Kayla Itsines Shares Her 4 Favorite Squat Variations - and How to Do Them Properly

Kayla Itsines has shared her favorite ab exercises with POPSUGAR before - they're her go-to moves for a stronger core - and now she's revealed some of her favorite squats. "Squats are one of the most common exercises you can do, and there are SO many different ways to do one," the Sweat app trainer and BBG creator wrote on Instagram. She's right, but keep in mind that squats alone won't target the booty. Your quads eat up most of the work when you do traditional squats, as opposed to your glutes, so incorporate other exercises like deadlifts and hip thrusts to get that true glute burn.

That being said, Kayla highlights four variations of squats she likes doing: a regular squat, box squat, sumo squat, and pause squat. For the regular squat, Kayla said you should ensure your feet are slightly wider than shoulder width, keep your spine neutral, and shift your weight onto your heels. The box squat is a good modification for beginners, she wrote, because the box is there as a guide. A sumo squat has the additional bonus of working your inner thighs, and a pause squat adds intensity to a basic squat because it "increases the amount of time your muscles are under tension," she noted.

Check out the Instagram video above for these squats and a demonstration from Kayla on how to properly perform each. Pick the one that works best for you or add a number of them to your next lower-body session! Note: they're all bodyweight moves, so bring in some weights to up the burn.

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