Alia Bhatt’s Power-Packed Leg Day: From Jumping Squats to Sumo Squats; How to Do Them Right

Alia

Bhatt is known for dedication not just in her film roles but also to her health and fitness. While she prioritises taking care of her body by regularly exercising and eating right, she makes it a point to also encourage and inspire others. Recently, her trainer Karan Sawhney posted a video of her leg day, where she indulged in sumo squats, barbell squats, and many more exercises. “Legs Miserable With @aliaabhatt. #glutes #legs #workout,” he captioned the post on Instagram. Here are all the exercises Alia did to strengthen her legs.

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Sumo squats

A sumo squat is a lower-body exercise that has a variation of a traditional squat, performed with a wider stance and feet turned outward. According to experts, sumo squats not just benefit your inner thighs or adductors but also significantly improve hip flexibility and strengthen the glutes, hamstrings, calves, and core muscles. This exercise is great for overall leg strength, stability, and balance, and can help with posture and lower back injury prevention.

How to perform:

It is just like doing a squat, but needs some more finesse as there are a few differences to be aware of, which include the width of your stance and how you position your toes.

• Begin with a traditional squat position, keeping your feet about shoulder-width apart and toes pointed forward.
• Take a step to the side with your right foot.
• Angle your toes out and away from the center of your body.
• Move your hips back slightly and bend your knees as you lower your body into a squat position. Draw your tailbone straight down to the floor. However, always be mindful to keep your spine neutral, core engaged, and eyes forward throughout the movement.
• Lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Pause in the squat position for a few seconds. Then slowly press up to standing, driving up through your heels.

Barbell squats

A barbell squat involves lowering the body into a squat position while holding a weighted barbell across the upper back. It is a compound movement that helps strengthen your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and core, and helps build lower-body strength, along with improving stability.

How to perform:

• Make sure to stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and point your toes slightly out. Then place the barbell across your upper back and grip it with an overhand or thumbless grip.
• Squeeze your shoulder blades together to create a stable shelf for the bar.
• Breathe properly and slowly engage your core, lifting the bar off the rack
• Keeping your chest up and back straight, hinge your hips back and bend your knees to lower your body as if sitting into a chair.
• Continue to slowly lower yourself till your thighs become parallel to the floor.
• Push through your heels to stand back up to the starting position, squeezing your glutes at the top.

Jumping squats

Jump squats are a plyometric exercise that combines a traditional squat with a jump, where you push off the ground and leap high. It is a bodyweight exercise that strengthens your glutes, quads, and calves, while also improving cardiovascular endurance and explosive power. Jumping squats also build strength in your lower body and burn more calories,

How to perform:

• Start by standing straight, keeping your feet shoulder-width apart, and lowering your hips as if you are sitting in a chair
• Make sure your knees are behind your toes.
• Slowly, from the squat position, push off the ground with your legs and jump as high as you can.
• Land back in the squat position with your knees bent to absorb the impact.
• Make sure the landing is soft so that there is no effect on your joints.
• Immediately transition into the next squat and repeat the motion.