What Are the Benefits of Squats?

0
502
How Long Does It Take for a Muscle Strain to Heal?

[ad_1]

What are the benefits of squats?

Squats are a simple and effective exercise that focuses on multiple muscle groups. While performing squats, you are working your

  • Calves
  • Quads
  • Hamstrings
  • Glutes
  • Core muscles
  • Back muscles

The benefits of squats include

  • Improved blood circulation in the lower body
  • Improved strength of the core muscles
  • Stronger lower spinal muscles
  • Enhanced athletic performance
  • Improved aesthetic appearance
  • Enhanced fat burning
  • Slimmer legs and stronger knees
  • Improved mobility and balance to perform day-to-day activities
  • Boost your mind-body connection

How do you perform squats?

You can perform a simple and effective squat by

  • Standing with your body facing forward and keeping your feet parallel to your shoulders.
  • Keeping the distance between your feet a few inches apart with your toes pointing slightly outward.
  • Lowering your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
  • Keeping your chest upright with your head and face forward.
  • Pausing for a second and then coming back to the original position.
  • Repeating this 20 times for effective results.

What are the different types of squats?

There are many ways to perform squats. The different types of squats include

  • Back squats: To perform back squats, you need to
    • Place a barbell in a squat rack, just below your shoulder height.
    • Move under the bar to put it behind the neck across the top of the back.
    • Grasp the bar with the hands wider than shoulder-width apart.
    • Stand up to lift the bar off the rack and step backward.
    • Place the feet a little wider than the shoulder-width apart.
    • Sit back into the hips and keep the back straight and the chest up, squatting down, so the hips are below the knees.
  • Overhead squats: Overhead squats can be performed as follows
    • Stand tall with your feet slightly wider apart.
    • Hold one medicine ball above your head throughout the exercise.
    • With the arms above, slowly bend at the hips and keep the back straight while lowering into a squat.
    • At the bottom of the squat, push both feet into the ground to return to the standing position.
  • Squat jacks: You will perform this squat in two parts
    • With the feet together, lower down into a squat position.
    • Jump both the legs out without changing the squat position.
    • Jump both the legs in.
    • Repeat this exercise for 15 to 20 seconds.
  • Squat jumps: You will perform these squats by
    • Standing tall with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    • Squatting down until your thighs are slightly higher than your knees.
    • Pushing yourself upward to lift your feet off the ground.
    • Landing with soft, bent knees and coming back into the squat position.
  • Side-step squats: You will perform these squats in four parts
    • With your feet together, lower down into a squat position.
    • Being in this position, step your right leg out to the side.
    • Make sure to distribute your weight equally between both the legs.
    • Continue to stay in the squat position and close the left leg to the right.
    • Stand up.

Medically Reviewed on 1/26/2021

References

Medscape Medical Reference

The American Council on Exercise

Piedmont Healthcare



[ad_2]

Source link