Pop a Squat!

Last winter I hurt my foot and had to stop running. My dream of running a half marathon in 2011 was shattered, but I still had 2012. I started building up strength and was running again in the summer. Then in the fall of 2011 I injured my knee (I should never wear heels)! Dreams shattered again! I haven't been able to run in 5 months but I still consider myself a runner. There is nothing better than running outdoors, on the street, on the trail or on the track, nothing beats it. So imagine my excitement when I received my first issue of Runner's World in the mail today! I bought myself a subscription for Christmas and it finally arrived!

I find the magazine has really great training tips and usually includes workouts for cross-training and great nutritional tips that I can still follow, even though I'm not running. It also includes stories from other runners that can be really inspiring and motivating. This issue looks especially good because it includes some total body workout moves that I can try at the gym. Including a modified squat, and I love my squats.

I did plenty of them at the gym tonight. After my 30 minutes on the elliptical I took another half hour or so to do some strength training. I started with some leg work that included 180 degree squats, prisoner squats, curtsy squats, walking lunges with a kick and backward lunges with a kick (lunges were done with weights). All of these moves keep you moving (ha) while working on your strength so you're burning more calories than if you were just standing still. I don't have much length to walk at the gym so I usually end up pacing a bit. I did each move for about a minute then repeated.

Now before I go into more detail I do want to say that I am not a trained professional (though I hope to be one day)! All of these moves I learned from reading fitness journals/magazines, including Runner's World, and from attending various gym classes. These moves work for me and are fairly simple, but always listen to your body and know when you're pushing yourself too far.

Squat - Just a review, stand with your feet shoulder width apart with you elbows bent with your hands in front of your chest or on your hips, which ever is comfortable for you. Keep your back straight and sit your bum back as if sitting into a chair. It's important that your knees do not go past your toes, you want to keep your thighs parallel to the floor.

180 Degree Squats - Give yourself lots of room, you're going to be traveling in this one.
1. Start by doing a normal squat.
2. When you return to standing bring your left leg in front of you and turn 180 degrees so you are facing the other way.
3. Perform your squat.
4. Next, bring your right leg in front of you turing around 180 degrees again and perform another squat.
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 and you should find yourself traveling to your right.

Curtsy Squat - Stand with feet hip-width apart, hands on hips. Step you right foot across your left, and squat. You may have a tendency to drop your right knee, try to keep your knee straight above your foot.

The curtsy squat is often performed by stepping behind you, but because I want to perform a moving squat I step in front. To turn this into a moving squat you must combine the curtsy with a regular squat.

Moving Curtsy Squat - Give yourself lot's of room for this, you will be moving forward instead of side to side like in the 180 Degree Squat.
1. Perform your squat.
2. Bring your right leg across your left and perform a curtsy squat.
3. Bring your left leg beside your right to perform a squat.
4. Bring your left leg across your right to perform a curtsy squat.
5. Bring your right leg beside your left to perform a squat.
6. Repeat steps 2 through 5. Once you do it a few times you'll get the hang of it! Make sure you're stepping across and in front when you're doing the curtsy so you will be moving forward, otherwise you'll end up standing in one spot.


Even when I was running I'd add these various squats and others in to give my legs and butt the extra kick it needs. Try them out and soon you'll be a pro squatter like me!