Squatting correctly

Try bulgarian split squats! Those hit the booty hardcore! It took me a long time before I could finally activate my glutes for regular barbel squats. It's all about the mind muscle connection. You have to think about the muscles you want to work, and activate them. My quads will still take over everything if I let them.

I assume we're talking body weight squats? Are you going deep enough? Hard to get glute involvement unless you break parallel (and if you're doing bodyweight, I'd go as close to *kitten*-to-grass as your flexibility allows). One of the keys to using your glutes is to tighten them hard before you squat -- envision sucking your butt cheeks together before you squat. Keep those suckers tight all the way down. Then, coming back up out of the hole, concentrate on your butt pulling everything else up with it. Don't rock forward onto your toes to make it easier -- that shifts the load onto your quads.

Cherimoose wrote: »

ArtsyDarling wrote: »

I am feeling like i don't do them correctly. I want to do them for my butt but i dont feel the burn there. I feel it in my quads.

You can't judge form by the burn. If your form is good, your glutes are working properly. If you're not sure of your form, video it, post the video here, or have a trainer check your form.

Are you trying to make your butt bigger or smaller?

Yup! Just cause you can't feel it doesn't mean you aren't hitting those muscles. Plus there are many different variations of squats to hit your glutes more. Try messing with your stance but still keeping good form.

Personally I set aside a glute day in my training where I really focus on the booty! I don't squat on this day but work on accessory movements and do a lot of resistance band training to really target it.

Good luck!

Squats can do more harm than good if your form isn't correct for sure. The #1 mistake that most people make while squatting is allowing their knees to go way over their toes upon execution. Watch this and see if you can get some good results.

http://www.sportsnutritionminute.com/are-you-making-this-mistake-when-doing-squats/

ArtsyDarling wrote: »

I am feeling like i don't do them correctly. I want to do them for my butt but i dont feel the burn there. I feel it in my quads. I focus my weight on my heels and keep my back straight. I try different varieties of squats. Any certain suggestions on types or ways to squat.

There's no way we can tell you without seeing a video. Having a "burn" is not the sign of good exercise or the sign that you're doing something correctly, or lack of burn incorrectly.

The OP indicates that she's not sure if she's doing something correctly or not and most of the posts are, do xyz variations instead? She might be doing squats just fine but because modern media has so many people convinced that if you're not puking, hurting, or have a "burn" you're not exercising right and the OP seems to feel she's not doing it right.

OP, definitely post a video and you'll get the feedback you need.

I also don't feel a "burn" when I do squats (don't have much DOMS, either). My squat sets were 145 lbs today and I don't feel anything like that. Everything was engaged and worked hard, though. Don't make pain a goal.

Nicole3043 wrote: »

Squats can do more harm than good if your form isn't correct for sure. The #1 mistake that most people make while squatting is allowing their knees to go way over their toes upon execution. Watch this and see if you can get some good results.

http://www.sportsnutritionminute.com/are-you-making-this-mistake-when-doing-squats/

Actually this has been debunked by several Journals of Medicine and Sport physiology. Climb some stairs. Does your knee go past your toe? I've never seen anyone climb stairs (which uses almost all the lower half of the body) where their focus is NOT to let their knee go past their toes.

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piperdown44 wrote: »

Nicole3043 wrote: »

Squats can do more harm than good if your form isn't correct for sure. The #1 mistake that most people make while squatting is allowing their knees to go way over their toes upon execution. Watch this and see if you can get some good results.

http://www.sportsnutritionminute.com/are-you-making-this-mistake-when-doing-squats/

That is a load of hogwash. Simple understanding of body mechanics will show that your knees go over toes for squats.

http://www.biomechfit.com/2012/02/09/3-squatting-myths-that-refuse-to-die

But what about *way* over the toes?

LolBroScience wrote: »

Cherimoose wrote: »

piperdown44 wrote: »

Nicole3043 wrote: »

Squats can do more harm than good if your form isn't correct for sure. The #1 mistake that most people make while squatting is allowing their knees to go way over their toes upon execution. Watch this and see if you can get some good results.

http://www.sportsnutritionminute.com/are-you-making-this-mistake-when-doing-squats/

That is a load of hogwash. Simple understanding of body mechanics will show that your knees go over toes for squats.

http://www.biomechfit.com/2012/02/09/3-squatting-myths-that-refuse-to-die

But what about *way* over the toes?

How far is "way" over? You're going to reach a point where the heel comes up and the foot is not fully planted, which is obviously undesirable. Knee travel will depend on bar position, foot angle, limb lengths, degree of depth, etc.

As said by @LolBroScience it depends on a lot of factors.