How To Do Sumo Squats To Target The Inner Thighs (2024)

Contents:

• What Muscles Does The Sumo Squat Work?

• Sumo Squat Benefits

• How To Do A Sumo Squat

• 3 Tips To Nail Your Sumo Squat Form

• Sumo Squat Vs Regular Squat - What’s better?

• Sumo Squat Variations

They got their name from the set-up position that sumo wrestlers take before they barrel into their opponents, utilizing the strongest muscles in the body for ultimate destruction: the legs.

Even if you’ve never heard of a sumo squat, we bet you’ve seen one. Don’t believe us? Well, it’s essentially a regular squat with a very wide stance – it may have a fancy name, but sumo squats are pretty commonplace in gyms these days. And whilst we’re not entirely sure how they moved from the ring to the gym floor, we’re glad they did.

The wide stance of sumo squats gives them the unique ability to target the hard-to-reach muscles of the inner thighs (adductors) and the outside of the quads (vastus lateralis), which are often neglected in other squat variations [1]. Just like a regular squat, sumo squats are an incredibly versatile exercise – so whether you’re traveling and have 30 minutes to fit in a bodyweight workout in your hotel room or you’re heading up to the squat rack on leg day, sumo squats are an effective leg builder that deserve just as much recognition as the regular back squat.

So grab your lifters, squat belt, and headphones – we’re going to take you through everything you need to know about sumo squats, teaching you a few different variations, so that you can switch up your squat routine and build bigger, stronger legs.

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What Muscles Does The Sumo Squat Work?

As mentioned, you can expect to feel some pretty intense activation in the inner thighs (adductors) and the vastus lateralis, which is the largest and strongest of the five quad muscles (yes, we said five muscles – the quads are pretty powerful!) [2]. But just like regular squats, sumo squats also target the glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors, and calves. You’ll also need to focus on engaging your core more during sumo squats to keep your torso upright whilst in this wider stance.

Sumo Squat Benefits

1. Fires Up The Inner Thighs

As mentioned, sumo squats activate the adductors (inner thighs) much more than a normal squat. But why would you be interested in training your adductors anyway [3]? Well, these muscles are responsible for the movement of your legs towards the center of your body, providing stability for everyday movements such as walking up stairs and standing up. From an exercise side of things, our adductors are essential for explosive movements: running, jumping, and changing direction, and strengthening them means we are more prepared for the demands of exercise and reduces the chance of injury [4].

2. Improves Hip Mobility

If you spend most of your day sitting at a desk, chances are you’ve got pretty tight hip flexors. This can affect movements both in the gym and outside of it. Squatting wider opens up the hips, improving their mobility and easing tightness. That being said, even reaching depth in sumo squats does require fairly good hip mobility, that might be too much at first for some. If this is the case, try implementing our best hip stretches into your routine a couple of times a week to ease tight hip flexors. When you return to doing a sumo squat, it should hopefully feel a lot easier!

3. Kinder On The Knees

Knee pain during squats? Sumo squats could be your answer to happier, healthier knees. Taking a wider stance and sitting back into the squat not only puts less pressure on the knees but can help strengthen them, building the muscles that support the knee joint (mainly the quads and hamstrings). Just make sure your toes are pointed slightly out, and your knees track over toes.

How To Do A Sumo Squat

So you’re clued up on what a sumo squat is, the muscles worked, and the benefits. Let’s go over how to do a bodyweight sumo squat.

The setup is pretty similar to a regular squat, but you’ll want to take your feet a lot wider – Oh, and you’ll want to angle your toes out a little more too.

1. Stand in your regular bodyweight squat stance. Then, step your heel, then your toe out to the side on one foot, and then repeat on the other. You should now be in a wide stance (outside of shoulder width) so you can still squat down, with your toes pointing at a 45-degree angle.

2. Clasp your hands in front of your chest and take a deep breath into your belly to brace your core.

3. Push your hips back and bend your knees to initiate the squat. Keep your torso upright and focus on a spot directly ahead of you. Drive your knees out so they track in line with your toes.

4. Come down so your thighs are parallel to the floor, pausing for a moment at the bottom.

5. Then, drive out of the squat, thinking about ‘pushing the ground away’ to propel yourself up. Squeeze your glutes and quads at the top, keeping a soft knee. Repeat.

3 Tips To Nail Your Sumo Squat Form

If you’re used to performing squats in a regular stance, switching to a sumo position can feel odd at first! Here are some form tips to help you nail your sumo squat:

1. Get The Right Stance

The feet should be in a wide stance (usually about twice as wide as shoulder width), but not so wide that you can’t squat down. You should be able to comfortably squat to depth whilst keeping your feet on the ground and knees tracking in line with your toes. Make sure your toes are pointed slightly out at a 45-degree angle – any less, and your knees will start to cave in, anymore, and it may start to resemble a plié rather than a sumo squat.

2. Don’t Let The Knees Cave In

Even with the right foot position, you may find your knees creeping inwards as you come down. To prevent this, imagine you are standing on a piece of paper. Think about ripping the piece of paper apart with your feet, screwing them into the ground, and focus on pushing your knees out as your drive out of the squat.

3. Focus On Bracing Your Core

Sumo squats place less pressure on the lower back compared to regular squats, but you still need to brace your core properly. If you find your back rounding and chest dropping, make sure you are consciously taking a deep breath in, and filling your belly at the top of the rep. Squeeze your core and hold the air to create a strong midline as you squat down. As you come out of the squat, you can release the air. Still struggling? Read our tips on how to breathe properly whilst squatting.

Sumo Squat Vs Regular Squat - What’s better?

The sumo squat and regular squat are both leg-building compound exercises. You could almost mistake one for the other, apart from one big difference: stance. You could say this gives sumo squats an edge over regular squats, as they reach the hard-to-target adductor muscles and those on the inner thigh, which don’t get much attention during a regular squat. They can also improve hip mobility and place less strain on the knees. But don’t be fooled – sumo squats are no easy feat. The wide stance requires a fairly good baseline of mobility from the outset and proper bracing of the core to keep the torso upright. They can take a little while to get used to!

Sumo squats come with many benefits, but regular squats are one of the OG gym exercises and aren’t going anywhere. They still target the biggest and strongest muscles in the legs (quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves) and are a base movement to develop strength, power, and skill across many sports. Powerlifters, for example, may use sumo squats to develop leg strength, but they will always prioritize regular squats as this is what they are ultimately judged on. Even athletes who are out on the field rather than competing in the gym, hold regular squats high in their training priorities, due to their ability to increase explosive power, jumping, and sprint times.

In an ideal world, we suggest including both regular and sumo squats in your leg day workout. Sumo squats are a great variation of regular squats, but regular squats will always hold priority in the squatting world. If you’re just starting out, make sure you master the regular squat first, before moving on to the sumo squat, to develop your squatting skills and hit the muscle groups differently.

How To Use Sumo Squats In A Workout

You could also use both regular and sumo squats in the same session, for example, perform Barbell Back Squats as your primary compound movement (e.g 5 sets of 2 reps), before moving on to perform higher rep, lighter-weight sets of sumo squats, superset with another lower body movements, such as Bulgarian Split Squats, to build single leg strength as well.

Alternatively, you can use sumo squats as your primary compound exercise. If this is the case (and you’re not a complete beginner), choose a weighted sumo squat variation such as a barbell sumo squat. If strength gains are your goal, you’ll want to keep the rep range low (2-6 reps for 3-5 sets). If it’s pumping up the size of your muscles, then 6-12 reps for 3-4 sets is ideal for hypertrophy. Pick your rep range and adjust your weight accordingly. Remember to record what you lifted, as well as your rest time between sets (Guess what? You can track all that and more in the Gymshark Training App). You’ll want to make sure you’re progressively overloading (lifting a little heavier) each week, to keep making gains and avoid reaching a plateau.

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Sumo Squat Variations

If you’ve mastered the bodyweight sumo squat, then it’s time to take things up a notch. Just like a regular squat, you can use free weights to make the exercise harder, adding resistance to challenge the muscles more.

Kettlebell / Dumbbell Sumo Squat

The simplest way to load up a sumo squat is using a kettlebell or dumbbell. There are two main ways you can hold it: taking hold of one end of the dumbbell and holding it down in front of you, arms extended, or in goblet position, cupping one end of the dumbbell in both hands, holding it into your chest.

If you choose the former option, you might benefit from elevating your feet: placing on two bench tops or big plates parallel to each other which you can stand on. When you squat down, the dumbbell or kettlebell will have room to come down in the middle, preventing it from hitting the ground which would limit the range of motion.

However, we prefer the goblet squat position as it challenges the core more and allows for a greater range of motion without the need to elevate your feet, so we’ll take you through that variation.

How To Do A Kettlebell Sumo Squat:

1. Stand with your feet in a sumo squat stance. Hold the kettlebell in both hands, either by taking hold of the handles, or turn the kettlebell upside down to hold it bottom up, keeping it close to your chest.

2. Take a deep breath into your core, keeping your chest proud, and focus straight ahead.

3. Sit your hips back and bend your knees to lower down into the squat, knees tracking in line with toes.

4. Come down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Pause.

5. Then, drive out of the squat, thinking about ‘pushing the ground away’ to propel yourself up. Squeeze your glutes and quads at the top, keeping a soft knee. Repeat.

Extra tip: Don’t be afraid to go heavy on these! Grab a heavy kettlebell and load up your legs to maximise muscle gains.

Barbell Sumo Squat

If you picture a squat, you’ll probably think of a barbell back squat – the most popular type of loaded squat because the back rack loading allows heavy loads to be shifted. Master the barbell back squat and you’ll not only look good but unlock serious lower-body strength gains. Take that to a sumo squat, and you’ve got a great way to target the adductors and inner thighs. If you’re using sumo squats as your primary exercise on leg day, barbell sumo squats are a great variation to use.

How To Do A Barbell Sumo Squat:

1. Set up the barbell in the squat rack, just below shoulder height.

2. Place your hands on the bar, just outside of shoulder width. Move underneath the bar, resting it on your upper back and placing your feet directly below you, hip-width apart.

3. Stand fully upright, unracking the bar. Take two steps back and place your feet in your sumo squat squat stance, toes pointing out at 45-degrees.

4. Take a deep breath into your belly, and squat down, driving your knees out and keeping your chest up.

5. Lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor (or as close as you can get). Pause briefly, then press through your feet to come back to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top.

6. Repeat for the prescribed rep range, then walk the barbell back into the rack to re-rack it.

Smith Machine Sumo Squat

Another way to perform sumo squats is with the Smith machine. It may look similar to using a barbell, but the unique fixed bar path of the Smith machine means you’ll need less core engagement to keep your body in position throughout the movement. Plus, safety hooks add an extra safety element, meaning you can lift heavy without the need for a spotter – especially useful if you aren’t confident stepping up the squat rack just yet!

One thing to note with the Smith machine is foot position. If you try to squat down with your feet set directly underneath you as you would for the barbell sumo squat or dumbbell variation, it might feel a little awkward! Walk your feet forward a step or two – this will give your hips room to sit back and allow you to keep an upright torso when squatting down.

How To Do A Smith Machine Sumo Squat:

Setting up the Smith machine:

1. Adjust the Smith machine bar to shoulder height and load some weight plates onto the bar.

2. Approach the bar, turning so you are facing outward resting the bar on your upper traps. Take hold of the bar by placing your hands just outside of your shoulders.

3. Walk your feet one step out in front of you, bringing them into a wide sumo squat stance. Lean back slightly so your upper back presses into the bar.

Performing The Movement:

1. Twist the bar back to unlock it. Take a deep breath in, bracing your core as you do so.

2. Push your hips back to initiate the squat, knees tracking in line and slightly over the toes until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. Keep your chest up, weight through your heels and toes on the ground.

3. Pause, then reverse the movement, extending your legs and pushing through your feet to come back to standing.

4. Pause at the top, squeezing your glutes, then repeat for prescribed reps.

5. When you’ve finished the reps, twist the bar back to lock it back in place.

If you’re after shapely legs that look good in shorts, try adding Smith machine sumo squats into a superset with Smith machine split squats – Doing so, you’ll increase training volume and enhance the production of anabolic hormones such as testosterone, responsible for increased muscle mass and that post-workout leg pump [5].

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Time To Switch Up Your Squats

Sumo squats are a great tweak to regular squats, hitting all the major leg muscles with a little extra attention to harder-to-reach muscles: the adductors and inner thighs. It might not sound like anything glamorous, but strength in these muscles helps improve balance, protects the hip from injury, and will help create power through other exercises, particularly those involving jumping or sudden changes in direction. With variations from bodyweight to free weights, there’s no excuse for not adding them to your routine – so give them a go on your next leg day and let us know what you think!

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WRITTEN BY: Alex Kirkup-Lee

Alex is an inhouse Content Writer for Gymshark’s Health & Conditioning categories. A qualified Personal Trainer, CrossFit Level 1 and Functional Fitness Coach, Alex is experienced in training clients from a range of sporting backgrounds. With a passion for functional training, her favorite workout is anything that includes deadlifts, rowing, or wallballs.

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References:

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2. Cleveland Clinic. (2022). Quad Muscles: Function and Anatomy. [online] Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22816-quad-muscles.

3. Slater, L.V. and Hart, J.M. (2017). Muscle Activation Patterns During Different Squat Techniques. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(3), pp.667–676. doi:https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000001323.

4. Short, S.M., MacDonald, C.W. and Strack, D. (2021). Hip and Groin Injury Prevention in Elite Athletes and Team Sport – Current Challenges and Opportunities. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 16(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.26603/001c.18705.

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6. Schoenfeld, B.J., Grgic, J., Van Every, D.W. and Plotkin, D.L. (2021). Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports, [online] 9(2), p.32. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/sports9020032.

7. Schoenfeld, B.J., Ogborn, D. and Krieger, J.W. (2016). Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine, [online] 46(11), pp.1689–1697. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8.