Sumo Squat: How to, Muscles Worked, Variations and Benefits

If the traditional squat feels boring, now is the time to add a sumo squat to your lower body workout routine. Yes, this squat variation can revamp your entire leg day workout and challenge your muscles even more.

Although you can always perform a back or front squat, keep in mind that it targets glutes and quads and do not focus much on the inner thigh muscles. However, sumo squats are an effective squat variation that particularly targets the inner thigh muscles i.e., the adductors, while also strengthening the quads, glutes, and other leg muscles.

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Correct sumo squat form: How to do it?

To do this exercise correctly, follow these steps:

• Start standing with your feet wider than hip distance. Keep your toes pointing out at a 45-degree angle, and make sure that your hips are rotated outward.
• Push your hips back, and lower into a squat position. As you squat, keep your core muscles tight, and knees forward and back stable throughout.
• Slowly return to the starting position, and focus on maintaining your weight evenly throughout your midfoot and heel.
• Repeat the exercise.

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Muscles targeted

This squat variation targets the entire lower body. (Photo via Pexels/MART PRODUCTION)

When performing this squat variation, the lower body muscles, including the hamstrings, quadriceps, adductors, hip flexors, calves, and glutes get targeted at once.

Additionally, this exercise engages the entire core muscles, including the erector spinae, obliques, transverse abdominis, and multifidus.

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Major benefits

Sumo squats offer plenty of benefits that a traditional squat does not. This advanced variation targets major lower body muscles like the quads, hamstrings and glutes while also recruiting smaller muscles that are responsible for shaping the legs.

The wider stance of this exercise allows you to hit the inner thigh muscles and is much more beneficial than other squat variations. Sumo squats offer a unique challenge to the adductors – the muscles that run along the inner thigh and help the hips and knees to extend, rotate, and flex.

Apart from strengthening the lower body muscles, this squat variation works on the core too and helps tone the midsection.

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Weighted variations you should try

Here are the two best weighted variations to add to your strength training routine:

#1 Dumbbell sumo squat

Dumbbell sumo squats are perfect for beginners. (Photo via Pexels/Karolina Grabowska)

Dumbbell sumo squats are an incredible weighted exercise that primarily works on the quadriceps and to a lesser degree targets the hamstrings, groin, and glutes. This weighted variation is suitable for beginners, as it’s easy to load and can be added to a full body training routing.

To do it:

• Grab a dumbbell at waist height, and keep your weight evenly distributed on both heels.
• Position your feet slightly wider than shoulder distance, and lean forward a little.
• Push your hips back, and bend your knees to squat down while maintaining an upright torso posture.
• Push off the floor to return to standing.
• Repeat the exercise.

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#2 Barbell sumo squat

Barbell squats are an advanced exercise. (Photo via Pexels/Li Sun)

Once you’ve mastered the bodyweight and dumbbell sumo squats, you can get onto this advanced variation and level up your lower body workout routine.

To do it:

• Set the barbell on the squat rack at chin height, and stand underneath the bar so that the barbell rests on your shoulders.
• Grab the barbell with both hands using an overhand grip with your palms facing away from the body.
• Release the bar from the squat rack, and take a few steps backwards.
• Position your feet at a shoulder-width distance, and start to squat down with the bar comfortably resting on your shoulders.
• Continue to squat till your quads get parallel to the floor.
• Stand back up slowly, and repeat the exercise.

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If your goal is to train and strengthen the lower body, aim to do these squats at least thrice a week. However, it's best to incorporate this exercise into your strength training workout, especially on leg days.

If you're a beginner, start slow with the bodyweight variation, and gradually progress to the weighted squat variations. Also, don’t forget to warm up before you start – just perform a few full body stretches to activate your muscles.