Move of the month – squat walk out

Each month, I will be highlighting a great exercise move to include as part of your workout routine! Up next...

Squat walk out

How to do it

1. Start by standing tall with your feet hip width apart and arms by your sides.
2. In a controlled manner, bend your knees and squat down towards the ground.
3. As you get close to the ground, reach your arms out to the floor and put your hands flat on the floor in front of your knees.
4. You'll then be crouched down, knees bent, on your tiptoes, with your arms out straight and hands flat on the floor.
5. Keeping your feet in place, start to walk your hands forward one at a time until you reach a high plank position.
6. Your arms should be straight, hands in line with your shoulders and body running straight from head to ankles. Hold in your core to avoid your lower back dipping, and avoid pushing your bum into the air.
7. Hold the plank for a couple of seconds, then slowly start to walk your hands back towards your body, one at a time.
8. Once your hands have reached your body and you're crouching down again, slowly stand back up to the starting position.
9. This is one rep. Repeat 10-15 times, rest, then complete two more sets of 10-15 reps.

What it's good for

The move is a great full body exercise, as it requires activation of the major lower and upper body muscles. The squat movement activates all the muscles of the legs during the down and up phase, the quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves all have to get to work. Your upper body then comes into effect when your hands reach the floor with the shoulders, chest and upper back muscles being especially activated. The high plank position requires the core abdominal muscles to be activated, as well as the muscles of the lower back, to help keep your body stable. This move will also get your heart rate pumping since it involves the whole body, so it’s a good little cardio move too!

Intensify

If you're feeling flexible, you can try this move without bending your legs. So this requires you to bend at the hips and reach forward until your hands touch the floor. This will give a nice hamstring stretch and will make your upper body work a little harder as it has to support more of your weight due to the angle. The idea is then to walk back from the high plank position, and return to standing without bending your knees.

Other ways to pump up the burn of this move:

1. Speed up how quickly you complete the move, to up the cardio factor. Just be careful to keep correct form to avoid injury.
2. Hold the high plank for 5-10 seconds before walking back to add an extra core burn.

Pointers

• Make sure you take your time to learn this move and don't rush too soon. You need controlled movements in the squat, walk out and plank phase to lower the risk of injury.
• Ensure you keep your core engaged throughout the move, so your lower back is supported during the walk out and high plank.
• Keep a nice straight line from your head to your ankles during the high plank for maximum impact.

How NOT to do it

Avoid completing this move too quickly, if you rush the squat and throw your hands to the ground, you could risk injury if your wrists and elbows aren't ready for the weight. Rushing the walk out can also lead to an arched lower back, which can risk injury also.