11 Weighted Squats Variations You Need to Add to Your Workout Routine

1. 11 Weighted Squats Variations You Need to Add to Your Workout Routine

3. The all-powerful squat is a part of so many workouts for a reason—in fact, for many reasons. It's an important lower-body workout that interacts with a lot of muscles at once, including the glutes, core, and quads. You don't necessarily need any squatting equipment for simple squats - your body's weight and gravity can easily provide you with all the resistance you need. But you can add weights, to do squats with weights, and use specialised equipment including resistance bands to add a challenge and push yourself. 

4. What Are Weighted Squats? A weighted squat is a full-body compound exercise that targets all the muscles. Basically, it is just sitting down on an invisible sturdy elevated surface, like a chair, and then standing up, but with weights.Theydon't even cost much. You can do them free of charge if you have weights at home. Otherwise, you will need a gym membership. 

5. Weighted Squats You Should Try • Goblet Squat • Bulgarian Split Squat • Hack Squat  • Barbell Squat • Front Squat • Zercher Squat

6. What Is a Goblet Squat? A goblet squat is a lower-body exercise identical to a barbell back squat, except you use either a dumbbell or a kettlebell as a resistance. The weight is held by hands in front of the body, and this exercise is very useful for understanding and enhancing body mechanics while squatting.

7. Goblet Squat Muscles Worked: Goblet squat benefits various muscles of the legs, including hamstrings, quads, and glutes. How to Goblet Squat? • Use your legs to raise the kettlebell and try to maintain your goblet squat form by keeping your back straight. • Shift the kettlebell upside down and, grasp it with both hands or, hold it using its handles. You should keep it at the upper level of your chest right under your chin, and near your body, with your elbows pointing straight down.

8. Spread your legs slightly wider than the hip-width length apart and point your feet a bit outwards. • Hold your back straight and squat down to the ground, so your upper legs are parallel to the ground and keep your head straight ahead. Point your knees in the same direction in which your feet are pointed. • Now, get back to standing position. If you have dumbbells, then you can do the dumbbell goblet squat.

9. Equipment Required:Kettlebell or dumbbell.

10. What Is a Bulgarian Split Squat? A Bulgarian split squat involves lifting the back foot to the top of a sturdy surface rather than planting it on the ground. It's a form of single-leg squat, and it varies from the traditional barbell squat in a way that it works one leg at a time and doesn't put a heavy weight on your shoulders.

11. Bulgarian Split Squat Muscles Worked: Bulgarian split squat benefits muscles like hamstrings, glutes, and core. How to Do Bulgarian Split Squat? • Stand around 2 feet in front of a step (or something sturdy); stretch your right leg back and put the roof of your foot on the step. You can also hold a dumbbell in each hand to do a dumbbell Bulgarian split squat.

12. That is the starting position. • Bend your knees to lower down your body as far as possible or till the point your knee gently touches the floor, also keep your chest straight up, shoulders back, and hips in the forward direction. • Take a pause there, and then push through your left heel to get back to the starting position while maintaining the correct Bulgarian split squat form.

13. That makes one repetition. Equipment Required: A sturdy chair or a bench, and dumbbells or kettlebells (for a challenge).

14. What Is a Hack Squat? Hack Squat is a common exercise done by many weightlifters for the development of the lower body. It is done on a sledge that lets you squat at a 45-degree angle. The three major muscle classes that it mostly targets are quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings. You can find the machine in most fitness centres, so you can easily learn how to use the hack squat machine.

15. Hack Squat Muscles Worked: Hack squat benefits the whole lower body, including muscles like quads, glutes, calves, hamstrings, and the core. How to Do a Hack Squat? • Load the hack squat machine with your required amount of weight. If you are a beginner, it is better for you to get acquainted with the way the machine works before you add a bunch of plates.

16. Get into the hack squat machine, position your feet at shoulder-width apart, and your back and shoulders against the pads. • Release the safety handles, breathe in, and lower yourself down, while bending the knees to a 90-degree angle. • Take a pause here, then drive through the back of your feet to stretch your legs back to the starting place.

17. Equipment Required: Hack squat machine (available at gyms), and barbells (for barbell hack squat).

18. What Is a Barbell Squat? The barbell squat is a compound movement that focuses on building lower-body muscle groups. It's a classic way to begin a leg day, and it's a worthy cornerstone for a lower-body training course. With a barbell racked on the traps or your upper back, the focus is directed to the posterior chain, but the entire body gets the attention. The barbell squat can be performed from heavy singles to sets of 20 reps or more.

19. Muscles Worked: Barbell back squats work the quadriceps, core, hamstrings, and gluteus maximus. How to Do Barbell Squat? • Pick up a barbell inside a squat rack with your hands a little wider than your shoulder-width apart. • Duck under the bar and press your upper back into it.

20. Try squeezing the shoulder blades to build a muscular "shelf" for the bar to sit on. • Stand up tall, unrack your barbell, and then step back. Position your feet a little wider than the shoulder-width apart and tilt your toes 20-30 degrees. • Now, push your hips to the back and bend your knees down into a barbell back squat, turning your knees slightly to the sides.

21. Equipment Required: You will need a squat rack, a barbell, some weights, and barbell collars.