Best Squat Alternatives

Best Squat Alternatives

You don’t have to Barbell Back Squat!

A mistake I made for a long time was thinking that I needed to barbell squat to get stronger and build my quads and glutes.

Not the case at all! If your goal is to build muscle in your glutes and/or your quads, there are a lot of alternatives that may work better for you than your traditional barbell squat.

Try Switching to Unilateral Movements

Before we get into specific alternatives for quads versus glutes, one thing to think about is switching to unilateral movements if you’re struggling with mobility on your squats, whether it’s a regular barbell or any other type of squat.

Let’s Talk about Split Squats

Split squats are a great alternative to squats that will allow you to get a little bit more output and potentially help if you are struggling with ankle mobility issues or hip mobility issues. There are a bunch of different split squat variations for both quads and glutes.

Quad-Focused Split Squat

Front Foot Elevated Split Squat: This is one of my favorites. It allows you to get a lot of knee flexion (or knee bend). Pushing your knees over your toes to close that gap between your calves and hamstrings is going to give a lot of output for your quads.

Glute-Focused Split Squats 

Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat: You should be focused on keeping more of a vertical shin angle and flexing at the hips. Leaning forward slightly.

Those are just two examples of split squats, in which you can actually target your quads more and your glutes more, and they may work better for you and allow you to get more output in the target tissue versus a traditional barbell back squat.

Other Exercises to Try

Quad-Focused Exercises:

• Heel-Elevated Deadlifts: Try the Heel-Elevated Trap Bar Deadlift
• Quad-Focused Leg Press
• Pendulum Squat
• Hack Squat

Glute-Focused Exercises:

• RDLs
• Glute-Focused Leg Press
• Hip Thrust
• Glute Bridge
• Step-Ups
• Kickbacks

All in all, you do not have to do traditional barbell squats to build muscle. There are SO many different options. It comes down to what feels best for YOU and the movements you can progress over the long term.