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3 great squat exercises to improve your strength and mobility
Summary
Squats are one of the foundational exercises for the human body. But why stop there? Here are three great variations that will make you fitter and stronger
The squat is part of the holy grail of fitness. It’s one of the first few exercises one learns when they set foot in a gym, or start training at home, or even take an outdoor activity like running or cycling—you just can’t avoid it.
Even the simplest, most conventional version of the squat is such a winner, and has so many additional challenges which could be added to it, that one could get away with just knowing how to do it. But like every other bodyweight exercise, there are variations of the squat that could completely change your strength and mobility levels.
Over the last few months, I have not done as many basic squats as I have done variations of it. To learn some of them, you need time, like the pistol squat, and some of them are more calorie-burning additions to a lifting day, like the jump squats.
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While using the same foundational principles of the conventional squat, these variations are more targeted towards certain muscles, and are useful on days that you don’t want to just squat, but squat with a goal in mind. Your goal could be to strengthen, to rehabilitate, or to activate fast twitch muscles, depending on your other activity outside of the gym.
The list does not include the two most popular variations which are the front and the back squat.
The Sumo Squat
This is the easiest variation to learn. And it’s quite unique as well because it works the inner thighs, taking the load off the quadriceps and onto the adductors. This is activated by the wider stance, with the feet pointed away from the body.
Even though beginners might want to start with no weights, holding a weight with both hands while learning will give just the right amount of stimulation to understand the difference between a conventional and a sumo squat. This should be doable because the range of motion is very little compared to other squats.
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“The sumo squat requires more hip mobility than the standard squat. The move will stretch the groin and require more external rotation of the hip joint," states a Men’s Health article titled How To Do The Sumo Squat To Target Your Glutes And Unlock Your Hip Mobility. A kettlebell is preferred here, because a plate or dumbbell might reduce the range of motion even more than usual. You can also lift heavier due to this.
Dumbbell Squat Thrusters
If you’re bored of the legs doing all the work in a squat, then this one’s for you. A squat thruster starts with a squat and ends with an explosive shoulder press or a push press. If you’re using light dumbbells (which you should be if you’re starting out) then both hands will be in line with your shoulders, holding the weights. The grips change as you advance into doing a barbell thruster. In that case, you would be using a front squat grip and then raising the bar up.
Now why thrusters? Because this is not just a squat, it is a full body exercise. In fact, there are workouts designed which only use this exercise as the primary move. You can also do single side dumbbell thrusters, to turn it into a unilateral move. It’s such a brilliant exercise that there is no reason not to add it to your repertoire.
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“Like any new movement, the neurological systems adapt to the new imbalances, proprioception, and stability demands. By doing so with two independent dumbbells, the lifter must solidify proper technique and stability with both sides of the body to synchronize the motion as a whole. Once developed, transitioning to the barbell (or another fixed object) will prove to be less challenging (in terms of stability and coordination)," states a Barbend article titled Dumbbell Thrusters: Exercise Guide And Benefits.
The Pistol Squat
The pistol squat is the one which will take the most amount of training to learn. Because this is a one-legged squat, the technique is important, since the point is to not overload the knee. Once you learn other squats, and have also trained those with weights, start introducing the pistol squat to the routine. Start with a supported pistol squat—using a beam, exercise rings, a stick, or anything to hold onto while you go down on the opposite side.
YouTube channel Squat University has a 5-minute video which has more than 2 million views and is on the progression of the pistol squat, starting with something as easy as doing a one-legged semi-squat on exercise plates, all the way to doing one without any support.
The pistol squat can be such a difficult thing to learn. “But even if two-leg air squats are too easy for you, the single-leg pistol squat can be difficult, since it essentially doubles the load on one leg," states an Outside magazine article titled How To Progress Into A Pistol Squat. Start out with a single leg isometric hold, while there are other techniques which involve using a bench for support, and resistance bands, and every other variation possible. But once mastered, it is the coolest squat. It works ankle mobility, glute strength, hamstring strength and is an exceptional balance trainer.
Pulasta Dhar is a football commentator, podcaster and writer.
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