Making the Cut (44 page)

Squat

Muscles Targeted:
glutes, quads, hamstrings

Starting Position:
Stand with your feet a hip-width apart, your weight on your heels. Keep your abs tight, and stand with your shoulders squarely over your hips.

Performance Description:
Lower yourself back and down as if you were about to sit on a bench—but don’t! Keep your back straight, and being careful not to lean forward, lower yourself down until your upper legs are parallel with the floor. Exhale, and straighten your legs until you are back in the starting position. Repeat.

Tips:
Keep your eyes focused forward. Don’t lean forward or let your heels come off the ground. Don’t let your knees travel forward over your toes or bow inward as you lower or stand. Keep your belly button sucked in toward your spine as you stand back up, and be careful not to arch your back.

[variations]

One-Leg Squat

Place a bench directly behind you (just in case you wipe out). Stand on your right leg. Lift your left foot a couple of inches off the ground. The basic moves of the Squat apply here. Keep your head up, your abs tight, and your heels on the ground. Being careful not to lean forward, or to let your knee travel beyond your toes, slowly lower yourself down until your glutes barely tap (but don’t lean on!) the bench. Exhale, and stand up straight on the right leg only. Continue for a full set on the right leg, then switch over to the left. This modification allows you to strengthen each leg independently, and the balance required will also strengthen your core muscles.

Hack Squat

Place a body ball between your lower back and the wall. Slowly lower your body, rolling the ball down the wall with the small of your back, until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Hold for a beat, exhale, and press back up to the starting position. This Squat variation focuses on the quads as opposed to the glutes.

Jump Squat

Stand with your feet a hip-width apart. Keeping your abs tight, lower yourself down until your quads are parallel to the ground and your shoulders are over your hips, just like a regular Squat. Then from the midpoint position, exhale and explode upward, jumping as high as you can. Land back down on slightly bent knees, and quickly reassume the starting position. Repeat. Jump Squats utilize fast-twitch muscle fibers to produce and develop speed and power. They get your heart rate up so they burn lots of calories, and they are also excellent for getting maximum definition in your quads and glutes.

Sumo Squat

Place your feet out more than a shoulder-width apart, and angle your toes outward. (Picture a sumo wrestler—hence the name!) Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Hold for a beat, exhale, and press back up to starting position. Keep your shoulders directly over your hips at all times. Don’t lean forward or let your knees travel beyond your toes. Keep your abs drawn in, and don’t arch your back. This Squat modification focuses on the inner and outer thighs. For a more advanced version, you can perform a Jumping Sumo Squat.

Sumo Squat with Tricep Extension

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet wider apart than your shoulders and toes angled outward. Extend both arms directly over your head so they are perpendicular to the floor and in line with your body. Lower your body till your thighs are parallel to the floor while simultaneously bending your arms and slowly lowering the dumbbells behind your head. Keep your elbows close to your head and pointed straight up throughout the entire exercise. Hold for a beat, exhale, press your arms and legs back up to the starting position and repeat. Keep your shoulders directly over your hips at all times. Don’t lean forward or let your knees come out over your toes. Keep your abs drawn in and don’t arch your back. Muscles targeted are inner thighs, quads, glutes, triceps.

Squat Swing

Muscles Targeted:
back, shoulders, glutes

Performance Description:
Stand with your feet a hip-width apart, your weight on your heels. Keep your abs tight, and stand with your shoulders squarely over your hips. Hold
one
dumbbell or weight plate in both hands, and let it hang down between your legs. Lower yourself back and down into a Squat, and, as you raise your body back up to standing position, simultaneously swing the weight up with straight arms to eye level. Keep your back straight, glutes tucked, and abs tight, being careful not to lean forward or arch your back. As you go into another Squat, lower the weight back down with your body. Make sure to keep your arms straight throughout the entire movement. You can use a weighted ball if you want an extra challenge, as pictured.

Squat Thrust

Muscles Targeted:
glutes, hamstrings, quads, triceps

Performance Description:
Start in Plank position, with your feet a hip-width apart. Bend your knees, and springing off both legs, get into a crouch position. Quickly extend your legs and jump both feet back behind you into the starting position. Repeat. Make sure to keep your abs tight, and don’t let your lower back sag or drop.

[variations]

Straight Leg Squat Thrust

Start in Plank position, with your feet a hip-width apart. Keeping your legs as straight as possible, jump both feet forward simultaneously so you are in a crouch position. Focus on using your lower abs to draw your tailbone up toward the ceiling as you are jumping. You should end in a position where you are bent at the waist, with legs straight touching your toes. Quickly extend your legs, and jump both feet back behind you into the starting position and repeat. Make sure to keep your abs tight, and don’t let your lower back sag or drop.

Harpy

Start in Plank position, but place your feet a shoulder-width apart with a platform or step just in front of your feet (so it is underneath your torso between your hands and feet but closer to your feet). Keeping your upper body stable, jump up onto the step or bench, keeping your legs as straight as possible throughout. Then jump back onto the floor to reassume the starting position. Do this move at a very fast pace, jumping on and off the step.