controlled step backward with your left foot. Now lower your hips so that your left thigh (front leg) comes parallel to the floor with your left knee positioned directly over your ankle. Your right knee should be bent at a 90-degree angle and should be pointing towards the floor with your left heel lifted. Do it alternatively.
Benefits – This exercise improves strength and endurance. It also works several muscles in the lower body including quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and even your core muscles to some extent.
5. Jump squats with feet touch – Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Start by doing a regular squat, then engage your core and jump explosively and try to keep your feet together while you are in the air. When you land, lower your body back into the squat position to complete one rep. Land as smoothly as possible (this needs practice).
Benefits – This exercise is excellent for building explosive power, conditioning the muscles and joints of the lower body.
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6. Table top bridge – Sit on the mat with your knees bent and your hands on the mat behind you, with about 12 inches between your butt and your heels.
Press through your glutes as you lift your butt off the floor with the help of your hands and legs, coming into a table top position. Repeat 5 times.
Benefits – The table top bridge strengthens the glutes and improves spinal stabilization. This modified version helps in strengthening the shoulders and arms along with enhancing your butt.
7. Bear plank leg-lifts – Begin in a plank position with your shoulders above your wrists, and your body in a straight line. Lift your left leg and bend the knee 90-degrees, bringing your heel towards your butt. With a flexed foot, squeeze your glutes, and raise your left heel up towards the ceiling as high as you can. Pause, then bring your right knee back to meet your right knee to complete one rep.
Benefits – This exercise helps to strengthen the shoulders and activates the glutes
8. Hydrants – Get down on your hands and knees, with your wrists under your shoulders and your knees hip-width apart. Keeping the knee bent, raise the right leg up and out to the right side until it’s at your hip level. Return to the starting position, repeat, and then switch legs.
Benefits – This is a great exercise to tone and firm your butt and thighs and it strengthens the hips and tightens your core.
9. Rainbow – Begin on all fours with your knees hip-width apart and your wrists over your shoulders. With a pointed toe, extend your right leg and reach the foot upwards and on the left side, slowly lower your leg to tap the floor. Squeeze your glutes as you lift the leg back to starting position. Repeat with the other leg complete the exercise.
Benefits – This exercise mainly targets your glutes. It also targets the abs, hamstrings and lower back.
10. Single leg glute bridge – Lie down on the floor with your feet flat and knees bent. Raise left leg off the ground, pulling the knee to your chest. Now start the movement by driving through your right heel, extending your hip upward and raising your glutes off the ground. Do this 5 times. Repeat with the other leg.
Benefits – The bridge exercise is great for improving hip mobility and strengthening your lower back, two things that any desk-bound worker can benefit from.
