Air squats are as essential to leg day as the high pony is to Ariana Grande (read: very). The classic move will give you all the feels in your hamstrings and quads, but it’s especially good at building your booty, no weights required.
But like all muscle-making, body-weight exercises (planks, push-ups, and lunges) there’s a right and wrong way to execute the butt-scultping move. And according to obé trainer Megan Roup, who’s also leading our next Well+Good Retreat in Miami this December, anyone from strength training newbies to expert exercisers can fall victim to bad form. So how exactly do you execute an air squat? Start with your feet hips-width apart, with your arms down by your side. To begin, brace your core, push your butt back and down (like you’re sitting in a chair), and make sure to stay in your heels. As you lower, keep your gaze forward.
The goal should be to “break parallel” which is gym-speak for getting your booty lower than your knees, but you only want to go as far as you can without your chest or shoulders rounding forward, or toes peeling off the ground. When you get to the bottom, pause. Then, keeping your weight in your heels, push back up to the start, giving your glutes a good squeeze at the top (#bootyactivation). That’s one rep. Roup recommended doing 25 to 30 reps total.
To take it up a notch, use a resistance band, or add a medicine ball slam between reps. Whatever variation you do, if your form is correct you’ll be shaping that peach emoji like a pro.
To get even more butt-sculpting and form-correcting intel from Megan Roup in person, check out our Well+Good Retreat in Miami. Email [email protected] to book your spot.
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