The squat is a basic exercise that creates the best conditions for achieving many goals, be it maintaining physical condition, enlarging the hips and gluteal muscles, or losing weight.
The developed squat program will allow you to achieve the desired results and improve your health. An important advantage of the training complex is the ability to carry it out not only in the gym with various weights, but also at home.
What program do we need?
The squat is a multi-joint movement. It gives load to a large number of large and small muscles of the lower body, abdominals, and back.
Performing the exercise in different ways allows you to shift the emphasis of the load to different muscle groups.
Classic squats with a barbell on the shoulders engage the quadriceps. By changing the position of your legs, you can shift the load on your buttocks. An exercise program designed for 30 days will change the composition of the lower body. This period is enough for the first external and internal achievements and, most importantly, the formation of the habit of playing sports.
Squat Efficiency
Doing squats is useful for losing weight, increasing muscle mass and strength. They allow you to effectively work out the lower body, improve muscle endurance and elasticity, and get rid of cellulite. The positive effect on the body is reflected by improved blood circulation, digestion, and coordination of movements.
Squats combine strength and aerobic exercise. Increasing your breathing allows the heart to pump faster, which saturates the blood with oxygen.
This leads to improved metabolism and the consumption of extra calories. The listed factors prove the effectiveness of the exercise for men and girls.
What do squats do for girls?
The effect of squats for girls is multifaceted:
- Development of the gluteal muscles. Achieved by regularly performing types of squats, the emphasis of which is aimed at loading this muscle group.
- Improvement of figure. Posture is straightened, the body becomes toned, the amount of fat in problem areas is reduced: the bottom and sides of the abdomen, thighs.
- Losing weight. The squat is an energy-consuming exercise, the regular performance of which promotes weight loss.
- Regularly performing squats with increasing load helps increase endurance. Body flexibility and muscle elasticity also improves.
- Strengthening metabolism and blood circulation.
- Strengthening the abs and lower back, which are also involved in the exercise.
- Focusing on exercise helps develop an understanding of muscle function, which improves communication between the brain and body.
By following the training program, within a month you can achieve an increase in the volume of load and work out the lower body. This will lead to a positive result in all of the above points.
How long does it take to build beautiful buttocks?
Every girl wants to look good, and for this, the aesthetics of the shape of the hips and buttocks are of great importance. These muscles are adductors. They are under heavy load every day as they participate in processes such as walking, running, and squats. Improving these muscles requires working them regularly.
At the same time, you should not be afraid to lose naturalness when doing exercises.
The female body has a limited amount of testosterone, and pumping up your muscles to the level of bodybuilding athletes, even with a strong desire, will not be possible without medical intervention.
Progress in exercise will only change your appearance and well-being for the better.
Our body changes under the influence of the stresses it must cope with. And the time to achieve the desired result, depending on the goals and way of life, will be different for everyone. However, a month of work on yourself is enough for your buttocks to take on a new look. This is achieved by adapting to regular work and progression of loads, which is given in the program.
After a month of work, assessing the result, each girl has the right to answer the question of whether she is satisfied with this result or whether she wants more. Depending on the decision, it is necessary to leave the training load at this level or continue to increase it. To achieve the desired result, you do not need to look for new and different exercises. It is enough to pay attention to squats, which work the lower body best.
Positive properties of exercise
Squats are an exercise that affects the body in a variety of ways. With its help, a wide variety of problems related to physical development are solved.
The versatility is explained by the large number of muscle groups involved in the work.
They work here:
- quadriceps
- hamstrings
- gluteal muscles
The calf, abs and lumbar muscles are involved in the role of stabilizers.
about 250 muscles (40% of the muscles of the whole body) are involved when performing the exercise .
All this increases energy consumption - 100 repetitions burn an average of 45 kcal. And this is only 3-4 minutes of time. In an hour, you will spend 700 kcal with a squat. For example, an hour of running at a speed of 8 km/h burns up to 600 kcal.
The exercise has many more positive properties. But in today's article we will talk about its fat-burning effect.
Squats for 30 days will help reduce the level of subcutaneous fat, as well as improve muscle tone in the gluteal muscles and thighs.
The exercise is quite simple in technical execution and does not require sports equipment or a special place for training.
All of the benefits listed above are ideal for girls who decide to quickly prepare for the beach season with the help of home exercises.
Benefits and contraindications
Despite the benefits of squats, there is a possibility of harming yourself. This is possible due to violation of the exercise technique or the presence of contraindications. Before moving on to squats with weights, it is important to first spend time on technique rather than increasing loads, and become familiar with the contraindications.
As soon as we learn to feel the muscles in motion, we strengthen the muscle corset and move on to performing exercises with a barbell or dumbbells.
Useful tips
During execution, your back should always be straight. The natural arch in the lower back is maintained: chest forward, butt back. If the deflection disappears at the bottom of the exercise, reduce the weight. In this situation, the exercise becomes traumatic.
To maintain balance, you need to lean forward when you squat. In women's squats, you need to lean forward more because it involves the buttocks. It is important not to round your back.
It is unacceptable to bring your knees past your toes. This is traumatic for the joints. This happens when there is a lack of flexibility in the joints and when technique is violated.
For the correct tilt, move your buttocks back. You can learn this by squatting on a low bench at the back. To keep your back straight, you can squat with your arms above your head. This helps maintain balance.
Women need to squat deeper than men, because in the lower phase of the exercise the gluteal muscles are involved.
The amplitude of movement in squats is large, because at the bottom point we go deeper than usual. At the top point, it is unacceptable to fully extend the knee joints and move the pelvis forward. This takes the stress off the target muscle groups and onto the joints.
The position of the feet is an important technique parameter that affects the work of the buttocks. The wider the stance of the feet, the more the gluteal muscles work. The narrower the position of the feet, the more the quadriceps work. The feet are directed towards the knees.
When performing squats, it is recommended to push strictly with the heels and the outer edge of the foot. Even though the toe kick puts more emphasis on the gluteal muscles, it also has an impact on the joints.
Heel pads are used in cases where ankle flexibility is poor and does not allow you to squat with full amplitude for an accentuated effect on the quadriceps.
The head should not be tilted forward so as not to disturb the balance and position of the back. Look at some point in front of you or slightly above.
For girls, the bar of the bar should lie behind and low enough. This allows you to shift the load into the gluteal muscles by bending forward.
We inhale while squatting down, and exhale with effort.
Girls are recommended to perform the exercise in a smooth style. The downward movement takes up to 2-4 seconds, you can go up a little faster. This makes it easier to control movement technique and load in the right areas.
Before squatting with a working weight, be sure to carry out several approaches without a projectile.
This is necessary to warm up the joints, muscles and ligaments. In addition, the light weight allows you to quickly adjust the neuromuscular connection during work.
Are there any contraindications
The exercise is contraindicated for people who have problems with leg joints, spine, cardiovascular diseases, scoliosis, hernia, radiculitis and varicose veins.
It is advisable to consult a doctor and find out what physical activity is permissible in this case.
Types of squats
There are a large number of types of squats. Depending on the required load goals, the method of performing the exercise is selected.
Let's look at the main types and their distinctive features, using images of exercises in the pictures for clarity.
Basic squat
The main load is aimed at the quadriceps, but the buttocks are partially involved.
To perform the exercise you should:
- when using a barbell, remove it from the racks and place it on your shoulders;
- stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart;
- turn your feet towards your knees;
- Bend your legs slightly at the knee joints.
Wide stance squat
In this exercise, the position of the legs resembles a ballet plie movement. The main load goes to the buttocks. The method of performing the exercise differs from the basic one. The legs must be spread to twice the width of the shoulders, and when performing, make sure that the load goes into the buttocks. We place our knees as wide as possible.
Narrow stance squat
The exercise is suitable for training quadriceps. It is aimed at working to increase the volume of the thighs or create dryness. The gluteal muscles are practically not involved.
To perform it, bring your feet together and close your knees. You should lift off the floor exclusively with your heels.
The structure of the muscles of the buttocks
The muscles of the lower extremities, including the gluteal ones, are considered the most powerful of all. They consist of three departments.
- Closest to the surface of the pelvis are the gluteus maximus muscles. The degree of roundness of the buttocks, their toned appearance and elasticity depend on them. Their main goal is to maintain balance and maintain a strictly vertical position of the entire body.
- A little deeper, there are medius muscles, which are responsible for rotating the legs, abducting the legs to the side and lifting them.
- Deeper than these two types of muscles are the small gluteal muscles, which help the large and medium muscles perform their functions and equally influence the appearance of the buttocks, their elasticity and shape.
Sample programs
The squat pattern is of great importance to obtain the desired results. It allows you to create and control the progression of the load by increasing the number of repetitions, approaches, weight of weights and is suitable for beginner athletes. She will help girls change their body shape, work on the beauty of their legs and buttocks, improve their endurance, and remove excess weight from problem areas.
Men need it to gain muscle mass and strength. At the same time, the program aimed at increasing the number of muscles and strength differs from the one that girls should work on. Squats for weight loss are aimed at gradually increasing the number of repetitions in the approach.
Squat chart for 30 days for girls
The 30-day squat table for girls assumes a regular increase in load. The program is aimed at losing weight and increasing endurance.
You should start with a small amount. Weekends are provided for muscle recovery.
If you have training experience and the loads seem easy, you should start with 80% of the repetitions of the maximum and increase them in proportion to the table. With small daily workouts you can achieve big results. Gradual adaptation of muscles to new loads will allow you to get a significant effect over time. At the end of the cycle, it is advisable to perform the exercise in several approaches.
Squats for the buttocks, the monthly program of which is given in the table, are performed according to the following scheme.
| Program | |
| Day | Number of repetitions |
| 1 | 20 times |
| 2 | 25 times |
| 3 | rest |
| 4 | 30 times |
| 5 | 35 times |
| 6 | rest |
| 7 | 40 times |
| 8 | 45 times |
| 9 | rest |
| 10 | 50 times |
| 11 | 55 times |
| 12 | rest |
| 13 | 60 times |
| 14 | 65 times |
| 15 | rest |
| 16 | 70 times |
| 17 | 72 times |
| 18 | rest |
| 19 | 75 times |
| 20 | 77 times |
| 21 | rest |
| 22 | 80 times |
| 23 | 82 times |
| 24 | rest |
| 25 | 85 times |
| 26 | 88 times |
| 27 | rest |
| 28 | 90 times |
| 29 | rest |
| 30 | 100 times |
Squat program for men
A set of squats can be built both for home and for the gym. First, you should work on your muscle endurance.
| Monthly program for men | |
| Day | Number of repetitions |
| 1 | 30 times |
| 2 | 35 times |
| 3 | rest |
| 4 | 40 times |
| 5 | 45 times |
| 6 | rest |
| 7 | 50 times |
| 8 | 55 times |
| 9 | rest |
| 10 | 60 times |
| 11 | 65 times |
| 12 | rest |
| 13 | 70 times |
| 14 | 75 times |
| 15 | rest |
| 16 | 80 times |
| 17 | 85 times |
| 18 | rest |
| 19 | 90 times |
| 20 | 95 times |
| 21 | rest |
| 22 | 100 times |
| 23 | 105 times |
| 24 | rest |
| 25 | 110 times |
| 26 | 115 times |
| 27 | rest |
| 28 | 120 times |
| 29 | 125 times |
| 30 | rest |
There is no point in increasing the number of squats in the future. You need to do the exercise in several approaches and start using additional weight.
If the goal is to increase muscle mass, an example of a training plan is as follows.
| Program to increase muscle mass | |||
| Day | Weight, kg | Number of approaches | Number of repetitions |
| 1 | 20 | 3 | 6-12 |
| 2 | – | – | – |
| 3 | – | 3 | 15-20 |
| 4 | – | – | – |
| 5 | – | – | – |
| 6 | – | – | – |
| 7 | 25 | 3 | 6-12 |
| 8 | – | – | – |
| 9 | – | – | – |
| 10 | – | 3 | 15-20 |
| 11 | – | – | |
| 12 | – | – | – |
| 13 | – | – | – |
| 14 | 30 | 3 | 6-12 |
| 15 | – | – | – |
| 16 | – | – | – |
| 17 | – | 3 | 15-20 |
| 18 | – | – | – |
| 19 | – | – | – |
| 20 | 35 | 3 | 6-12 |
| 21 | – | – | – |
| 22 | – | – | – |
| 23 | – | 3 | 15-20 |
| 24 | – | – | – |
| 25 | – | – | – |
| 26 | 40 | 3 | 6-12 |
| 27 | – | – | |
| 28 | – | – | – |
| 29 | – | – | – |
| 30 | 10 | 3 | 15-20 |
In this program, progress is to increase working weights. An important condition for muscle recovery and growth is alternating light and heavy training.
Real results in 30 days
The squat program for girls is designed for exactly a month.
After this period there will be changes. But whether you can achieve the result you would like in such a short period is an ambiguous question.
The good news is that doing squats for a month will give you the results you want when combined with a calorie deficit.
If this condition is met, losing 3-5 kg of excess weight and reducing hip volume by 5-6 cm is a feasible task.
If we take the “female” criterion of effectiveness, this will correspond to losing weight by 1-2 clothing sizes.
Of course, compared to advertising promises on the Internet, which promise easy weight loss of 15-20 kg in a month or even two weeks, the above figures will seem small. But they are real, unlike the first ones.
Alas, such express methods of losing weight in a short time are only a dishonest way to make money on gullibility.
How to Avoid Injury
A list of useful recommendations will help you squat in the correct mode. Improper execution technique can lead to back and knee injuries.
It is recommended to do the exercise without additional weight for the first time, honing the technique.
It is necessary to ensure that the knees move in the direction of the feet. The amplitude of movement should not be too deep. It is important to keep your back straight.
To protect the spine from injury, strong tension of the torso muscles and maximum abduction of the shoulders and shoulder blades back play an important role.
When squatting with weight, you need to use a protective belt.
What to look for:
- Squat depth. Choose the depth to suit your goals and objectives. Unless you have any limitations such as knee or spinal injuries, do full squats until your thighs are parallel to the floor. This is necessary so that the muscles of the back of the thigh and buttocks receive a high-quality load.
- Squat method. You can squat effectively both with your own weight and with additional weights. There are also several types of squats: classic, sumo, plie, etc.
- Fatigue and technique. Exhaustion negatively affects movement technique. Make squats the first exercise in your workout, or don't put too much stress on your lower body before doing them.
- Movement speed. Lower yourself slowly and under control, about 2-3 seconds. Rise explosively for about 1 second.
How to properly increase the load
Increasing the load is a prerequisite for progress. This must be done gradually, having mastered the movement technique. When working to lose weight, you need to regularly increase the number of repetitions.
When working on strength and building muscle mass, you should gradually increase:
- number of approaches;
- number of repetitions (if you did less than 10 repetitions with this weight in the last workout);
- working weight (if you did more than 10 repetitions with this weight in the last workout);
- intensity (less rest between sets).
