As part of everyday living, we spend a lot of time bending, reaching, lifting, twisting, turning, and squatting, without even thinking about it. These movements show up in everything from carrying groceries to playing with our kids, to sitting down and standing up. The ability to do these ordinary activities and movements is called functional fitness, and it can determine how active, healthy, and independent we are as we get older. If we don’t devote enough attention to supporting daily movements, we can have trouble staying active and engaging in even the simplest parts of life.
What is a squat?
Squatting features components of everyday functional movements such as walking, ascending and descending stairs, sitting down, and standing up. The squat is a movement first and an exercise second.
There are many variations of squats, each of which offers different benefits. The types include box squats, squat jumps, lateral squats etc. The right choice of squat variation for a person will depend on their current level of ability and training goals. This exercise targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glute muscles. It not only strengthens the lower body but also helps burn calories and improves posture as well as increases flexibility, mobility and balance. Common techniques to vary the squat exercise include changes in stance width, foot placement angle, hip depth, and extra load.
How to do squats?
Similar to other exercises, squatting properly is critical to ensure maximum benefits and prevent injuries. Here are some guidelines to consider:
- Stand facing forward with your chest up.
- Place your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Extend your hands straight out in front of you to help keep your balance. You can also hold your hands at chest level or place them behind your head.
- Bend at your knees and hips, sticking your butt out like you are sitting on an imaginary chair. Keep your chest lifted and your spine neutral, and do not let your lower back round.
- Squat down as low as you can, keeping your head and chest lifted. Keep your knees over your ankles and press your weight back into your heels.
- Keep your body tight, and push through your heels to bring yourself back to the starting position. This is one repetition.
Benefits of doing squats
Squats are simple and effective exercises that work on multiple muscle groups. To do bodyweight squats, we don’t need any equipment. All we need is our body and enough room to lower our hips into a sitting position.
Adding squats to our workouts can help boost our exercise performance, decrease our risk of injury, and keep us moving more easily throughout the day. But these are just a few of the benefits. Let us have a look at some of the rewards that squats offer.
- Improved circulation- Squats help in increasing the blood circulation in our body by stretching the muscles. If the circulation is good then it automatically means that more oxygen and essential nutrients are absorbed by the body. By squatting regularly we can say goodbye to cellulite!
- Burn extra fat- The more muscles we have, the more fat is burned during the squat exercises. As we all know that muscles assist in burning fat, so continue this exercise regularly and watch yourself getting back in shape!
- Strengthens overall body- Squats not only focus on the lower part of the body but works on the upper body too by strengthening the shoulders, arms, and abs. On the whole, squats give us a solid core.
- Improves flexibility- Squats help in improving the flexibility of the knees and other joints with the help of stretches.
- Tones the legs- Performing squats is a great way to get toned legs. Squats target specific muscles that help in increasing the strength of our leg muscles.
- Well-shaped butt- Squats are perfect for those who want a rounder butt! It firms the muscles of our buttocks giving them a proper shape.
- Improved posture- Squats help in improving our posture. This exercise makes us bend and stay in that particular posture for a while. Therefore, during this process, we acquire the art of balancing. It also strengthens the back muscles.
- Helps digestion- Squats help in regularizing bowel movements. This is due to the constant exercising of the muscles of the lower region. It helps in removing unwanted matter from our system.
- Kill cellulite- Squats are a great way to kill excess fat that gets stored in our legs. Lack of blood circulation can be one cause. Squats help us to get toned thighs and improve the overall appearance of our belly and hips.
- Reduces the risk of injury:-Weak tissues and ligaments are the main reasons for injuries in athletes. Squats strengthen all the muscles which in turn protect us from getting injured time and again.
Thus, squats are something that will be beneficial to us in our day-to-day life. But more than that, it can also be a great investment, which will serve us well in the future as we grow older. To gain maximum benefits from this exercise, we should accompany squat workouts with a healthy diet and lifestyle.
Safety tips
Tips to reduce the risk of injuries while squatting include
- Warm-up properly to prevent muscle injuries.
- Keep the back straight at all times.
- Ensure that the knees stay in line with the feet.
- Avoid sudden or large increases in weight.
- Hire a personal trainer to practice good form, if new to squatting or using weights.
When not to perform squats?
The benefits of squat exercise are numerous. However, you should not perform squats in the following conditions
- Unless you know the right technique, form, and way.
- If you already have lower back problems.
- If you suffer from any bodily injury like ankle, knee, and calf problems.
Once you are 100% fit, you can get along with squats and reap its benefits. You need to start slow and proceed slowly too. Once you find yourself comfortable with squats you can increase your difficulty level by adding weights. It is good to consult a professional in this regard so that you proceed in the right way.
So, how low can you squat?
Author: Reetu Verma
References
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- Pauli C, Keller M, Ammann F, Hubner K, Julia L, Taylor WR, Lorenzetti S. Kinematics and kinetics of squats, drop jumps and imitation jumps of ski jumpers. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(3):643–52. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001166 [PMC free article] [PubMed]
