You may have heard a lot about squatting and the love fitness athletes and enthusiasts have for these compound moves. Women, in particular, are motivated to squat more in order to build strong and firm glutes. The good news is that there are many more ways squats help athletes and fitness enthusiasts to build a stronger overall body. Here are 7 reasons to start squatting.
1. Squatting Builds A Strong Core
Your core is probably your most important muscle group in your body. It is involved and used in every move we make: when we bend, reach, stretch, twist and lift. It is therefore important to work on improving your core strength.
Medical experts at Harvard Medical School say:
“No matter where motion starts, it ripples upward and downward to adjoining links of the chain. Thus, weak or inflexible core muscles can impair how well your arms and legs function. And that saps power from many of the moves you make. Properly building up your core cranks up the power. A strong core also enhances balance and stability. Thus, it can help prevent falls and injuries during sports or other activities. In fact, a strong.”
So you can see that a stronger core will not only keep your body healthier and fitter, it will make you stronger and more functional for everyday movement. Squats engage your entire core and is a great exercise to incorporate into your workout routine if you want to increase your core strength.
2. Improve Flexibility
Your hip flexibility can become limited over time due to the lack of exercise. Squatting is great for improving your hip flexibility and mobility, making it easier for you to move not only during everyday tasks but while you are performing exercises too.
3. Increase Leg Strength And Size
Squats engage all of the muscles in your legs. Melissa Roth says that these muscles are the:
- Hamstrings,
- Adductors,
- Quadriceps,
- Gastrocnemius,
- Soleus,
- Tibialis anterior.
The small and big muscles work together to perform this taxing move, improving your overall leg strength and size over time. If you’re looking to increase your leg strength and size, squats should be on your list of most important exercises.
4. Prevent Injury
Squatting improves your mobility and flexibility, as well as strengthens your core, which could prevent injury.
Here’s how to do squats with dumbbells:
- Stand upright. Hold a pair of dumbbells, one on each side of your body. Make sure you have a neutral grip.
- Maintain the natural arch in your lumbar spine.
- Keep your head facing forward with the chin in a natural alignment.
Movement
- Flex your knees and hips.
- Let your glutes track backwards to lower your torso.
- When your knees just about reach 90 degrees, push into your heels and quadriceps to return to your starting position.
- Perform how many reps necessary for the desired results.
Safety Tips
- Monitor your spine, pelvic positioning, hip, knee and ankle motion.
- Cue your glutes and quads.
- Spot under your rib cage.
- Keep your abdominals engaged throughout the exercise.
5. Squatting Builds A Stronger Foundation (Increase Overall Body Strength And Power)
The squat is one of the few exercises that engages almost every muscle in your body, thereby improving your body’s overall strength and power over time. It helps you build a stronger foundation, which will lead to an improvement in your health, fitness, flexibility and strength. (Want to learn more about other exercises which will improve your overall health, wellness and fitness? Trifocus Fitness Academy’s Personal Training Course – which is the best fitness course on the market – will help you achieve this dream – and so much more. With this course under your belt you’ll become a personal trainer in a fraction of the time. Click here for more information.)
6. Improve Your Posture
During a squat, you are contracting and engaging your entire core area; improving your core strength, stability, balance and posture at the same time. If you want to improve your posture, add squats to your exercise regime. (Pilates is another way of improving your core strength. Interested in learning more? Follow this link to learn more about Trifocus Fitness Academy’s Comprehensive Pilates Certification.)
7. Burn Fat
Squatting is a compound exercise, which means it engages almost every muscle in the body. As more muscles are engaged and working, you are expending and burning more energy or fat. Squatting is therefore great to help you burn more fat and lose more weight.
The squat is one of the oldest but most popular and most used exercises in the world, and for good reason! Don’t miss out on the many benefits it offers.