View this post on Instagram[1]
Kelsey Wells [3] has amassed over one million followers on Instagram thanks to her intense strength workouts [4] and her friendly and approachable personality. She loves to share snippets of workouts from her PWR program on Instagram [5], and when she shared her favourite barbell squat variations [6], we were excited.
Barbell squats are a great exercise to incorporate into your workout routine, especially if you want to increase your lower-body strength (and work your booty). In her caption, Kelsey wrote, "Barbell squats are incredible compound movements [7] that, when done correctly, really are like little full-body workouts in and of themselves." Kelsey admitted that training with the barbell can be nerve-racking, but instead of being intimidated, she said to gradually work your way up to squatting with a barbell.
The variations:
- Sit squats [9]
- Sumo squats [10]
- Front squats [11]
Kelsey explained that Olympic barbells weigh 45 pounds and beginners should start with lighter barbells. If you don't have access to lighter barbells, squatting with dumbbells and kettlebells will suffice. Once you're comfortable squatting 50 pounds, Kelsey said it's "time to graduate" and upgrade to the Olympic barbell and heavier weights.
Watch how Kelsey performs each squat in the above video.