1. Increase Entire Body Strength & Muscle
Obviously, squats build strong legs which help support the entire body. But they also promote body wide muscle building.
If you’re squatting correctly, you’ll be causing your body to release testosterone and the human growth hormone, both of which are imperative for building muscle and increasing muscle mass, especially when you work out other areas of the body.
These muscles help regulate glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity, playing a role in preventing obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
2. Burn Fat
You may not think that squats can burn as much fat as, say, a five mile run can – and you’re probably right.
But squats may be a more efficient way of burning fat – as this process occurs even after you’ve stopped exercising…something that doesn’t happen with cardiovascular activity.
After all, one of the most time efficient ways to burn more calories is to gain more muscle! It’s said that, for every pound of muscle you gain, your body burns around 35-50 calories per day. So, if you gain 10 pounds of muscle, you can burn up to 500 more calories per day than you did when you were weaker!
3. Get Rid of Cellulite
That horrible dimpled skin on the backs of your legs and butt – delightfully described as being like ‘cottage cheese’ or ‘orange peel’ – can be beaten!
Cellulite can be caused by a variety of factors, one of which is poor circulation. In fact, it’s one of the main causes of cellulite and can seriously impact and accelerate cellulite formation.
When you boost your blood flow through squats, your cellulite will soon start to reduce and may even disappear altogether!
4. Increase Flexibility & Prevent Injuries
Flexibility is an important aspect of injury prevention and should be a consideration in any well-rounded workout plan. Our muscles, tendons and ligaments become less elastic with age so doing all we can to slow down this process is a good idea.
If you work at a desk all day, or are pretty sedentary, then you should be especially diligent about maintaining flexibility.
Doing squats regularly will see you limber up and become more flexible as they involve bending and stretching of the leg muscles including the quadriceps, hamstrings and calves.
5. Enjoy Better Posture
Walk like a supermodel with squats! No, really – they’ll improve your posture as you’ll need to learn how to hold proper form when carrying out the movement.
Upper body posture is of the utmost importance – your upper back, lower back, chest, shoulders and stomach all play a role in successful squatting.
When you become aware of your form during exercise, this awareness will carry through to your day-to-day activities.
6. Build Core Strength
The muscles, bones, and joints that link your upper and lower body are known as the core. This is probably the most important muscle group in the body and should be the top area to work on when embarking on an exercise plan.
During our normal, everyday life we engage our core constantly – during lifting, twisting, reaching and bending.
Squats are one of the best exercises for a strong core as we must engage the stomach muscles and lower back when performing them.
Once you have a stronger core, you’ll notice your overall athletic ability improve, everyday tasks become easier and that feeling of general weakness will disappear.
7. Tone Your Abs, Legs and Butt
From just one simple exercise you can get a washboard stomach, Beyonce booty and toned pins. In fact, when performed properly there are few other movements that work so many muscle groups at once.
For added toning, try a deep squat over a parallel one as one study discovered that the gluteus maximus is over 25% more engaged during deep squats!
8. Remove Bodily Waste
Another surprising benefit of squats is that they help in the removal of waste from the body, while delivering nutrition to all tissues, including organs and glands. They even help the movement of feces through the colon and contribute to more regular bowel movements!
9. Build Healthy Bones and Joints
Physical activity is vital for strong bones and supple joints. And, of all exercises, strength training is key here. Try squatting with dumbbells, a barbell or kettle bell for extra bone-building ability.
For more ways to grow and maintain healthy bones right into old age, check out these top tips.
10. Better Libido For Men
Squats are a great natural remedy for a lagging libido – which affects 16% of men in their lifetime. Not only do they increase testosterone production as mentioned above, but they also increase blood flow to the genitalia.
11. Squat For Free!
Squats don’t require any special equipment, a fancy gym membership or even any workout clothing. All you need to squat is a little space and a knowledge of the correct basic squat technique.
If you want to try adding weights to your squats you can do that for free too! Cans of food or filled water bottles work as well as dumbbells.
How To Squat Correctly
As with many exercises, improper form means you won’t achieve the benefit of the exercise and, in some cases, it can be downright damaging to the joints.
To perform a basic squat you should:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes facing forward.
Place your hands on your thighs, gaze upwards and lift your chest high.
Bend your knees, placing weight on the heels, and sit back.
Keeping the head and chest upright, slide your hands down your thighs, ending where your elbows reach your knees (your knees should not go beyond your toes!)
Hold for five seconds.
Rise up, pressing through the heels, and straighten out the hips until you’re in the starting position.
Repeat 15 to 20 times, for 2 or 3 sets for beginners, and at least two to three times a week.
No comments:
Post a Comment