If you're looking for a powerful way
to boost your overall fitness and get some serious results -- fast --from your workout routine, look no
further than the squat.
This is one exercise that should be
a part of virtually everyone's routine, as it's relatively simple to perform,
requires no equipment, and can be done just
about anywhere.
More importantly, although squats
are often regarded as "leg" exercises, they actually offer benefits
throughout your entire body, including deep within your core…
The Top 8 Benefits of Squats
Suffice it to say, a varied workout
routine of appropriate intensity is one of the smartest health moves you can
make, and adding squats to your routine is a must.
What makes squats such a fantastic
exercise?
1.Builds
Muscle in Your Entire Body
Squats obviously help to build your leg muscles (including
your quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves), but they also create an anabolic
environment, which promotes body-wide muscle building.
In fact, when done properly, squats are so intense that they
trigger the release of testosterone and human growth hormone in your body,
which are vital for muscle growth and will also help to improve muscle mass
when you train other areas of your body aside from your legs.
So squats can actually help you improve both your upper and
lower body strength.
2.Functional
Exercise Makes Real-Life Activities Easier
Functional exercises are those that help your body to
perform real-life activities, as opposed to simply being able to operate pieces
of gym equipment. Squats are one of the best functional exercises out there, as
humans have been squatting since the hunter-gatherer days. When you perform
squats, you build muscle and help your muscles work more efficiently, as well
as promote mobility and balance. All of these benefits translate into your body
moving more efficiently in the real world too.
3.Burn
More Fat
One of the most time-efficient ways to burn more calories is
actually to gain more muscle! For every pound of additional muscle you gain,
your body will burn an additional 50-70 calories per day. So, if you gain 10
pounds of muscle, you will automatically burn 500-700 more calories per day
than you did before.
4.Maintain
Mobility and Balance
Strong legs are crucial for staying mobile as you get older,
and squats are phenomenal for increasing leg strength. They also work out your
core, stabilizing muscles, which will help you to maintain balance, while also
improving the communication between your brain and your muscle groups, which helps
prevent falls – which is incidentally the #1 way to prevent bone fractures
versus consuming mega-dose calcium supplements and bone drugs.
5.Prevent
Injuries
Most athletic injuries involve weak stabilizer muscles,
ligaments and connective tissues, which squats help strengthen. They also help
prevent injury by improving your flexibility (squats improve the range of
motion in your ankles and hips) and balance, as noted above.
6.Boost
Your Sports Performance -- Jump Higher and Run Faster
Whether you're a weekend warrior or a mom who chases after a
toddler, you'll be interested to know that studies have linked squatting
strength with athletic ability. i Specifically, squatting helped
athletes run faster and jump higher, which is why this exercise is part of
virtually every professional athlete's training program.
7.Tone
Your Backside, Abs and Entire Body
Few exercises work as many muscles as the squat, so it's an
excellent multi-purpose activity useful for toning and tightening your behind,
abs, and, of course, your legs. Furthermore, squats build your muscles, and
these muscles participate in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism and
insulin sensitivity, helping to protect you against obesity, diabetes and
cardiovascular disease.
8.Help
with Waste Removal
Squats improve the pumping of body fluids, aiding in removal
of waste and delivery of nutrition to all tissues, including organs and glands.
They're also useful for improved movement of feces through your colon and more
regular bowel movements.
What's the Proper Way to Perform a Squat?
Squats have long been criticized for
being destructive to your knees, but research shows that when done properly,
squats actually improve knee stability and strengthen connective tissue.
Warm up
Stand with your
feet just over shoulder width apart
Keep your back
in a neutral position, and keep your knees centered over your feet
Slowly bend
your knees, hips and ankles, lowering until you reach a 90-degree angle
Return to
starting position -- repeat 15-20 times, for 2-3 sets for beginners (do this
two or three times a week)
Breathe in as
you lower, breathe out as you return to starting position
Adding Squats to Your Comprehensive Fitness
Routine
Exercise is a key player in disease
reduction, optimal mental, emotional and physical health, and longevity. It's
really a phenomenal way to get the most out of your life! After reviewing 40
papers published between 2006 and 2010, researchers found that exercise reduces
the risk of about two dozen health conditions, ranging from
cancer and heart disease to type 2 diabetes, stroke, dementia and depression.
Exercise also slows down the rate of aging itself, even stimulating the
regeneration of the energy-producing mitochondria in your cells, providing
perhaps the closest example of a real life fountain of youth as we will ever
find.As with most things in life, a
balanced routine works best, so you'll want to avoid placing too much emphasis on cardio, strength
training or any one type of activity. Many public health guidelines still focus
primarily on the aerobic component of exercise, but this limited activity can
lead to imbalances that may actually prevent optimal health. This is why it's so important to
maintain a well-balanced fitness regimen that includes not just aerobics, but
also strength training, stretching, and high-intensity interval training like Peak
Fitness. We recommend beginners do 2-3 sets of squats just two or three times a
week -- do it more than this and you will miss out on important recovery time.
As always, as you develop a workout routine that works for you, remember to
listen to your body so it can guide you into a path that will provide you with
the most efficient and effective benefits.
This blog re post is brought to you by Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, Dr. Stephen Kelly, 142 Erickson Dr, T4R2C3 403-347-3261
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