This is part 3 of the new Rock your body workout that represents squats. You will be doing again 3 sets of 40 reps and change the movement of the exercise slightly every 10 reps for variety.
During the whole workout and especially this exercise where you work the big muscles, you can expect to experience muscle fatigue and pain caused by accumulation of lactic acid. This is good for fat loss, because your body will produce more growth hormone that helps to release fatty acids from your fat cells, which your body then use for energy. Lifting heavy weights for high reps gives you muscles and generates more lactic acid which will result in fat loss.
When you squat down, fold in your hips and lean forward arching your lower back. Keep your upper back straight, and the weight on your heels. Don’t let your heels to come up off the floor so that your butt gets a good workout and your knees don’t suffer. If it’s difficult for you to keep your heels on the ground, you can practice your squats on slightly elevated surface such as a wooden cutting board – everyone has one of these in the kitchen. Stand on the cutting board, but leave the balls of your feet hanging in the air. Push your heels into the board and squat down. If your toes touch the floor, you will realize immediately that your form is not good and your heels are not planted into the ground as they should be. Try to keep your shins as vertical as possible and don’t let your knees go too forward beyond your toes. Also notice that I am always looking straight ahead which helps to keep good form. Do not look down at your legs, or up at the ceiling.
Squatting all the way down butt-to-heels will improve flexibility in your hips and various athletic activities such as running or kicking.
The one arm overhead sumo squat is really the hardest one. Get into wide stand position and bring one arm holding a dumbbell over your head. Keep the arm straight through the entire movement. Squat down until you reach with your other arm towards the floor and touch it with your hand. It really helps to keep your eyes on the dumbbell. If you look straight ahead, you will find it way harder to get really low in order to touch the floor while keeping the overhead arm straight.
I suggest trying this exercise without the weight first.
There are 5 more parts of this workout routine. So Check back for the rest of the exercises.
Best,
Zuzana.
Hi Zuzana,
Thank you for the new part. I am looking forward to trying it out.
It might sound silly, but I heard (and always thought) that before I can build muscles and tone my body I should lose weight first. I consider myself average and not overwheight although there is defenetley some unwanted “stuff” around ab area. From your blocks I understood that it is ok, moreover, it is even more efficient to do weight it will help lose fat. Correct me if i am wrong.
Also, I have, as you said “barbie dumbells” at home… should i do this excersise with them (5lb) or should i get myself 15lb/8lb dumbells.
Thank you so much for your time
Hi Girly, this particular workout will help you to burn fat and build muscles. Besides it is appropriate workout even for beginners because the level of intensity depends on the weight that you are lifting. You have to try this workout to find out how heavy your weights should be. Try this workout first with the dumbbells that you already have.
when i perform squats my knees crack, only the right one, and i already made exams,there´s nothing wrong, does it has a regular form or something that i can do to avoid it?
Thanks again, u´re the best, i´m showing u´re site to my friends here in Brasil, u´re growing fans here!!
Congratz!!
Hi flaviarj, noisy knees are no reason for worries unless it’s accompanied by pain or swelling.
Hi Zuzana,
I’ve been taking in all your advice. I began maybe 2 days ago. I was doing beginner first. I think Im ready for a little bigger like this full body workout.
So I have a lot of problems with my legs though, because I was in a really bad car accident 2 years ago.(I had many fractures.) I have a plate in one knee, and rods in both legs. So I really want to do the squats hoping that I will get better and better at it as you do. but right now I can’t stay up sometimes when I do the squats and I usually have some pain. But Its sorta working though :)
I was wondering do you think that this is good and that I will get better at the squats and leg exercises if I just keep at it?
Thank You so much for all your help!
“… you can expect to experience muscle fatigue and pain caused by accumulation of lactic acid. This is good for fat loss, because your body will produce more growth hormone that helps to release fatty acids from your fat cells, which your body then use for energy. Lifting heavy weights for high reps gives you muscles and generates more lactic acid which will result in fat loss.”
I love the explanation of the physiology of the exercise. This understanding is more motivation to do the exercise.
“fold in your hips and lean forward arching your lower back. Keep your upper back straight, and the weight on your heels. Don’t let your heels to come up off the floor so that your butt gets a good workout and your knees don’t suffer….
…Try to keep your shins as vertical as possible and don’t let your knees go too forward beyond your toes. Also notice that I am always looking straight ahead which helps to keep good form. Do not look down at your legs, or up at the ceiling.”
The descriptions of the moves for safety just keep getting better. Thanks!
Great workout. You’re a great inspiration too me, you should post a posing video soon to show of your results
Zuzana, this one is really a good one, I can feel it all the way through the thighs. Have to focus a lot more on this one to keep the proper form. Is it alright to go parallel in the squat on the last set or should I try to go just below?
Hi Charles, the lower you get in the squat, the better. You just have to be sure that you have the strength to get up and keep proper form. If you don’t have the strength, than try to get your thighs at least parallel with the ground and work on the depth of your squats slowly progressively.
Hi Zuzana, I have a quick question,,,,why don`t you put all this in a CD so we are able to buy it?
hi zuzana:)
i have a big problem !!!
i was doing your summer fit exercise program but honestly i didn’t have time on fridays and saturdays to finish with the 5th and 6th exercise?:(
is there an other workout routine that only takes 5 days a week with the same time and intesity of “summer fit”?
i’m not really fat but i want to tone my legs and take those love handles away.
thank you for your time zuzana!!!!!
Hi tg, it is not written in the stone that you should be following this program exactly. If you don’t have time on Friday or Saturday, you can do your workout on Sunday. Or you can do 2 workous in one day. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. Try to experiment and keep an exercise log.
yes, Mike you are right! But we need to teach our body use the lactic acid to happen what you tried to explain using lactic acid like energy, but fast, with fast recuperation, and how we can do that? training, changing the muscle estimulation,movements the stop and go, some times training in our limit, always estimulating our body to new adaptations.
My all respect, an my best
Hi Zuzana,
For the Sumo squats, do the toes point forward or should one angle the feet outwards at 45 degrees?
Also, is there a range of weight you’d recommend using for the duration of the exercise? I find with heavier weights, I reach fatigue faster… but if the weights are too light, I don’t feel much results. Is it better to work the muscle to fatigue, but not do as many reps?
Great exercise!
R.
Hi Rick, it is 3 sets by 40 reps and your weight should be heavy. You suppose to experience fatigue but not failure. Which means that if you are too tired to complete each set with a perfect form, than your weights are too heavy. Your toes should point a little bit outwards when you are performing squats.
Great workout Zuzana! So are you suppose to do all three workouts within one exercise? Like all three workouts per day? Thanks
Hi Brandy, the rock your body workout has 8 parts and this is just one of them. You can do the whole workout in one day or you can do 4 parts in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. You can experiment and mix these exercises with other workouts that are on this site. It is all up to you.
hi Zuzana…love the new routines ,and is just what im going to do while, i’ll be traveling back to Europe living next week!!thank you :)
thanks for answering back zuzana and i’m looking foward for that rock your body work out !!!
p.s love your page
Thanks Zuzana! I’m sore today. Good workout, but I’m wondering if there is anything that you’d recommend to minimize the build up of lactic acid after a workout so one isn’t so sore the next day? I’ve heard conflicting opinions about stretching after workouts. Some say it’s good… others say it just aggravates it, since the muscle fibres are torn and repairing.
Hi Rick, what helps to me is a light aerobic activity after the workout or the next day when you feel sore.
Hi zuzana…First of all let me tell you that I looove your page.
My question is…whats the difference betwen regular squats and sumo squats? does they work diferent parts of the body or what?
Hi Liva, the sumo squats are targeting the muscles of your legs and glutes from a different angle and the inner thighs get a better workout.
Wooow I love this. Im trying to tone my thighs and get my legs nice and strong, but everything I was doing even with increasing the weight wasn’t bothering me much. I would feel fatigued but no aches the next day, so I feel like I didn’t really do my best. Now I did this and my bum and my legs all ache, its wonderful I feel like i worked out again!
Hi Alice, muscle soreness is not an indicator of a good workout. We don’t know yet what causes the post exercise muscle soreness, however here are 3 leading theories. It might be due to connective tissue damage, skeletal muscle damage or reflex muscular spasm caused by restriction of blood supply to the muscle. I understand your feelings, most people feel like they had the best exercise ever if it’s followed by muscle soreness. It is important to realize that pain is not a result of an effective workout.
Hi Zuzana,
Thank you for responding to my previous question. Up until I found your website I was at the gym almost everyday. I am now more satisfied with my training thanks to your program. I still plan on attending the gym at least once a week for the use of their cardio machines. My question is, in your gym workout routine I notice that you do not incorporate the leg extension or leg curl machine. Do you feel that the squat machine and leg press are sufficient for defining the quads. Please advice. I have been trying to define that area and thought that those machines were the most effective. By the way thank you for all of your nutritional advice as well. It is much appreciated.
Zuzana,
Hi! I just found your site yesterday. I love it!
I wonder if you could talk about your fitness journey sometime on one of the fitness article pages–many people seem curious. I am too!
I’m wondering how long it took you to sculpt the muscles you have. I realize they are the result of being able to lift heavy and the endurance you’ve built up. I’ve been getting stronger in the gym and just starting to see a little definition. I’m a slender build like you. I know everyone is built differently, but I’m curious to know your rough timeline.
Thanks!
Hi Katie, don’t focus so much on how fast will it take you to sculpt your body or loose fat. Focus on getting stronger and faster and the results will come. Athletes who are strong and fast have the most incredible bodies. Trust me, this way you will challenge yourself more and find your workouts enjoyable more than if you would focus only on your look. Let the sculpted body be just a side effect of your training.
right on zuzana! I’ve really been learning this too lately. after much physical health obstacles I’ve been just wanting to get stronger and healthier, and before I know it, something just happens to look different. I think. :) I’m sure you do this too Zu, but setting goals such as wanting to do something physically demanding and crazy someday, makes me think, “I think I want to be stronger and faster to do THAT thing someday” and therefore, train early. when it comes down to it, our bodies are gifts to us and we should (non-paranoically) take care of it, as well as our spiritual, and psychological aspects in life. thanks zu!
Hi Zuzana,
I wanted to know why you were gloves when lifting weights?
HI Ashley, the gloves are kind of a sissy thing I know, but I don’t like to have calluses on my hands.
Hi Zuzana,
I am a complete beginner, and I wanting to do a workout which is going to give me results quick. Should I do the new rock your body or 40 minutes workout, and should i do them everyday?. I just really some tips on how to get started to get good results. (ps i already eat healthy)
HI Elizabeth S,
If you are a complete beginner, than take it easy at the beginning and progress slowly. You can start with weight training every other day and do some light cardio in between.
another question is that when i do the squats my knees hurt really bad as I’m not use to it, Have u got a tip on how I can make them not hurt.
Thank u
Hi Elizabeth S, if your knees hurt when you are doing basic exercises like squats, than you should talk to you doctor about this. It might be something like tight quadriceps that is pulling on your knees and causing pain, but you never know and it is not wise to ignore it.
hi, zuzana!
i read some of your posts, that living a life with diet and sport makes you fit and healthy… it is true, but not everybody can afford that… some people are to much constrained in our society’s unhealthy rules… raising children, exausting jobs, different problems which appear suddenly in our lives and which require attention and effort…
but we must struggle to get time and mood for exercise, that is true. i have a job which requires to be fit and trained all the time… i go to work and the first thing i do there is 1-2 hours of training, i can say i am lucky guy having this job… :)
what i wanted to tell you and all people who read this post is a word of my bos, which is 55 years old, but is still fit and strong, training almost everyday… he says: when you have a problem, it takes you a lot of energy, a lot of time, most of your attention to solve that… but during that time, what do you do? if the problem persists for a long time, won’t you eat anymore, only to solve it? won’t you try to sleep anymore, only to solve it?… that way you should do it with your daily training-workout… you should train everyday, no matter what. you are doing it for yourself, for your health, not for other’s…
Please Help!!! I was told not to go past your knees when you are squatting. Is this true? I squat with heavy weights as I have been training for a while.
Hi Megan, it is not true. You should go all the way down to get the most benefits from squats. You put more unhealthy strain on your knees if you stop the movement half way down having your thighs just parallel to the ground.
hi zuzana…
I have a weight bench with a 25lb plate to exercise legs and I want to use it, so can I workout on it insted of doing squats or lunges? what do you think?
I hope you can understand my question Im not so good in english XD….
HI Liva, I am not sure if I can understand what is the weight bench. Is that a machine? If yes than I got to tell you that you can get much better and faster results with free weights.
Hello again zuzana….Im talking about a BENCH like the one you have in your home gym haha…and I want to use it to tone my legs, so I want to know what to stop doing squats or lunges???? :)
Hi Liva, hmm, I still don’t quite understand what your question is :) can somebody help me to translate please?
Zuzana…las try please hahaha!!!
I meant a leg extension machine …
I have one at home, so if I start using it should I stop doing squats?????
anyways thanks for your time!!!!
Hi Liva, finally I understand :) I can’t recommend you this exercise, because leg extensions are basically useless. You can develop muscles on your quads but because it is isolated move, you are not teaching your muscles work together as a team. For coordination, balance and functional strength is important to do exercises that force your body to work as a whole. Honestly if I was you, I would sell that machine and buy some dumbbells or kettlebells, because that is the best workout equipment. I hope this helps.
Hi,
What are the best workouts to burn fat, but not build that much muscle? I gain muscle very, very quickly, and I don’t want to be very muscular. If I don’t do certain workouts like squatts and lunges, then I gain fat on my thighs, but if I do those I gain alot of muscle. If I do something like running, I get huge calves! Help!
HI Lori, you have to trust me in this: Your muscles will bulk up no matter what exercise you do if you feed them. So it really depends on your diet if you get bulky or just toned. Even guys who are actually trying to get big muscles have to eat a lot, because training itself would never help them to achieve that. It is important to eat often which means every 2 to 3 hours – 5 to 6 times a day. If you want to keep the weight off, than you have to not only pay attention to what you eat but also how much you eat. I eat very small portions and people sometimes look at me strange, but I eat very often and I am never hungry. I have a lot of energy throughout the day and it speeds up my metabolism. I am not concerned about weighing my food or counting calories. I measure my food by hand and remember what macronutrients (fat,carbs,protein) I can obtain from the food I eat.
thanks zuzana!!!
finally…now…I will do more squats and lunges hahaha :)
Hello Suzana, Thank for the tip on looking up to help me keep my back straight. Its easy to lean my body forward if I’m a little tired or not concentratin. I appreciate all your help.
Thank You! :)
Zuzana.
Do you have bad breath, stinky feet, do you snore like a T-Rex?
You must have something wrong!! You can’t be that perfect!!
If you don’t, then you’re a godess…
Love ya.
[...] Zuzana – BodyRock.Tv wrote an interesting post today onNew Rock Your Body Workout 3: Squats <b>Exercise</b> | <b>Fitness</b> Advice <b>…</b>Here’s a quick excerpt [...]
Hello Zuzana,
I find it very difficult for me to keep the weight over my shoulders during the Sumo Squats. Do you have any suggestions for modifications?
Hi Zuzana,
I’m a 41 year old female. I started a weight loss program on June 1, 2009. I’ve lost 29 lbs and I am at 182.0 lbs now. I do the Billy Blanks Tae Bo Advanced video 45 minutes 4-5 times a week. I’ve also cut down on my carbs (between 50-100) and eat 4-6 times a day including snacks. I’ve just ordered the Gymboss and can’t wait to use it. My problem areas are my stomack and my upper back around my bra straps. What advise can you give me for those problem areas?
I will take your suggestions to heart if it will help you look like you. You are awesome!
Thank you,
Cynthia
Hi Cynthia,
I recommend you to change up your routine and do something else for the next 4 weeks and then go back to your dvd workout again. If do the same workout for longer period of time, you will hit a plateau and stop making progress. I also do not recommend to cut down on carbs too much. I always recommend clean eating which includes small portion sizes at least 5 to 6 times a day. If you can see positive changes on the rest of your body, then you just have to be patient, because the problem areas will take just a little bit longer. Make sure that you are paying enough attention to all areas of your body and not only the ones that seem to need more work.
So far I am really impressed with your site. The quality of your content and nice design makes it a real winner!
hey zuz. I have released 193 pounds.. I eat healthy.. no white flour foods, white rice.pasta.. I only eat brown rice, healthy carbs.. I exercise 6 days a week. I know you can not target spots, but I have saddle bags on my hips.. I have 42 pounds left to my goal of 135.. any advice of exercises to at least target that area.
I just found out about your site.. I will definately be perusing it alot.. thanks
lynneta
I’ve jsut come across this site today, and watched a couple of the videos. It looks great, but I was wondering what weight dubmbells to use? Is that information somewhere that I can check it out?
Anne
Hi Zuzana!
I would just like to say how much I love and appreciate what you’ve been doing… I can’t find anywhere with more or better fitness information and your workouts really help fight the danger of getting in a routine rut, which I have been in way too many times before. I workout daily, doing cardio, weight lifting, and occasional yoga, and have a question regarding some pain I’ve been feeling lately, though I don’t know if you can help me. I have been doing sumo squats a couple times a week and just last week I found that I couldn’t anymore because I was feeling sharp pain on the left side of my pelvis. It feels like when the kind of pain that makes you want to pop your back or knuckles. I don’t think it’s muscular, but I was wondering if you might have any idea what I might be doing or how I can fix it? I really don’t want to go see a chiropractor or anything, if possible… Thank you so much!! Again, I appreciate your help a ton!!!
Hi Zuzana
My question to you is, that should we be doing all these exercises at once, or do we do it alternative days?
Thanks, and really appreciate your videos.
Ray
Hi Ray – that video series is an all in one workout.
Hi Zuzana,
I help train some girls in my neighbourhood. I concentrate on compound exercises for them as they only train 3 times a week. (Body Weight) Squats & Lunges, (EZ Curl Bar)Bench press, Shoulder press, Bent Over Rows, Upright Rows, Biceps Curls, Skull Crushers , Push ups & Russian Twists. Once a week I get the to do Kettlebells.
Their upper bodies are toning really well, but their legs are getting bigger (as in their clothes are tighter in the legs and bum).
What can I get them to do to tone and slim the legs …not bulk them up ???????
Hi Alan,
I have the same body type as the girls that you train. I could get my legs bulky in no time. The trick is in eating. Too much food will fead the muscles and the muscles will grow. I also noticed that if you are weight training 3 times a week, then it really helps if you do at least some light cardio and proper stretching on the days in between. Hot yoga is a great relaxation and stretching. I used to go regularly in Canada.
Thanks Zuzana,
Should I keep going with the body Weight Squats & Lunges and get them to adjust their diets, or should I stop them for awhile and maybe do some other form of leg toning. ie short sharp hill sprints, scissor kicks etc. Could you give me some ideas please and maybe a few exercises to try. don’t hold back, as they love a hard workout – I call them Femme Spartans.
I am trying to lose weight; however, my boos are shinking way too much. What can I do to avoid a flat chest.Should I do more weights and less cardi?