If you’re looking to try out a new exercise then you should give sumo squats a go. Perfect for targeting your inner thighs, this exercise can improve your balance and build up your lower body strength.
As squats are some of the easiest exercises for a person to do at home, this exercise can easily fit into your daily routine at home or the gym.
Here is everything you need to know about sumo squats, including their benefits, how to do them correctly, and how effective they are compared to regular squats.
What Are Sumo Squats?
The sumo squat is a sophisticated exercise that uses your bodyweight to activate muscle groups throughout your body, with it especially targeting your lower muscles. For the sumo squat, you need to take a wider stance than the hip-width stance associated with the traditional squat.
Maintain a straight back as you lower yourself from a standing to a squatting position. Squeeze your glutes and straighten your legs to stand up. Repeat this action as many times as you need to reach the appropriate number of reps.
The Benefits Of The Sumo Squat
If you’re working on isolating different areas of the body, you might wonder what sumo squats work. Like traditional squats, sumo squats have several benefits and target many lower body muscle groups. These are the main benefits associated with sumo squats:
Targets inner thigh muscles – sumo squats can target and work these muscles far better than traditional squats. As long as you are doing them correctly, you will be able to build strength in your adductor muscles (muscles found along your inner thigh) far faster than you could with traditional squats
Improves your balance – This exercise also gives your core muscles a workout which in turn makes you feel more balanced in everyday activities
Works well as a lower body exercise – It is not just your inner thighs that are targeted with this exercise. Sumo squats are also an excellent workout for your hamstrings, calves, glutes, lower back muscles, and quadriceps.
How To Do Sumo Squats Correctly
Like all exercises, they only work if you do them correctly. Here is the best way to do this exercise.
Begin by standing with your feet just a bit wider than shoulder-width apart. Position your feet so they are at a 45-degree angle
Position your hips so that it is in line with your knees and ankles. Keep your shoulders in a position that is directly above your hips
Keeping your arms by your sides and holding the position, slowly begin the downward movement by your knees and hips. As you move more into the squat position, bring your arms up in front of you to keep balance
Keep going down until your legs are parallel to the floor. Keep the weight distributed on your feet to maintain balance. Pause in this position for a few seconds to keep your muscles tense
When you begin to stand up again, squeeze your glutes to give them a bit of an extra workout
Once stood up completely, you should have returned to the starting position with your shoulders being directly above your hips
Repeat this process for as many reps as you feel comfortable with.
Variations Of Sumo Squats
If you are already used to this type of squatting you can try some variations to either give you a harder workout or to target more muscle groups
Sumo Squat Swing
This targets your upper body muscles as well as the lower body. To do this, make use of a kettlebell swing while you are doing the squats.
Weighted Squat
This will make the sumo squat a bit more challenging. When doing the squat try using a weighted barbell to do sumo back squats, or a pair of dumbbells to do a dumbbell sumo squat. You can also check this guide on how to do kettlebell squats properly to prevent injuries.
Jump Squat
This targets the lower body muscles even more. To do this, do a jumping movement between each sumo squat.
Sumo Squats Versus Squats
You may be wondering whether you should swap out the traditional squats from your workout routine and replace them with sumo squats instead. But the best option might be to incorporate both into your routine as each offers different benefits.
Sumo squats have a slight advantage over traditional squats as they target your inner thigh, but working out a lot of different muscle groups is very good for the body. If you are looking to train your hips more then sumo squats are also an excellent exercise to do.
However, if you have any issue with hip or joint mobility, then you should avoid sumo squats as you may cause injury to this area if your body cannot handle the strain.
How To Avoid Injury
If you have a history of injuries or a pre-existing health condition, see your doctor before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is crucial for maintaining the safety and success of an exercise program, but you may need to modify each activity to get the best results depending on your unique needs.
When doing this exercise, select a weight that allows you to maintain complete body control during the workout. When completing any activity, pay close attention to your body and stop immediately if you experience any pain or discomfort.
To see ongoing progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your training plan. Your ability to fully recover from your workouts will influence your outcomes.
It is also very important that you give yourself plenty of time to rest between workouts, as this is when your body heals and repairs any damage caused by exercise. Between each intense workout, you give yourself a 24- to 48-hour rest time.
Alternative to the Sumo Squat
A good alternative to the Sumo squat is the sumo deadlift. This will work the same muscle groups but give you some variation to keep you growing.
Takeaway
Like all exercises, sumo squats are good for you and your body in moderation. You always have to be careful not to push yourself too far during workouts or you could injure yourself.
Still, if done correctly, sumo squats are an excellent exercise for someone who wants to do a quick workout in their busy day, or for a person who wants to add more steps to their workout routine. If you do not have an exercise that targets your inner thighs yet, this is a great one to try out.
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