By Judy Oberdorfer, Certified Personal Trainer

This exercise adds a variation to the basic squat. Besides the strength developed during a squat, this exercise also helps with balance and lateral leg extension.

Begin by performing a squat, remembering to shift your weight back into your heels and line your feet and knees up with each other. As you come up out of the squat, start shifting your weight to the right, lifting the left leg out to the side (be careful that the leg is directly to your side and not behind you). As you set the left leg down, sit back into your squat position. Alternating sides, keep movements slow and controlled, and when lifting the leg to the side, pause for a moment to make sure you’re using muscles and not momentum!

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