Squats are an amazing way to burn fat and strengthen your core, but if you don’t know how to squat properly you might as well be sitting on the couch eating potato chips! But this doesn’t have to be the case! By following these 5 easy steps, you can squat like a pro in no time at all! You’ll thank yourself later!
1) Why Squat?
Squats are one of the most foundational exercises for your entire body. They work out everything from the calves, hamstrings, quads and glutes to the core and back muscles. Squats can be done anywhere, anytime and don't require any equipment. However, for many people this exercise can feel daunting as you may not be accustomed to doing them or have never performed them before.
Here are five quick tips that will help you get started on the right track
1) Position yourself about 2 feet away from a wall. Bend at your hips, lean forward and place your hands on the wall in front of you;
2) Make sure that when you do so, there is enough room behind you so that when you bend your knees while sitting back down in the starting position it doesn't hit anything;
3) Hold this position while inhaling deeply through your nose;
4) Now exhale by pushing against the floor through your heels while simultaneously pushing against the wall in front of you with both hands (make sure not to collapse into yourself);
5) Keeping an arch in your lower back, start bringing yourself down slowly until knees are bent at 90 degrees then go up again until coming all the way up
2) Location, Location, Location
Squatting is an exercise that can help you work on your lower body strength, improve stability and increase the flexibility of your hips and knees. The best thing about it is that it doesn't require any equipment, so you can do it in the comfort of your own home.
Here are four easy steps for how to start squatting:
1) Stand tall with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and toes pointed outwards at approximately 45 degrees. Place hands on hips or behind head
2) Maintain this posture while lowering yourself down by bending legs until thighs are parallel to floor. Push off of heels and return to starting position . Repeat 10 times. To make this more difficult, stand on one leg as you do squats and alternate each time . For example, if standing on your left foot for two repetitions, then switch to standing on your right foot for two repetitions before switching back again.
3) Stand with feet shoulder width apart and arms outstretched in front of you. Bend one knee so that foot is flat on the ground and use arm closest to that knee to provide support against the thigh
4) Lower other heel towards ground (keeping weight evenly distributed), bend both knees simultaneously to 90 degrees, raise back up and repeat 10 times before switching sides
3) The Importance of Building Muscle Memory
Squats are an incredible exercise that work muscles all over the body, which means they're great for developing muscle memory. Squatting is the perfect exercise for building this muscle memory because it requires so many different muscles and joints in order to perform correctly. This is one of the reasons why you should do squats before any other exercises. Not only will you be building strength when you squat, but also when you need to stand up from a chair or walk up stairs, you'll already have good form ingrained in your muscle memory. This can help decrease injury risk tremendously! If you're really new to working out, start with goblet squats while holding weights in front of your chest (this is called the goblet position). It's important not to round your back during squats. Keep those shoulders pulled back and chest high! A rounded back can place too much pressure on the spine. If you feel like something isn't right during a set, stop doing them until you know what's wrong--you don't want injuries taking away precious time spent training!
4) Form Before Weights
Before you even think about lifting weights, make sure you're doing some form of squats. Remember, the goal is to get as low as possible without any pain. It's also good to vary the types of squats you do. One day could be stationary, one day could be on an incline bench, and one day could be while holding weights in each hand. Mix it up so your muscles never know what's coming!
5) Progression over Repetitions
1. To get started, pick up a barbell and put it on the floor in front of you.
2. Step back with one foot and place it on the inside of your other foot, so that when you're done you'll be in an athletic position, ready to start lifting.
3. Keeping your elbows close to the sides of your ribcage, push up through the heels of both feet and stand up straight so that all weight is taken off of your arms. Hold this position for at least two seconds before starting over again.
4. Bend your knees as much as you need to so that they're below or just above parallel with the ground, then lower yourself down slowly into a seated position. Don't worry about doing anything fancy; just find what's comfortable for you right now. For some people, being able to sit comfortably will mean their thighs are more than parallel with the ground; for others, simply sitting without any discomfort will mean their thighs are parallel or below parallel to the ground. Once you find what feels best for you in this moment, take note of where your knees were relative to the ground and make sure they stay there as you continue lowering yourself until they touch the ground between repetitions.
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