The Squat
The Squat is one of the most common exercises used in the gym. Let’s take a look at why it’s important to do it so often.
Firstly, what are the main benefits of squatting?:
??Builds muscle
??Increases joint strength
??Aids injury prevention
??Develops posture
??Improves mobility
??Enhance athletic performance
Now let’s look at the importance of the squat exercise in more detail
Squats recruit the Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Hip Flexors Adductors, Calves, Abdominals, Obliques and Erector Spinae. Throw a weight into the mix and you’ll also target muscles in the chest, upper back and shoulders!
Developing all of these muscles will boost your BMR which accounts for roughly 70% of your TDEE!! (which we learned in our last blog). These are also key muscles in posture development and can even improve your balance.
As well as muscle, squats also help to increase bone density and strengthen the tendons and ligaments around your joints lowering the chance of injury by improving your musculoskeletal system.
Regularly doing squats can slow down our ageing process and keep our muscles, tendons and ligaments from becoming less elastic as we get older.
All of the above will also improve your development in other areas of exercise, by building a strong base/foundation you will be able to perform other activities more efficiently including your sports and hobbies!
Did you know that the length of your Femur, Torso and Tibia can majorly affect your Squat Mechanics?
I recently read an article by Bret Contreras which also contains some great videos explaining the differences between peoples femur to torso proportions and how it affects our squat mechanics.
If you struggle markedly with your squat form, it may not be your fault. You may be hampered by an unfavourable skeleton. If this sounds like you, you should definitely take a look at Bret’s article here. You may be more suited to Reverse Lunges or Bulgarian Split Squats.
