Weighted squats: how to do them correctly?

Squats are one of the essential exercises for strength training. Learn how to do them with weight the right way.

Squats are one of the best exercises for toning muscles. Mainly buttocks and legs work, but they also influence the abdomen. Let’s take a look at the correct way to perform weighted squats to strengthen your lower body.

Working with weight allows us to increase the volume of the muscles and gain more strength. On the other hand, strength training promotes fat loss and helps tone.

How to do weighted squats the right way?

Different types of weighted squats can be performed. It is possible to add dumbbells, kettlebells, plates, bars and machines.

We will find everything you need in the gym, although you can also get some items on your own and exercise at home. It is shown that add load The squat exercise increases muscle activation in the area worked on. So here we present a series of exercises to strengthen the lower part of your body.

1. Squat goblet

This weighted squat is performed the same way as the traditional squat, but we will use an accessory to add weight. It can be a dumbbell, a kettlebell or a plate.

It is a fundamental exercise to work the entire lower body. the squat goblet It is also usually done as part of the warm-up, with little weight, to take advantage of the controlled movement and activate the muscles in the area. Then we will be ready to face the activities of greater load.

It is done in the following way:

1. To begin, we open the feet at shoulder height.
2. You should hold the weight at chest height, with both hands, and keep your arms close to your body.
3. The torso must remain straight at all times.
4. We must bend the knees and bring the hips back and down. The hip should pass the line of the knees.
5. The knees should be in line with the balls of the feet. We should not carry the body forward.
6. Finally, the reverse movement is carried out until reaching the initial position.
7. The exercise is repeated the stipulated number of times.

2. Barbell back squat

This exercise aims to strengthen the glutes and lower back. This is one of the most important activities to increase strength.

Requires good flexibility to allow hip descent. The posture involves a greater spinal lean, unlike the front squat, in which the back remains straighter.

It is done as follows:

1. The bar is supported on the upper part of the back.
2. We hold the bar with our hands a little more open than the shoulders.
3. The elbows should be pointing backwards.
4. The knees are bent and the hips are lowered back and down.
5. We must keep our back straight.
6. The knees have to be in line with the toes.
7. Once we lower the hips as far as possible, we begin the reverse movement to reach the starting position.
8. The exercise is repeated until the series is completed.

3. Barbell Front Squat

In this case we exercise quadriceps and back. In general, you work with less weight, since you assume a greater risk of injury.

On the other hand, in case of beginners, a study showed that keeping the heels slightly elevated can be beneficial for the care of the spine, although not in professional athletes.

The activity is carried out as follows:

1. The bar is placed in front of the body, at chest height.
2. Hands in an inverted position on the bar, a little more open than the shoulders.
3. The elbows should be kept elevated forward.
4. We must flex the legs and the hips have to descend backwards and downwards.
5. The hips descend below the knees.
6. The torso should always be kept straight.
7. Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise.

What are the benefits of performing weighted squats?

Like all physical exercise, squats with weights provide us with multiple benefits, as long as we do them with the right technique and without exceeding our limit. By working the glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings, they allow us to achieve greater movement capacity, flexibility and strength.

Here are some other benefits of weight squat training:

• More resistance.
• They improve posture.
• They strengthen the back.
• They increase cardiovascular capacity.
• They burn calories.

Show off your buttocks and legs!

To start working with weight, it is best to have a training base. Although if you are a beginner you can start with minimum weight and increase it as you gain strength.

First of all, we must pay attention and achieve the technique to perform each exercise in the correct way. This is essential to activate the muscles to reduce the risk of injury.

You can go to the gym, where you will find all the necessary elements and you will have the help of the teachers. If you have some kind of equipment, it may encourage you to do some of these exercises at home.

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