Squats are a classic leg and butt exercise, but if you tend to overwork your quads, you need to really focus on your glutes throughout the motion by lifting your toes and concentrating on pushing through your heels.
Basic Squat
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Extend your hands straight out in front of you to help keep your balance. You can also bend the elbows or clasp the fingers.
- Sit back and down like you're sitting into an imaginary chair. Keep your head facing forward as your upper body bends forward a bit. Rather than allowing your back to round, let your lower back arch slightly as you descend.
- Lower down so your thighs are as parallel to the floor as possible, with your knees over your ankles. Press your weight back into your heels to fire up your glutes.
- Push through your heels, feeling the glutes engage, to return to standing.
- Do 12 to 15 reps to complete one set.
Hold a set of dumbbells to make this exercise more challenging.
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