While it’s a common practice among some powerlifters to measure a max effort squat variation, like a max sumo squat, a max safety bar squat, or a max front squat, your best measure of true squat strength will almost always come through the standard squat. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Additionally, with less upper body movement, there’s less to think about and focus on during the lift, letting you zero in on getting the lift done successfully. Adds Variety

There’s nothing wrong with starting right where you are. But hold yourself accountable to getting better than whatever your starting point is. Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart. Give yourself a few feet and stand wide without overextending your knees. Some research shows that stance width affects muscle activity in the lower extremities, but varying the foot placement angles does not seem to play a major role in muscle activity ( 1). Granted, any squat exercise will require some level of hip mobility, but the standard squat is generally easier to perform than the sumo squat when it comes to hip mobility. You can use the standard squat to better develop the needed hip mobility to try the sumo squat. But beyond that simple explanation, there are several factors to understand and consider when comparing traditional squats and sumo squats, so let’s break each of them down below. Differences Between Squats and Sumo SquatsWith the narrower stance, the standard squat puts greater emphasis on your quads. With greater emphasis on those quads, the standard squat is a superior option for building quad strength. Stand with your feet wider than your shoulders and your arms at your sides. Turn your feet slightly outward. This is the starting position. Squat variations are plentiful, and it’s helpful to know which ones are truly useful, how they are beneficial, and whether or not you should give them any attention. One variation commonly seen in the gym is the sumo squat. But how similar/different is it when compared to the traditional squat? One reason squats are such a great exercise is that there are so many ways to vary the movement and resistance. The most common techniques for varying the exercise involve changing the stance, foot placement angle, hip depth, or load ( 1). Take a step to the side with your right foot until your stance is 3–4 feet wide, or wider than hip width. Wider is OK as long as you can perform the move correctly.

As mentioned above, the adductors are the inner thigh muscles that work in conjunction with your glutes to extend your hips. Erector SpinaeWhen you take a wider stance, you don’t need to descend as far to sink your hips past the tops of your knees to “break parallel” as the powerlifting world calls it. I confess I was initially blasé about this move, so I raced through my first set, thinking my form would be automatically fine. At the end, however, I didn’t feel I had challenged my glutes any more than I would in a normal squat, and I felt nothing at all in my adductors. I decided to pretend day one had not happened while still taking on board the lesson.

Learning the sumo squat is not much of a stretch if you know how to squat. That said, there are some differences to be aware of, including the width of your stance and how you position your toes. The glutes and quadriceps muscles are worked to a large extent during the sumo squat but because of the wide stance , a greater emphasis is placed on the adductor muscle (inner thighs) than on the quadriceps. On actual day one, I set myself properly—legs slightly wider—and lowered more slowly for the first few reps to ensure my knees remained in line with my feet. I also made sure to involve my glutes as I rose, rather than let the momentum and my quads carry the load. And it worked. In particular, I noticed the effort in my gluteus medius (the upper glute), quads and adductors. Take the time to do stretches for several weeks. Warm-up each workout before attempting sumo squats. Take the time to get your body ready for this specific variation so you can get the most of it. On day seven I tried it with the weight and the jump at the top. Only do this if you are completely sure of your form—it’s a tough one.

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Lastly, this game pays homage to the great games made by Sumo Digital, bringing forth an experience that's immersive, engaging, and culturally rich. In Sumo Battle!, every match is a story, every victory a triumph of the spirit. So, ready your stance, harness your agility, and join the festive clash of titans in this riveting sumo saga. Most lifters should do a combination of both squats and sumo squats, with squats as their main squatting movement and sumo squats as a variation they perform to round out and add variety to their lower body training. Squats vs Sumo Squats: Which Is Best For Powerlifting? Results vary depending on starting point, goals and effort. Exercise and proper diet are necessary to achieve and maintain weight loss and muscle definition. The testimonials featured may have used more than one Beachbody product or extended the program to achieve their maximum results. On day six, I did the move while holding a 10lb (4.5kg) weight. You can either hold the dumbbell/kettlebell at your chest using both hands, as I did, or let your arms hang between your legs as you lower with the weight.

AS SEEN ON BBC, ITV, NBC, FOX, and ABC : Celebs love It’s Bananas too! Ryan Seacrest and Vanessa Lachey ended up in hysterics while playing it on ABC’s LIVE WITH KELLY AND RYAN during their ‘hot new games for the summer’ section, and in the U.K. it was one of ITV THIS MORNING’s Must Have Holiday Board Games with Philip Schofield and Holly Willybough. Muscles worked: This movement pattern strengthens your quadriceps, glutes, hips, hamstrings, and calves, with an extra focus on your inner thighs and abductors. The core is strengthened. This is an important area for athletes. You have to keep your core strong if you are planning to run and jump in sports like basketball, volleyball or soccer. Developing your core will help you stay more balanced when playing these sports.

Similarly, for lifters with very flexible hips, the sumo squat may be more comfortable. There are dozens of factors that impact our leverages and advantages, and you’ll need to understand your own by trial and error as you safely attempt these variations. The goblet squat, like the sumo squat, focuses on the quadriceps, inner thighs, and muscles of the posterior chain. This squat variation is a great addition to a lower body routine to strengthen and tone your legs. The quads are the muscles on the front of your thighs used in the flexion of your knee as you descend and ascend during the squat. The squat is commonly thought of as a quad exercise because of the quads’ heavy use in the movement. Glutes