Is this the greatest exercise?

In short: A good workout program must include some type of squat.

This isn’t just about your legs, even though squats are the best way to build stronger quads, hamstrings and glutes. From a functional training standpoint, you can’t do better. BY strengthening these large muscle groups, runners have fewer injuries too!

There is more and more evidence being produced to support and substantiate that strengthening these muscle groups can reduce the risk of Achilles Tendinopathy, knee pain, low back pain for example.

Squatting is a fundamental pattern that’s basic to human movement. Standing up from a chair, sitting on the toilet. sitting on the side of the bed, in order to get to bed. A squat is equally important in bending down correctly and standing back up, so not to put unnecessary strain on your low back muscles.

Regularly performing squats keeps your body moving the way it was designed to, while helping to protect you from injuries related to a sedentary lifestyle.

Squats are also great for your heart and cardio-vascular system. Forget the static bike or cross trainer; sets of higher rep squats will increase your heart rate to that of a sprinter!

It’s a great, hard work that requires every ounce of focus you got, and almost makes you feel like an athlete at the same time.

Some people assume that squatting is beyond their current capabilities.But as I have said previously; If you’ve picked something up off the ground, sat in a chair, or straddled a toilet seat today, congratulations, you’ve performed a squat. And it is never too late to start, if this is something you struggle with, with direction from your Physiotherapist and appropriate exercises, you can perform squats

But when you begin loading the basic squat with weigh, this is what improves performance, increases muscle mass, burns fat, and helps offset postural imbalances.

Squats Improve Performance, Power & Strength

Whether your goal is to run down a hill, look great for the beach, or simply be able to bound up stairs two at a time, squats can help you get you to your desired goal.

Squats target the large, explosive power muscles of the legs, namely the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings. These all play an important role in serious athletic endeavors like sprinting, jumping, landing, and quick change of direction.

Specifically, squats improve your power. Power is the ability to apply a lot of force in a minimum amount of time, making it important in both athletics and many everyday activities. Squats also build strength, which is the foundation for everything. You can’t swing a baseball bat, or even dash past crowds of dithering Christmas shoppers, without having that explosive power and strength. The benefit of squats versus, the leg extension or leg curl, is that squats force these big muscles to work together to perform the movement.

Squats Burn a LOT of Calories

Since squats make you stronger and more powerful, it’s not surprising that they also increase muscle size. This is due in part to the squat recruiting so many muscles simultaneously, but there may also be a hormonal explanation.

According to some medical experts, squats are so demanding that they trigger the release of hormones like testosterone. Once those hormones enter the bloodstream, they support the growth of your whole body.

And because squats are truly a full-body exercise, you burn calories when you perform them.

How can a “leg exercise” be a full body?

When you place a loaded barbell on your back, for example, every muscle in the body has to activate:

• Your upper back muscles hold the weight and help keep the body upright throughout the set.

• Your core must fire to prevent the body from tipping over.

• And of course, every muscle group in the lower body plays a part in the movement.

Even if your goal isn’t to add a lot of muscle mass, bear in mind, the more lean mass you have, the more calories you burn at rest, squats will help burn body fat by the mere fact that a lot of muscles are being called upon to perform the squat.

Squats Improve Posture, Movement & Bone Density

Finally, and arguably most important of all, squats help offset many of the muscular imbalances and weaknesses that we accumulate in our daily lives.

We move so little as a society, spending most of our days sitting and staring at computers and televisions, that we’ve seemingly forgotten how to move as well.

We didn’t start out this way. Ever watch a two-year old bend down to pick something up off the floor? It’s a perfect squat every time.

Squatting helps relearn this essential pattern and alleviate many of the issues related to being sedentary. When you strengthen the glutes, the hip flexors (muscles in the front of your thighs and hips), which are normally stiff or short, will become less active.

Also, by forcing you to engage your upper back, squatting helps reinforce proper posture, something your 9 to 5 desk job can slowly rob from you.

A movement that will help you stand taller, feel stronger, and stay lean!