The One Butt-Sculpting Move Blanca Padilla’s Trainer Says Is More Effective Than Squats
"Everyone is squatting really deep and that can destroy your lower back," he says. "You have pressure coming down onto your lower back, hips, knees, and ankles." Not exactly great for your joints. Another reason why Pasterino is anti-squats is because he says they overdevelop the quad muscles.
"Everyone is squatting really deep and that can destroy your lower back."
So what's the quick fix? Stop squatting so deep. According to Pasterino, a similar, less exaggerated movement is actually best, a move he calls the "P.sit.": Slightly bend your knees and drop your butt down one inch—about half as far as you would in a squat. Go lower one more inch, resisting the urge to go deeper, as in a traditional squat. And don't stick your butt out. Activate the lower abs and glutes at all times, using them to lower and pull yourself back up.
Pasterino says this is better, threefold: It protects the joints, tones the butt, and also works the lower abs, which he says are notoriously difficult to flatten. Less pain, more gain? Sounds like a win.
Originally published on November 24, 2017; updated September 26, 2018.
Other fitness moves you could improve, with some pro intel: planks and push-ups.
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