Squat is the king of all exercises and one of the best compound movements to develop lower body. It is also one of the most misunderstood exercises because of its simplicity. Ironically when it comes to squatting, many people think it is all about “just squatting” without a proper warm-up, stance and alignment. However, despite its simple nature and ease of execution, squat is a difficult exercise to do properly.
In this article, we are going to focus on the squat exercise. We will discuss one of the many types of its variations. The squat exercise technique, how to do a squat with proper form, and safety precautions you should take before performing it.
What’s The Purpose?
Before we delve in, it is important to understand that exercise is a vital thing to have in your life. It helps with weight loss, strength building, and having better blood circulation including better cardiovascular health. There are so many things that you can do to get your exercise in! People take up lots of different activities. From running marathons or lifting weights at the gym to riding bikes or climbing mountains. Whatever you choose, just make sure it is something you enjoy doing. If you do not enjoy working out then chances are you will not be exercising regularly for very long.
You should even try new activities every now and again. This will prevent boredom from creeping in which may lead to an excuse for not staying active enough on any regular basis. One of these exercises are squats.
What Squatting Does
It is a powerful exercise that develops the muscles in the thighs, hips, and buttocks. It is simply one of the best exercises for lower body muscle development. Although it is easy to do, it is also one of the most misunderstood exercises by people new to weight training. “Squats are the single exercise that can add the most size to your legs and butt.” – Dwayne Johnson (The Rock). It is a weight bearing exercise that works multiple muscle groups. It is important to learn how to squat properly, as it can be performed with or without weights. And your goal may be different depending on your present physical condition.
It can be done with barbells, dumbbells, resistance bands or no equipment at all. Consider this: Your quads, hamstrings, and glutes all contract during squat; so do your adductors (the muscle on the inside of your thighs), abductors (muscles on the outside of your thighs), and calf muscles. When you do a squat correctly, you use more muscles and get more bang for your buck than any other leg exercise.
Most leg exercises are quad dominant, which means they primarily focus on the muscles in the front of the thigh. Squat is the exception because it involves virtually all the muscles in your lower body. The main muscles involved include:
- The gluteus maximus (buttocks)
- The quadriceps (thighs)
- The hamstrings (back of thighs)
- The calves
When you squat with proper form, you will feel the burn in these muscles and others throughout your body.
Benefits of Squat Exercises
Squat exercises have many benefits including:
1. Strengthening your knees:
It is common for lifters to get injured by doing squats too heavy. However, squats can be done with perfect form, which protects your knees from injury and strengthens the knee joint.
2. Strengthening your muscles and bones:
The squat has been shown to be an effective way to increase bone density and muscle mass, even among older adults. Moderate weightlifting or doing squats may be a great way to stave off sarcopenia, which is usually associated with aging.
3. Improving your balance:
Squatting with proper technique helps improve strength and stability in your core. This can help improve balance and flexibility as you age. Doing this regularly will combat issues such as falling that is sometimes associated with aging, especially in women. Consequently, it also helps in reducing stress, stiffness and osteoporosis.
4. Squats Workouts For Better Butt:
Squatting is a very effective exercise for the muscles of your butt. You may have heard that squats are bad for your knees, but that is not true. There is a technique to squatting correctly that will keep you healthy. If you have already injured your knees, it is perfectly fine to do other exercises for your butt and legs. For example, lunges.
What’s more, squat exercises will build lean muscles and strength in the legs, hips, butt, and stomach.
Technique
Whole-Body Muscles Worked During a Squat – The correct way to do a squat is to keep the shin of your front leg completely vertical. In essence, this means that the front knee of the front leg should not extend past your toes. This “over-striding” reduces the activation of the big muscles of the quadriceps group (vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius and rectus femoris). It shifts the focus away from the glutes and hamstrings. In fact, many people tend to forget about their back leg when doing a squat because it is not visible. Your back leg is also working hard, and many people use it as a guide to help keep their posture upright.
The knees should track in-line with the toes during a squat. Believe it or not, your shins should never actually come in contact with your calves or thighs during a squat. The rear foot should be positioned directly below the knee during a squat. This allows for optimal tracking of the knee.
Given these points, as reported by the American Council on Exercise, most of us spend the bulk of our day sitting. When we stand, our ankles, knees, hips and low back are in a non-optimal position which increases the chances of injury. When we sit for a long duration, our hip flexors and hamstrings tighten up which can cause problems with our posture and overall body alignment. Squatting is the best way to open and loosen these tight areas. It is also one of the best ways to get our heart rate up and burn additional calories.
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