The squat is known as a great strength and muscle builder, which it certainly is. However, it is also a terrific calorie burner. Great as the squat is, there are a few hacks that you can add to make it even more effective. In this article, we reveal three squat variations to max out your calorie burn.
A Word About Nutrition
Before detailing any workout for fat loss, it is important to reiterate the importance of nutrition. That doesn’t mean you need to deprive yourself of the foods you love. Simply look for healthy alternatives, such as low-calorie ice cream and sugar free desserts. Your goal each day should be to take in fewer calories than you expend. Focus on lean proteins, health fats and low glycemic complex carbohydrates. You should also try to cut out snacks, sticking to your 3 main meals each day.
Squats For Fat Loss
When it comes to churning through the calories, the only full body movement that rivals the squat is the burpee. The advantage of the squat, however, is that you can add weight to it. The squat simply involves descending down into a full knee bend and then standing back up again. Yet, that act works nearly every muscle in your body while also making large demands on your cardiovascular system.
You should include squats in your fat burn workout. You can do this at home, even if you don’t have any weights. We recommend checking out the squat assist machine, which is an awesome calorie burner. In the meantime, here are three ways to optimize your squat workout with no equipment at all:
Squat Jump + Abduction + Jump
Stand facing forward with your feet set at hip width. Place your hands together in front of your torso. Now, drop down, hinging at the hips, until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Pause in this position and pulse your quads apart three times. Now jump out of the squat to return to the start position.
Sumo Squat To High Knees
Stand facing forward with your feet set at hip width. Place your hands together in front of your torso. From here drop down into a full squat, with the thighs slightly lower than parallel. Push through your heels to come out of the squat. As you come up, bring up your left knee to connect with your right elbow. On the next rep, come up with your right knee.
Push Up + Squat Hold
Stand facing forward with your feet set at hip width. Place your hands together in front of your torso. From here drop down into a full squat. Now, place your palms on the floor and march out to a plank position. Do a single push up and then push back to the bottom squat position. Now come out of the squat to complete the rep.
Putting it All Together
You now have an arsenal of awesome squat variations that you can combine into a calorie scorching workout to burn off body fat. Here is one way you can put them together. Each squat variation is followed by an isometric hold. This will allow you to recover cardiovascularly while you place isometric tension on your problem areas.
● Warm Up - 2 minutes jogging on the spot
● Squat Jump + Abduction + Jump - 45 seconds
● Plank - 30 seconds
● Sumo Squat to High Knees - 45 seconds
● Wall Sit - 30 seconds
● Push Up + Squat Stand - 45 seconds
● Plank - 30 seconds
Wrap Up On Specialized Squats
Perform this squat variation workout twice per week, with a couple of days between them. Be sure to drink plenty of water and remember to maintain a reduced caloric intake in order to see real, lasting fat loss results from your squatting exercises.
