As any experienced gym-goer would tell you, there is no leg day without squats! This functional exercise not only works your legs, but also the entire lower body and core. Many would call the squat as one of the best exercises for both muscle-building and fat loss. However, it’s also one of the most difficult exercises to do properly unless you know the correct technique.
It has been a few weeks that I hadn’t done squats, as me and my coach Adrianna focused on my mobility and flexibility (especially in my lower body joints) in order to improve my form & technique. So after several weeks of leg press, hack machine squats and lunge variations, here I am (slowly) getting back into squatting with some light weights:
Here’s what Adrianna says about the importance of squats:
The squat is considered a strength training exercise but it’s also a great muscle-building exercise. It involves the natural crouching and standing up again.
The eccentric (a.k.a. negative or lengthening) part of the movement includes the complete bending of the knee joint and a partial bending of the hip joint and the ankle joint.
Depending on flexibility, length of the torso and the relation of thigh to lower leg, the squat looks different from person to person.
The deeper the squat the better and a smaller weight should be used (especially using slow tempo) as the technique gets sacrificed at the altar of weight.
The more upright you can stay while performing the squat, the less stress on the spine and the less risk of injury.
Deep squats make you more flexible, provide healthier joints in the lower body and improve knee stability preventing injuries.
Like they say, squats are a girl’s best friend 😉
Inspired by Miranda 