I’m so excited at the thought of having a family! I see all my new mommy friends and am taking notes on what they are doing to stay fit or get back to their fighting weight postpartum. I want to start sharing exercises moms or anyone looking to workout at home can do easily without equipment. I do have a fur baby. His name is Frankie and he weighs approximately 15 lbs on a slim day and closer to 18 lbs on a chunky day. I asked his assistance in the video below to demo how to do a proper squat while holding your baby as weight.

Notes before you try:

Practice your squat first without baby as weight.

Wear flat heeled shoes like converse or a barefoot go.

* Traditional running shoes have a lift in the heel causing you to pitch your weight onto your toes (not what you want in a squat.

How to Squat:

1) Start by widening your stance to hip width (slightly wider than your shoulders). Send your hips back first keeping legs straight until you feel tension in your hamstrings

2) As you start to bend your knees send them out to the sides away from you (avoid your knees going forward over your toes)

3) Slowly lower keeping the chest up and feeling your weight in your mid foot to heel (going barefoot helps you to feel the weight distribution in your foot)

4) It’s okay to start with a squat that is more shallow if that’s what flexibility allows. Over time, work towards a squat depth where hips break below parallel with the thighs

 

Notes on adding weight to your squat:

Remember your arms are levers. The further away you hold your weight the harder it’s going to be.

Beginner– no weight

Intermediate– Hold baby close at upper chest

Advanced– Hold baby away from your body while still maintaining your chest up throughout the movement.