The so famous squats
There are exercises that everyone knows, even if they aren’t the most skilled athletes. Squats are one of them, as most people can recognize the movement and the impact they have on the body. Plus, you can practice everywhere, at home, outside, or at the gym.
For people who are looking to define and tone their legs, squats are the most well-known glute exercise, to the point where you can find “glute challenges” that mostly consist of squats.
If you want to learn more about squats, you can find a gym near me.
What most people don’t know is that there are many mistakes that could hurt them, as squats engage every major muscle in the body. An improper position can lead to an injury in the blink of an eye!
Everything you need to know about squats
Squats are quite hard to do, as there’s a natural resistance build up around your joints. Even though most people recognize them as an exercise for glutes, other muscles involved in the movement are the quads, the hamstrings, the calves and the entire core.
Apart from strengthening your glutes, squats bring other benefits:
- – It’s a core workout, as you will need to make an effort on maintaining your balance while lowering down.
- – As squats make your glutes stronger, it plays a factor in your ability to run faster, so you become a faster runner.
- – Great for building lean muscle.
How to do squats properly
Maintain a proper position
Start with your feet at a shoulder-width distance, with your toes pointing slightly outwards. It’s also important that while you’re lowering down, your heels never lift from the ground.
Balance your upper body
Push back as if you were about to sit on a chair, but make sure your upper body is not falling forward, extend your arms to help you with that balance.
Distribute your weight evenly between both feet
Some people tend to have more balance and control over one side of their body, however, you want to distribute your weight evenly to avoid overloading your joints.
Keep your knees behind your toes,
and lower down your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground. If you’re a beginner, lower down as much as you can; be gentle in those first movements.
Use your glutes to get out of the squat
when going back to the initial position, pinching your butt cheeks together until you get to the first position.
Now that you know what to do, watch out for the more common mistakes.
Mistakes when doing squats
Not dropping low enough
Once you’ve been mastering the squats, make sure you keep challenging yourself. If you’re not lowering at least to the point where your thighs are parallel to the ground, you’re not getting the benefits of the movement.
Bouncing out of your squat
In simple words, it means losing control of your movement and getting up way too fast. Return to the initial position at a slow, controlled pace.
Dropping your chest forward
Keeping your back and core at the right position is key to avoiding injuries. If you can’t control your core from dropping forward, it means you’re lowering more than your current abilities.
Having your knees collapsing forward
As mentioned before, your knees should always stay behind your toes and you shouldn’t move them outwards.
To finish this squats 101 piece, it’s important that you know your muscles. Glutes are kind of a “lazy” muscle, as it needs to be pre-warmed before your actual session. If you’re feeling like squats aren’t firing up your muscles enough, you should try warming up with other simple glute exercises before your workout.
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