1. Relax! Pull your shoulder blades down and together. This simple switch will engage your core and keep your body from becoming loosey-goosey, per strength coach Tony Gentilcore, CSCS. By squeezing your shoulder blades together, you create a little shelf on the back of your shoulders that’s perfect for a barbell. If you’re performing back squats on pulling the bar into that little shelf. It’ll help you keep your shoulder blades tight throughout the entire movement.
2. Evenly distribute: Take a “tripod” stance, making sure your weight is evenly distributed under your big toe, little toe, and heel. Then, pretend you’re trying to spread the floor between your feet. Push your feet into the ground and out to the sides. Your feet shouldn’t move, but you should feel some tension in your hips.
3. Get low: Squat as low as you can comfortably. You should squat until the top surface of your thigh is just below your knee and your knees are in line with your toes – without leaning too far forward.
4. Mix it up: For maximum results, mix up your variations. Each variation emphasizes different muscles, such as your hamstrings or glute medius (side butt). Hit a few variations every week and you’ll get the benefits of all of them.
5. Be consistent: Squat two to three times a week. One day, lift heavy weights for only a handful of reps. Another day, lift lighter weights for about a dozen reps. If you decide to add a third day try different variations.
For those trying to maintain their figure or even lose weight, it’s important to note, that diet is also crucial for meeting your fitness goals. Union’s philosophy on living a happy, healthy life? “You know, my grandma lived to be 110, and she drank alcohol, like, every day. I don’t drink every day. But if somebody’s like, “Shots!” I’m like, “Yes!” If someone says, “Bacon!” I’m like, “Yes!” She lived. I definitely live,” she admitted.
Of other things that keep her motivated, Union confessed: “I learn my lesson from other people. So between fearing health issues and fearing “Stars, they’re just like us! Look at their cellulite!”—that keeps me in the gym. Then when I get in there, I get competitive and won’t leave. I basically have the Olympics happening in my mind with strangers. They don’t realize we’re competing, but I usually take gold. Mainly because they’ve left.”