26 Squats For Women With And Without Weights

Women who do squats know-how they help tighten your butt and legs, but they are actually one of the best exercises to work your abs, calves, thighs, and hamstrings, and to lose weight.

Squats are also one of the most versatile and easiest exercises to do since you don’t need any equipment. The list of health benefits they afford you make it no surprise that they are very popular.

The problem is that most people that do squats don’t do them with the proper form making it easier for them to injure themselves and not receive the full complement of benefits from the exercise.

In this article, I will explain all the different variations of squats for women, the benefits, and how to perform them.

26 Different Versions Of Squats For Women

How To Do Body Squats

The majority of people have some sort of job that keeps them from being active during the day or are overweight making it hard to have a full range of motion causing a sedentary lifestyle that makes them not as flexible or strong as they should be making it hard to do a common squat.

I’m going to explain the correct way to do a squat and what mistakes are most common.

1. If you can stand with your legs shoulder-width apart this is the best starting position, if this is uncomfortable then start with a position that is best for you and as you become stronger and more flexible you’ll be able to gradually get your feet at the right width.
2. You don’t want your feet to be straight out, make sure to point them outwards 10 to 15%.
3. Not you want to engage your core and tighten your abs.
4. Make sure to look straight ahead, if you drop your head it’s going to put stress on your neck and cause an injury. Stand straight up and make sure your back erect and you have perfect posture.
5. Now you’re going to act like your sitting back, don’t just bend your knees you need to make sure you’re dropping your butt.
6. Your knees are going to want to move towards each other keep them straight over your toes.
7. Move back up to your starting position pause for a second and repeat the move.
8. When you’re dropping down make sure your upper body is staying straight, keep your head looking forward and your posture erect.

Sets – 3 Reps – 15 to 20

Recap of a squat performed correctly

• Check your stance and do what is comfortable for you.
• Engage your core.
• Use your hips not your knees and drop your butt.
• Keep your head and back straight.

Most Common Mistakes Made Doing Body Squats.

These are the most common mistakes I see women and men make. If you can be cognizant of common mistakes then you can watch and see if you’re making the same ones.

Using your knees

Squatting is not a knee dominant exercise it is a hip and glute workout. When you’re performing a squat think about sitting back in a chair not kneeling down.

If you’re having a hard time with this get a chair and place it behind you and act you’re going to sit on it but don’t actually allow your butt to touch it then stand back up. After a time you’ll get the motion down and be able to do it without the chair.

Not keeping your legs straight

If you’re not as strong or flexible yet you’re going to have an urge to bring your knees in as you start to squat deeper.

Do not do this, you’re putting stress on muscles that aren’t strong enough to continuously hold you up, and you’ll hurt yourself.

You always want to keep the correct form doing any type of exercise, if you can’t go as deep in the squat without breaking the correct form then only go as low as you can and you’ll get better over time.

Poor posture

Because of the fact that humans sit for longer periods of time today than ever before our posture has become horrible and a lot of times this translates to how we exercise.

When you’re doing a squat you need to keep your head straight ahead to stabilize your neck and make sure your shoulders are back, chest out, and back erect.

Your forearms and hands should be directly in front of you, this will tell you that your back is straight. If your arms are down near your knees then your lower back is rounded.

Pushing up with your toes

When you’re pushing up from a squat you should be using the heels of your feet for stability and the most power, a lot of people push up on their toes.

Squats without weights

A lot of the choices in this list are done without weights, some will explain how to use a weight if you need the extra difficulty.

Do not feel like you have to add a weight to any exercise until you ferel like the bodyweight version is getting to easy.

Remember, you don’t want any exercise to be to easy to complete, you need some sort of difficulty in order to increase your strength, burn calories, and increase your stamina.

Glute Kickback

This is one of the easiest squats for women if you are sore after a workout or aren’t as comfortable yet doing more advanced squats.

• Start in a normal squat standing position with legs shoulder-width apart, and your hands in front of you.
• Sit back into a squat and as you push yourself up while staying on your heels.
• As you come up kick your leg back
• Go back to your starting position then do the other leg
• Once both legs are done this is one rep

Sets – 3 Reps – 20

Jack Squat

This is an easy beginner squat for women since it doesn’t take a lot of flexibility or strength to complete.

• Stand straight up with your hands in front of your chest.
• Dropdown into a squat with your butt down and back.
• Now jump out to a jumping jack position with your feet spread apart
• If you’re having a hard time with the jump don’t jump from the lowest part of your squat.

Sets – 3 Reps – 15

Squat Jump

This is a more advanced exercise if you’re not in the best shape yet try to take it slow and modify it until you feel more comfortable.

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with your toes pointing out a little bit.
• Lower into your squat with your arms fully extended in front of you.
• Then jump up out of your squat and land back into your lowered squat position.

Sets – 2 to 3 Reps – 10 to 15

Squat Plus Burpee

This is one of the hardest squats for women to do so make sure you take your time and check to see if your form is correct.

• Start in a squat with your feet flat on the ground and hands in front of your chest.
• Lean forward while in a squat and drop your hands to the floor.
• Jump back or step back into a plank.
• Then jump legs back into a squat then jump straight up with arms above your head if you have the ceiling clearance.
• Come back down to the starting position and repeat.

Sets – 2 to 3 Reps – 10 to 15

Sumo Squat

The difference with this squat is you’re going to start in a wider stance and allow your knees to spread wider then a normal squat as if you’re going to stand in a sumo position. This will help target the muscles in the lower body and glutes more effectively than a normal squat.

• Stand with feet wider than your shoulders with your feet angled out and hands on your hips.
• Squat down keeping your knees out and chest and head up.
• Stand back up to starting position and repeat.

Sets – 3 Reps – 20

Sumo Squat With A Pulse

This is one of the best squats for women who are looking to tone their glutes since the squat has a pulse at the bottom putting more strain on the muscles lower and top glutes. When done right you’ll get a great lower body workout.

• You’re going to start with your shoulder-width apart and feet angled out and your hands on your hips.
• Squat down with your knees angled out.
• At the bottom of the squat pulse 1 to 2 times before coming back up.

Sets – 3 Reps – 15 to 20

Sumo Squat Jack

This is one of the best aerobic squats for women that will help you lose weight and burn calories.

• Start in a normal sumo squat position with your feet spread wider than shoulder width and your hands in front of your chest.
• Lower into a squat with your knees at an angle pointing outside and your arms straight ahead of you.
• As you come up jump straight up making sure to keep your feet flat on the ground as you push up.
• When you land you want your toes to hit the ground first then your heels and go back down to a sumo squat then repeat.

Surrender Squat

• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart
• Place hands on the back of your head.
• Lower your left knee to the floor
• Now lower the right knee to the floor
• Next step your left leg out with your knee bent at a 90 degree angle
• Stand up and to the starting position

Sets – 3 Reps – 15 to 20

Goblet Squat

Make sure you use a weight that you’re comfortable with, if you need to do this movement without a weight at first make sure to do so until you’re comfortable adding a degree of difficulty to it.

• Stand straight up with your feet hip-width apart.
• Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in front of you up against your chest.
• Lower into a squat keeping your back straight and your head looking forward.

Sets – 2 Reps – 10 to 15

Bulgarian Split Squats

This can be done with or without weights, try starting using only your bodyweight at first then add light weights to make it more difficult when you feel more up to it.

• Stand in front of a weight bench, step, or any stable platform.
• You want to be about 2 feet in front of your platform and looking away from it.
• If you’re using a dumbbell make sure to start off with a dumbbell in each hand.
• Place the top of your foot on top of the platform. If you’re wearing sneakers you would want the laces touching the surface.
• Bend your knees until the knee that is on the leg on top of the surface gently touches the floor or until you have gone as low as you can go.
• Always keep your chest up and your shoulders back.
• Stand back up to the starting position and repeat.

Sets – 2 (each leg twice) Reps – 12 to 15

Cossack Squat With Overhead Press

• Stand up straight with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders holding dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand.
• Place both weights in front of your chest, and raise your left arm into the air.
• Lift your right foot and take a step to the right then sit your butt back and lower into the squat until your as low as you can go.
• Straighten your leg and stand back up.

Sets – 2 Reps – 10 to 12

Pistol Squat

• Stand on your right leg, with your left leg bent.
• Bend down on your right leg while pointing your left leg straight out not allowing it to touch the floor.
• Then stand straight back up and repeat.

Sets – 2 Reps – 10 to 15

Squat With a Lunge

• Start by standing at shoulder width with your back straight, head up and chest out.
• Lower down into a squat making your knees stay pointing straight out over your ankles.
• Stand back up to the starting position take a large step forward into a lunge allowing both legs to bend.
• Stand back up and repeat but lunge with the opposite leg.
• When both legs have been done this is one rep.
• To make it harder dd a jump in between the squat and the lunge.

Sets – 3 Reps – 12 to 15

Squat With A Side Jump

Lateral Step-Out Squat

This is a great squat for women who have limited mobility.

• Stand at shoulder width apart with a resistance band around your knees if you want to make it harder, you don’t have to do this at first if you don’t want to.
• Hold your hands in front of you with your chest out and your back erect.
• Take a step to the side then bend your knees into a squat position.
• Tighten your glutes pause for a second and stand back up.
• Then do the other side, once your left and right side are done that is one rep.

Sets – 3 Reps – 15

Squat With A Twist And Overhead Press

• Stand up with your feet shoulder with the part.
• Hold the weight at chest height, with your elbows bent.
• Sit down into a squat position and as you come up twist at the waist and push one arm up above your head.
• Then come back down and as you come up twist to the opposite side and lift the other arm over your head.
• When both sides are done that is one rep.

Sets – 3 Reps – 10 to 15

Static Squat

• This is going to be performed just like a normal body squat but when you drop down into your squat position you’re going to go as low as you can then hold it for 30 to 60 seconds.
• Stand back up and repeat.

Sets – 3 Reps – 10 to 15

Plie squat

• Stand with your feet at a wide stance about 2 feet apart.
• Feet turned out so that your knees are pointing outwards.
• Lower yourself down trying to not go into a a seated position.
• Go as low as you can then stand back up to your starting position

Sets – 3 Reps – 15

Kang Squat

Sets – 3 Reps – 12 to 15

Curl To Squat And Press

Sets – 3 Reps – 10 to 15

Lateral Squat walk

Sets – 3 Reps – 10 to 15

Spiderman Lunge And Squat

Sets – 2 Reps – 12 to 15

Squats With weights

A few of the options above that are great squats for women can be done with dumbbells and kettlebells if you want to add a degree of difficulty and intensity.

The next three squat variations are meant to use a straight bar and it is imperative that the correct form is used before doing these exercises.

Make sure to watch the video to find out the right and wrong way to do this exercise.

Best Barbell For Squats

The type of barbell that is best for women is one that has a 25 mm diameter shaft 6.5 feet long and weighs around 33 pounds.

Make sure to check the dimensions because there are a lot of barbels that come much bigger than this.

Put A Barbell Pad On A Straight Bar

Women tend to have discomfort when they put a straight bar along there shoulders, this is due to how women don’t have the trap muscles that men have, and the straight bar can dig into their shoulders more.

Avoid The Smith Machine

A lot of my clients tell me they feel safer using the smith machine rather than free weights while doing squats.

There is a problem with this since you actually have a better chance of hurting yourself using the smith machine since the motion it forces you to do a straight up and down motion which isn’t natural or even the correct way to perform a squat.

You’re better off using free weights and starting off with lighter weights until you’re comfortable,

You’ll receive better results in the long run, believe me.

Back squats

Sets – 2 to 3 Reps – 8 to 15

Low Bar Squats

Sets – 2 to 3 Reps – 8 to 15

Front Squats

Sets – 2 to 3 reps – 8 to 15

Can Every Woman Body Weight Squats

As long as you’re healthy enough to exercise then there is no reason why you can’t start squatting today.

Depending on your fitness level, flexibility, and strength you may have to adapt your form to do it but over time you’ll get stronger and become more adept at squatting.

Squatting is such a fundamental natural movement that all women use every day, from picking your child up, getting out of a vehicle, picking something off of the floor, or get out of a seat.

Strengthening the muscles associated with a squat will make everyday life easier.

Tips For Women To Do Squats

• Warm-up before any workout to get your muscles and nerves ready to work out and to get your muscles warmed up to stretch.
• Cool down after your workouts to increase flexibility and to let your heart rate come down naturally.
• Start slow to stay in control, prevent injury, and allow your muscles to warm up.
• You want your pace to be slow and controlled, squats are not a speed exercise. You always want to be in control.
• Start off with 3 sets a week and add 5 more every week.
• Always make your form the first priority.
• Keep your back straight, head up, shoulders back, and chest out.
• Go down as fast and deep as you can without breaking your form and causing yourself too much pain.
• Keep your knees over your toes and don’t allow them to become closer as you go deeper.
• Breath, don’t forget to breathe as you’re exercising.

What Are Squats Good For

• Lose weight.
• Tone your leg muscles.
• Lubricate joints and tendons.
• Strengthen your knees.
• Tone and firm your butt.
• Decrease cellulite pockets on your legs and butt.
• Improve posture and make you more aware of when you’re rounding your back and shoulders.
• As you become stronger and more flexible you’ll decrease your chance for injuries.
• Strengthen your core and help lose belly fat.
• Don’t need any equipment and can be done anywhere from home to your office.
• Different variations to keep you from getting bored.
• Better digestion.

Muscles Worked When Doing Squats

• Quadriceps (front of the leg)
• Glutes (butt)
• Calves
• Abdominals Obliques (stomach muscles)
• Hamstring (back of the leg)

Jump squats and barbell squats will also work

• Lower back
• Upper back
• Aerobic stamina

How Many Squats A Day Will Make A Difference

When you’re first starting out I would only do between 15 and 20 squats at a time a few times a week, but as you become stronger and more conditioned you can increase the number of reps and days you perform them.

If your goal is to lose weight then you should add them to your cardio exercises to burn more calories, running, swimming, or cycling is a great way to exercise to burn fat.

If you’re trying to tone up and build a little muscle then you should only be squatting twice a week and try to switch up your cardio days with your strength training days.

What Do Squats Do For A Woman’s Body

Squats will tone a woman’s body but they do so much more than that also, they come with a slew of health benefits to give you an overall better well being.

While giving you a stronger toner lower body by working your leg muscles and glutes, they will also help with joint pain, increase your mental attitude, help with self-esteem, and daily energy.

They will help with cellulite build-up, improves digestion, decrease IBS, and helps bowel movements.

Squats are great for weight loss since they are a compound exercise, meaning it takes more than one muscle group to perform the movement. This will help your body burn more calories and in the end burn more fat away.

It’s also a low-impact exercise so if you have knee or back problems you will have an easier time doing squats then you would other exercises that make you jump, twist or turn.

Squats For Weight Loss

There are multiple fat-burning benefits that are associated with squats, that are better than the more common exercises that are associated with losing weight like the elliptical, running, or swimming.

Muscle makes your metabolism more efficient.

You’ll build more muscle which will take your body more calories on a daily basis to maintain which makes your metabolism faster.

Your body will need to use 50 calories to maintain every 10 pounds of muscle you have, but it only takes 20 calories to maintain 10 pounds of fat.

Squatting is more efficient at burning calories

You will burn more calories while doing squats compared to the same time you would spend on a treadmill or elliptical.

This is compared to 13 different exercises and came out on top by burning 40 more calories an hour than the other exercises.

You can also make this go up by adding weight, reps, and intensity to your squat workout.

Body composition

It’s possible to have 2 people that are both 120 pounds but one of them looks like they’re in shape and the other one looks like they aren’t.

This is due to each one having a different body composition.

If someone weighs 120 pounds but has 25% body fat and another person weighs 120 pounds but has 15% body fat the person with more muscle and less body fat is going to look a lot better than the other person.

Squats will help you lose fat and tone existing muscle for a tighter body.

Positive hormonal effect

Squats will increase your metabolism and boost hormones in the body that are naturally made to fight the excess of fat storage.

When you do certain moves that make the body trigger protein synthesis it wants to increase testosterone and growth hormone, these hormones also are great at burning away fat.

I don’t want women to become discouraged hearing testosterone and growth hormone and think that it will give them a masculine look or bulkier muscles.

This is a myth, what it will give you is a tighter, toned, healthier body with more definition.

Do Squats Help Sexually

Anytime you do physical exercises it produces hormones that make your libido more sensitive, this acts the same way for men and women.

Not only does exercising give you more mental and physical confidence which will make your sex drive healthier the hormones produces will make you more sexual.

Being more conditioned and stronger will also make you perform better in the bedroom for more intense longer sexual interludes.

Conclusion

Squats for women are some of the most beneficial exercises that can be done since they burn calories to help with weight loss, build muscle to help tone and strengthen your glutes, legs, and back.

They also help with your overall well being but make sure you are constantly checking your form and pushing yourself too hard and end up doing negative side effects.

Summary

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26 squats for women with and without weights

Description

This article on squats for women will explain the benefits, what squats are good for, how to do them with and without weights, and how to do body squats for fat loss.

Jamie Hickey

Jamie Hickey

Jamie Hickey

Truism Fitness