Bear Squat is an incredible body weight exercise you can do at home or at the gym. The reason it’s called Bear Squat is because you will be in the traditional bear exercise position and will be squatting backward.

*Bear squat is a doozy in terms of strengthening your leg muscles. There’s also a great challenge for your legs that workout expert Mike Geary created called the Bodyweight Squats Muscular Endurance 5-Minute Challenge. It’s a killer.

How to do a Bear Squat:

Position your hands and feet on the ground so that are approximately 3-4 feet away from each other. Your knees are going to be at about a 90 degree angle. Lower your buttocks back until they almost touch your heels. Raise yourself back up again. Repeat.

Muscle group worked:

Leg and butt muscles.

Target Repetitions for Muscle Tone/Endurance: 20

Why Bear Squats work:

The exercise works your buttocks and leg muscles in a unique way. Most leg exercises work your legs when you are standing up. Yet this exercise strengthens them when you are on all fours. And since your knees are closer to your hands this places your legs underneath you making them carry more of your weight.

Tips:

Keep your arms steady. There should be no movement in your upper body. Your knees will be the hinge joint for this exercise.

Important!:

Breath out as your body goes lower. Breath in as you come back to starting position.

 

Disclaimer: Talk to your primary care physician before beginning any exercise regimen.