Do your squats suck? (Why your legs & butt are not strong)
written by Nina Shantel, RealDietHelp.com, published October 12, 2021
Do your squats suck? Is your butt high in the air when you squat? If so, you are pulling on your lower back, and may end up with back pain. You are not strengthening your legs or your glutes, if your butt is not down.
(to skip right to the video, scroll to the bottom of this post)
Do you have a flat butt? You need to squat, but not ass-to-grass. You want your butt to be around 90 degrees, in line with your knees.
To get your glutes stronger, start with easier squat exercises, like:
- TRX squats. These allow you to lean back without fear of falling backwards
- Goblet squats. You can do these with or without a kettlebell. Try to get your elbows to touch your legs (the quads).
- Elevated squats. Do you have back pain when your squat? Elevate your heels when you squat.
- Box squat. If you don’t have a box, use a chair. Put your arms in front of you as a counterbalance.
Are your knees caving in when you squat? Then you need to strengthen your side butt (the medial glutes) by doing lateral exercises, by moving your legs to the side, like:
- Lateral band walks. Start with a light resistance band, and then move up to a fabric band as you get stronger
- Bent-leg lifts, or hip lifts
- Leg lifts with controlled eccentrics, which means to lower your leg with control.
My 15-minute side-butt workout will strengthen your hips and medial glutes, and my 3-minute butt-burning workout will target all areas of your glutes. I’ve attached both of those videos at the end.
