Wouldn’t you like a bigger squat?
To have stronger, more toned legs and butt; while moving some impressive weights that turn heads in the gym?
Here are four ways to increase your squat weights:
1. Squat more regularly – Squats respond well to high frequency training. That means if you’re currently squatting once per week, try upping it to twice, or even three times per week.
You probably want to do a little less in each individual session, but you will be doing more over the week.
2. Work the component parts – Squats are complex exercises that use many muscle groups. You will get stronger by squatting more, but you can also progress by working on these different muscle groups individually.
Try strengthening the hamstrings with hamstring curls and Romanian deadlifts, the abs with various core exercises, and the lower back with back extensions. The chances are, your squat numbers will go up, just by training the supporting muscles.
3. Train the core – Some people neglect to directly train the core, thinking that because it’s used in big exercises like squats and deadlifts, you don’t need to train it anymore.
While it is true that it works hard during those big compound exercises, it is also the case that it can become the weak link.
Training the core directly will help to ensure it is strong and is not going to be the weak link when you are squatting.
4. Alternate volume – Squats respond well to various loading protocols. You can make progress by doing low rep sets of 3-5, mid-range sets of 8-12 reps, or higher rep sets of 20+ reps.
They will all work and should be rotated throughout your program to most effectively work squats through all of the rep ranges.