5 Squats You're Going To Love!

At Dynamic we use them in a variety of ways with a variety of our members to meet the individual’s current level and goals. Each squat, the weight used, the tempo, the duration and intensity all serve a purpose to elicit a response or adaptation in our members. 

The great thing about squats is that they are so diverse. They are great for meeting the goals and need of a variety of fitness levels. Certain squats are used more for lower-body strength. Here we would be keeping the weight on the higher end and the reps on the lower end. Others are designed specifically to teach our members to squat correctly and safely while improving both flexibility and mobility. This is a great way to warm-up and lead into squatting with weights. Some squats are done to improve our athlete’s power output. Here we use lighter weights and the intention is to come up from the squat as fast as possible. This transfers to them being more explosive on the court or field. Finally, we use squats to improve conditioning and burn fat. Here we keep the weights light and the reps really high to keep the individual working, sweating and burning calories. 

As you can see, squats can be used for a number of reasons. It all depends on your specific goals. That is why we love them so much at Dynamic. Not only are they going to help achieve your fitness goals, they are a great way to improve your overall movement and joint mobility of your ankles, knees and hips. These changes lead to improvements in overall fitness and great reduction in injuries in and outside of the gym. 

Let’s get into it!

#1 Toe Touch Progression

Every warm-up within our adult and women’s group training incorporates some type of body-weight squat. This is a great way to slow things down, teach our members how to squat with the proper position while serving as a great warm-up and flexibility drill. Mastering technique is crucial for keeping our members injury free. 

Key Points 

• Start with feet shoulder width, toes out slightly
• Keeping legs straight as possible, inhale and touch toes
• Drop into squat position, placing elbows inside of knees
• Keeping heels down, exhale fully as you push knees out with elbows and drive chest tall
• Reach one arm overhead at a time, following hand with eyes
• Start with 2 sets of 5 reps in your warm-up

#2 Goblet Squat

The goblet squat is a great way to add a bit more challenge and strength to your squat by adding the weight of a kettlebell or dumbbell. If you are new to the squat and want to add resistance, start here!

Learn how to goblet squat in the video here

Key Points

• Start feet shoulder width, toes pointed out slightly
• Keep KB or DB close to body, under your chin
• Staying tall, initiate movement by bending knees and sitting back
• Keep abs braced throughout
• Knees should slightly push out while keeping weight in heels
• Start with 3 sets of 8-10 reps

#3 Double Racked KB Squat

Once our members have mastered the goblet squat we keep them progressing with the double racked KB Squat. Here we increase the lower-body and core challenge by adding the resistance of a second KB. Let’s get strong!

Key Points

• Start feet shoulder width, toes point out slightly
• Hold 2 KB on the back of wrist
• Interlock fingers and keep KBs close, resting on forearms and chest
• Staying tall, initiate movement by bending knees and sitting back
• Keep abs braced throughout 
• Knees should slightly push out while keeping weight in heels
• Start with 3 sets of 8-10 reps

#4 Wideout Squat

One of our favorite conditioning or cardio exercises is the wideout squat. The fast pace and high tempo keeps our members heart rates up and burning calories. Be sure to master the squat technique with the toe touch progression before incorporating the wideout squat.

Key Points

• Start tall with legs straight and feet together
• In one motion, quickly widen feet and drop into low squat position
• Get as low as possible, keeping heels down and chest tall
• Finish motion by quickly popping up to starting position
• Start with 5 to 8 rounds of :20 of work and :40 of rest

#5 Squat with Diagonal Press 

The squat with diagonal press is another fantastic conditioning exercise that also incorporates your upper-body and adds a rotational component  - great for improving core strength. Start light as theses are tough!

Key Points 

• Holding a plate, start in low squat position
• As you stand up rotate hips and back foot and press plate up
• Finish with arms straight and plate up at 45 degree angle
• Quickly return to starting position 
• Alternate sides
• Start with 5 to 8 rounds of :20 of work and :40 of rest

Our philosophy at Dynamic Strength and Conditioning is that every individual—regardless of fitness level, age, gender, or goals—receives the best results from a comprehensive strength and conditioning program in a safe training environment coached by educated, experienced professionals.