The main theses of this article:
- Squats are among the most effective exercises for burning calories (fat tissue).
- During squats, the largest muscles in the body are primarily engaged, requiring a lot of energy for contraction.
- Unlike running, squats are not only a cardio but also a strength exercise. This reinforces the first two hypotheses.
- The benefits of squats are highly underestimated, as most beginner athletes focus their attention on other body areas they want to improve, not realizing that any exercise has a general impact on fat burning.
- Squats with added resistance provide a special effect. Build your body proportionately, remembering that leg muscles can gain muscle mass quite quickly.
Squats are one of the best exercises that many people simply haven't appreciated properly, especially considering the benefits of squats. But what makes them so beneficial? And what happens to our bodies if we squat every day, including such types of squats as bodyweight squats and weighted squats?
There are plenty of photos and videos on the internet that show incredible transformations of people before/after they started squatting daily, either with their own weight or a bodyweight or any other way. And these changes are obvious. One of the undeniable advantages of squats is, of course, their accessibility. You can do them anywhere! Whether it's in the living room watching your favorite movie or in the office during a break between jobs.
So, let's dive into what happens during squats and what transformations we can expect. Read to the end, it will be interesting and very useful!
Let's get started. So, there are different types of squats. You can squat using your own body weight, or you can add additional weight (for example, dumbbells in your hands, a barbell on your shoulders, or best of all, a barbell with resistance bands for variable resistance, which is a great example of weighted squats). There are also jump squats. However, most people who take on a challenge like squatting 100 times a day usually stick to the classic squat, i.e. feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, squatting until your thigh is parallel to the floor. Of course, squatting 100 times without a break is difficult, and for beginners it is almost impossible. Therefore, those who take on this task break it down into sets with a reasonable number of repetitions, say, 10-20 or 30 repetitions per set.
What muscles do you work during squats?
First of all, we think of the hips and glutes. But if we start listing all the muscles involved in this exercise, the list will be quite long:
- Gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus
- Quadriceps muscle
- Hamstrings
- Adductors
- Calf muscles
- The rectus abdominis muscle (the famous six pack)
- Oblique muscles (or what some call the side press)
- Transverse abdominal muscles
- Straight spinal muscles (in the lumbar region)
In other words, almost half of your body's muscles are involved in squats, especially if you add weighted squats and jump squats to the mix.
What are the benefits of squats?
The first noticeable effect is, of course, the strengthening of the muscles we have just listed. So, not only the legs benefit, but also the abs, although they may not seem to be very involved in the exercise.
The second effect is an increase in muscle mass. Your muscles will become more prominent and visible. That's why so many people post before-and-after photos of themselves when they take on this challenge, showing off their transformation. The benefits of squats are impressive. Unlike cardio exercises such as running or cycling, which do not contribute to muscle growth, squats, being more of a strength exercise, have a significant impact on your appearance. For example, those who were not active before and start doing squats every day will see a noticeable difference in their appearance in a month (especially if you take a before and after photo).
Take on the challenge: 100 squats within 30 days, and you will see the results and feel the benefits of squats.
Losing weight by reducing fat. This is an overall reduction in body fat, as squats are a fairly significant physical activity. Calorie burning increases, and metabolism is accelerated. Thus, people who do squats not only feel stronger and build muscle, but also become more fit, getting rid of excess fat.
Increase in endurance. Squats have a very positive effect on our respiratory system. The lung volume gradually increases, and squats teach us to properly coordinate and control our breathing. You inhale when you go down and exhale when you go up (the basic principle of any strength training). Thus, any effort is made on the exhale, and relaxation occurs on the inhale. Squats are good for both overall endurance and the respiratory system.
In addition to the main benefits of squats, we can add quite a few other beneficial processes that will also happen to you in some way.
Improved blood circulation and cardiovascular health. Obviously, in addition to the strength aspect, squats are a great cardio workout. These exercises improve heart muscle tone and blood flow to both the heart and extremities, and significantly increase venous circulation in the lower body.
Squats improve posture, provided that the correct form is maintained. Squats should be performed with a straight back and a bent lower spine. As the muscles responsible for balance and posture become stronger, there is a significant improvement in posture.
Increase mobility. Regular squats improve our mobility. If a sedentary lifestyle causes knee pain and joint problems, squats can help alleviate these problems.
So, squats are great for building muscle mass, especially with additional weight. If you perform shoulder squats, focus on proper technique to avoid injury. The barbell squat is a serious exercise that should be performed under the supervision of a qualified instructor or experienced athlete who can demonstrate proper execution, point out mistakes, and help improve technique. This is a serious exercise, and I recommend that you take it with full responsibility if you plan to squat with additional weight. Using a barbell with latex bands is considered safer because it involves a dynamic load, where the peak load occurs when the body is straightened. The advantages of squats with such a dynamic load are their safety and the dynamic nature of the load compared to a constant load, especially when the cycle of movement and breathing changes. However, there are also less risky variations, such as jump squats.
The core muscles are strengthened. This type of squat effectively trains the core muscles by engaging the stabilizer muscles during the exercise. This is interesting because during a squat, we may not feel much tension in the abs or back, but they are still actively working. Strong abs are a key element in many aspects of our lives and also play a crucial role in reducing the risk of injury.
What types of squats are there?
It is worth mentioning the variety of types of squats. For example, classic squats are performed with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides, hips back, knees bent at right angles or until your thighs are parallel to the floor, and then return to the starting position. This is the basic version.
Squats with an emphasis on the inner thighs are performed with the legs spread much wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointing outward, hands on hips, and squatting until the thighs are parallel to the floor.
This is followed by balance squats, which increase the load by changing the position of the heels. Perform a classic squat, but with one foot on the raised heel and the other standing flat on the ground. Alternate your legs.
Jump squats or explosive squats are used to increase intensity and develop explosive power. They are popular among sprinters or professional football players who need to accelerate quickly. Start as a classic squat, but squat down sharply to jump up and squat again immediately after landing.
There are also squat modifications related to the position of the hands. For example, you can clasp your hands in front of you while squatting for better balance or keep your hands on your hips to engage additional stabilizing muscles. Another option is to put your hands behind your head with your elbows apart, which will help you work on your posture. You can also squat with your arms outstretched, intensively training your back extensors. This activates the upper body and increases the overall effectiveness of the exercise.
The benefits of squats that you can get can be increased if you combine different types of squats and perform squat exercises as part of your overall workout.
Thus, there is a wide variety of squatting methods, each of which has its own characteristics and advantages. It's important to choose the variations that best suit your goals and fitness level, and always pay attention to proper technique to get the most out of your squats and avoid injury.
Friends, share in the comments how you like to squat and if you have any favorite variations of this versatile exercise, such as jump squats or weighted squats!
