Stop Doing the Booty Squat Like This (Read This First)
You have likely been told that squats are the king of lower body exercises. So, you load up the bar, grind out reps, and months later, your quads have blown up, but your glutes look exactly the same. It is a frustrating reality for many lifters.
The standard squat is often quad-dominant by default. To actually change your physique, you need to alter your mechanics to perform a true booty squat. This isn't about inventing a new exercise; it is about manipulating physics and anatomy to shift the tension from the front of your legs to the back.
Key Takeaways: The Glute-Focused Squat
- Stance Width: A wider stance with toes pointed out (30-45 degrees) increases glute activation compared to a narrow stance.
- Depth is Non-Negotiable: You must hit parallel or below to maximize the stretch on the glute max.
- Shin Angle: Keeping shins more vertical (sitting back rather than down) forces the hips to do the heavy lifting.
- The Hip Hinge: Initiate the movement by pushing hips back, not by bending knees forward.
Why Standard Squats Might Not Be Working
If you are looking for squats for bigger buttocks, you have to understand the lever lengths of your body. In a traditional high-bar squat, your knees travel far forward over your toes. This creates a long moment arm for the knee joint, meaning your quadriceps take the brunt of the load.
To turn this into a squat for bigger booty results, we need to minimize knee travel and maximize hip flexion. The more your hips fold while keeping your shins relatively vertical, the more your glutes have to work to extend your hips back to the starting position.
How to Do Squats Properly for a Bigger Bum
Let's break down the mechanics. Executing squats to make your bum bigger requires a deliberate setup that feels different from a standard athletic squat.
1. Widen Your Base
Step your feet out wider than shoulder-width. This does two things: it allows for greater depth and it engages the gluteus medius to stabilize the knee. This is often the missing link in a squat workout for bigger booty goals.
2. The 'Sit Back' Cue
Do not just drop down. Imagine there is a chair three feet behind you. Reach for that chair with your hips. This action loads the posterior chain immediately. If you feel the weight shift entirely to your heels, you are doing it right.
3. Control the Eccentric
The lowering phase (eccentric) is where muscle damage for growth occurs. Take 3 full seconds to lower yourself. Do not bounce out of the hole. Control is the secret sauce for bigger bum squats.
Best Squat Variations for Glute Hypertrophy
Not all squats are created equal. If you are asking what type of squats make your bum bigger, these are the top contenders.
The Low Bar Back Squat
By placing the barbell lower on your traps (across the rear delts), you are forced to lean your torso forward. This forward lean stretches the glutes more effectively than an upright torso. It is arguably the best squat for bigger bum development if you have access to a barbell.
The Sumo Squat
Whether done with a dumbbell (goblet style) or a barbell, the sumo stance is superior for glutes. The extreme wide stance minimizes quad involvement. When looking for squats bigger buttocks results, the sumo variation is a staple.
Box Squats
Squatting to a box kills the momentum. You sit back, pause, and then fire the glutes to stand up. This teaches you how to drive through the hips rather than bouncing off your knees.
My Training Log: Real Talk
I want to be honest about the transition to glute-focused squatting. When I first switched from high-bar Olympic squats to a low-bar, hip-dominant style, it felt wrong. It felt weak.
I remember specifically the first time I tried a wide-stance box squat. The knurling of the bar was digging into a lower spot on my back that wasn't calloused yet, stinging like a sunburn. But the real issue was the wobble. As I sat back, my toes kept trying to lift off the floor because my ankle mobility was fighting the new angle.
The next day, the soreness wasn't in the usual spot right above the knee (the teardrop muscle). It was deep in the upper glute-ham tie-in. That specific, deep ache that makes sitting on a hard chair uncomfortable? That's when I knew the mechanics had actually shifted. You have to be willing to drop the weight on the bar by 20% to master this form, or you're just ego-lifting with your quads again.
Conclusion
Building a shelf requires intention. You cannot autopilot your leg days. By widening your stance, shifting your weight back, and selecting the right variations, you can transform a leg exercise into a glute builder. Consistency with this new form is the only way to get results.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of squats make your bum bigger female lifters prefer?
The Sumo Squat and the Curtsy Squat are highly effective. The Sumo squat targets the glutes due to the hip angle, while the Curtsy squat hits the glute medius, helping with the "shelf" look.
How often should I do squats to get a bigger bum?
Frequency matters, but so does recovery. Squatting heavy 2 to 3 times per week is generally the sweet spot. This allows enough volume for growth while giving your muscles 48 hours to repair and grow.
Will these squats make my thighs huge too?
Any squat involves the quads to some degree. However, by using a wider stance and sitting back (hip dominant), you significantly reduce quad activation and focus the tension on the posterior chain, minimizing leg bulk compared to traditional squats.
