Bored with squats? Revive your leg day workouts with these 3 variations

Strong Women Training Club trainer Risqat Fabunmi-Alade demonstrates three squat variations to liven up your leg day workouts. 

Forget challenging yourself to hold a plank for five whole minutes – these days, the real work lies in simply motivating yourself to do another home workout in your living room. But making sure your training is as varied as possible is the key to sticking to your fitness goals – and you can start by giving the classic squat a refresh, as demonstrated here by Strong Women Training Club’s Risqat Fabunmi-Alade. 

“Sumo squats strengthen the glutes and hamstrings, while pistol squats challenge the body’s balance and ankle mobility. Plus, plié squats strengthen and mobilise your hips which can help alleviate tightness caused by your working from home set-up. Most importantly, this winning trio is sensitive on stiff knees and activates different muscles to make sure that the entire leg is being worked,” says Strong Women Training Club trainer Emma Obayuvana. And given this workout only takes 10 minutes, it leaves you plenty of time to catch up on Masterchef. 

SUMO SQUATS

1. Take your feet wider than hip-width apart, with your toes turned slightly outwards.
2. Keep your chest up and open, looking straight ahead while holding your hands out horizontally in front of your chest.
3. Lower down into a squat so that your thighs come parallel to the floor.
4. Squeeze through your heels and glutes to come back up to the original standing position with wide legs. 

Do 12 reps

PISTOL SQUATS

1. Stand in front of a box, chair, sofa or equivalent, with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Place your weight onto your right foot and lift your left foot off of the floor.
3. Begin to bend your right knee to lower yourself down to sit on the chair or box. Go slow to control the movement.
4. Push through your right heel to lift yourself back to standing. 

Do 12 reps 

PLIE SQUATS

1. Take your legs out very wide into a plie position, with your toes turned out as wide as they can go.
2. Tuck your tailbone under so that there is no arch through your back.
3. Bend your knees and lower down into a squat while keeping your back straight – ensuring that your knees don’t fall inwards.
4. Squeeze through your legs to come back to standing.  

Do 12 reps

Rest for 60 seconds after each round. Do a total of 3 rounds.

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