Squats are a super-move for the lower body. Do enough of them and you’ll whip your booty into shape—and a whole lot more.
“Squats mainly work the glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings,” points out Denise Chakoian, a certified fitness trainer and the owner of Core Cycle and Fitness La Gree. “They also hit the calves, lower back and core as stabilizers. Done right, squats train both strength and balance across the whole lower body.”
Trainers like Chakoian share that consistency is key if you want to squat your way to a firmer butt. That includes form and frequency. How many times per week do you need to squat to tone your butt? Trainers reveal their recommendations to Parade below.
How Often Should I Do Squats Every Week To Firm My Butt?
Trainers say the precise number of weekly squats to do depends on your experience and goals. However, they ultimately recommend anywhere from 48 to 540 squats per week—a huge range!
Here’s the breakdown:
“For beginners, I recommend about two sessions per week with three to five sets of bodyweight squats per session and 10 to 12 reps per set to build proper form and strength,” explains Amanda Dvorak, CPT, a certified personal trainer at BarBend. All told, that’s 60 to 120 squats per week for beginners.
Chakoian shares a slightly lower recommendation for beginners (three sets of 8 to 12 reps per day twice a week—or 48 to 72 reps per week).
Dvorak says people can often progress to two to three sessions of squats per week. These sessions generally involve doing 9 to 15 sets of 6 to 12 reps—so 108 to a whopping 540 squats each week.
Your goals also matter—for instance, Chakoian says people looking to build strength do best by keeping the rep count lower but adding resistance, such as weighted barbells or free weights.
If all the number crunching knocked you on your butt, consider this gentler baseline. “If you are a more traditional gym-goer, one to two days per week focused on lower body strength training is a great place to start,” explains Michelle Ditto, CPT, the Vice President of Training and Technique at Pure Barre.
Related: Trainers Say This Is Exactly How Many Minutes of Core Work You Really Need Each Day To See Results
How To Do a Squat
Whether you’re doing 48 or 540 squats per week, good form is absolutely key if you’re trying to tone and strengthen your butt. Ditto shared a step-by-step of precisely how to do a squat:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, just outside the line of your hips.
- Try to turn the toes to face forward (“They may turn out to a slight degree depending on your hip mobility,” Ditto adds.)
- Inhale and bend your knees as you shift your hips back (“Think of sitting into a kindergartener’s chair,” Ditto suggests.) “At the bottom of your squat, think of trying to rip the floor apart underneath your feet. This will engage your glutes and enhance your mind-muscle connection.”)
- Exhale, engaging your glutes and core as you stand up.
Chakoian frequently sees people make three mistakes when squatting, which makes them less effective for toning the but and increases injury risks:
- Letting knees cave inward. Doing this strains the knees. “Fix this by focusing on pushing the knees out so they track over the toes and strengthen the glutes with side steps or band work,” Chakoian says.
- Lifting the heels off the floor. This mistake shifts the pressure to your knees and destabilizes you. “Keep the weight balanced over the whole foot, work on ankle mobility and if needed, place small plates under the heels until mobility improves,” Chakoian advises.
- Leaning too far forward. Instead, Chakoian recommends that you brace the core, keep your chest up and use lighter or bodyweight until you can keep your torso upright. This fix keeps you from loading the lower back instead of the glutes and legs (the point of a squat).
Another mistake? Overdoing it. “It’s important to have enough volume to see your efforts while giving your muscles time to recover,” Dvorak says.
That said, when you do have good form down and are genuinely ready for more, she explains that you can step up your squat game. “You can add resistance with dumbbells, increase reps or sets, or slow down the lowering phase for more time under tension,” she adds. “The goal is always to keep the muscles adapting so you continue to get stronger.”
Related: Exactly How Many Minutes of Walking You Need To Do Per Day To Boost Heart Health
Why It’s Important To Tone Your Butt
Squatting isn’t an exercise in vanity. “Toning your glutes isn’t just about aesthetics,” Dvorak emphasizes. “It’s about strength, stability and function.”
She says that strong glutes keep your hips and spine aligned, making it safer and easier to perform essential tasks like walking, climbing stairs and carrying heavy grocery bags.
“Strong glutes also reduce stress on your lower back and knees, improve posture and make you more athletic overall,” Dvorak explains. “Basically, strong glutes make your body work better, whether you’re training or just moving through life.”
Related: The Simple Tweak Yoga Instructors Say Can Make You Way More Flexible
3 Other Moves To Tone and Strengthen Your Butt
Squats are one move that lifts the butt. However, other lower-body exercises also target the glutes, and trainers recommend incorporating them into your routine to engage multiple muscles and make workouts more fun. They shared three of their favorite butt-toning moves.
1. Hip thrust
How to by: Chakoian
- Sit with your upper back on a bench. Keep your feet flat and knees bent.
- Tuck your chin. With your ribs down, brace your core.
- Drive through your heels to lift your hips until your torso and thighs form a line.
- Squeeze your glutes hard at the top for a second, then lower under control.
2. Romanian deadlift with dumbbells or barbell
How to by: Chakoian
- Stand tall with a soft bend in your knees, weights at your thighs and your shoulders tight.
- Hinge at the hips. To do so, push your hips back while keeping your back flat and your shins nearly vertical.
- Lower until you feel a hamstring stretch, pause.
- Drive your hips forward and squeeze your glutes to stand tall.
3. Clamshells
How to by: Ditto
- Lie on one side of your body.
- Prop yourself up on a forearm.
- Bend your legs in front of you at a 90-degree angle.
- Keep your feet together as you open your top knee (like a clamshell—go figure!).
- Use control from your inner thighs to close the knee down.
Progression: “To amp up the challenge, add a lift of the bottom hip off the floor to engage more core work,” Ditto suggests.
Up Next:
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Sources
- Denise Chakoian, a certified fitness trainer and owner of Core Cycle and Fitness La Gree
- Amanda Dvorak, CPT, a certified personal trainer at BarBend
- Michelle Ditto, CPT, the Vice President of Training and Technique at Pure Barre.
