What do you do when you squat?
To explain why you should squat, we need to look at the movement in general with you. This may seem mundane, but the sole aim is that you can derive and train something for yourself in the home gym or in the box directly from this article. A squat is a very simple movement pattern and is therefore represented in almost every workout, whether with additional weight or as a pure air squat. At the same time, it is just as ideal if you have just started your sport and still see yourself as a beginner.Time for your imagination:
Simply put, a squat is just a movement similar to sitting down on a chair. However, and that's why it's also called "Ass to grass", you crouch deeper than your body is ever required to do when sitting down. The weight rests on your feet, but moves back and forth a little between heels and toes as you move. However, your foot should always be flat on the ground, otherwise you only put pressure on certain points and this can be a hindrance for your joints. You start standing, your hips are stretched and your legs are relaxed. Then, to initiate the downward movement, tension your body and use the muscles in your back, core, and legs to keep yourself stable. Your butt moves back first and then down in combination. The knees remain stable, they are the fixed points on which your athletic weight rests. A slight movement in the knees, especially outwards, does not mean that you made a mistake.
When your butt is pulled back and on its way down, the tension in your core and back changes, keeping your upper body straight. It is important that your upper body neither buckles nor rolls over. It helps if you practice the movement in front of the mirror. At the same time, the anatomy of your hip joints causes your hips to tilt into a different position than when you're standing. Basically, your whole body is in motion and is therefore fully stressed. The squat is one of the most essential things that can improve your everyday life, especially through the movement of your knees and your hips. The squat is a lot more natural than many of the exercises you can do on gym equipment. Accordingly, you react to it more directly; in sports as well as in everyday life!
Learn basic movements of your body!
In order to look at how your body behaves, many factors have to be examined carefully: How much do you move in everyday life? What kind of physical exertion does your job require you to do? Do you have children you "have to" play with or do you care for relatives? All of this has an impact on the spine, hips and co. But let's try to show you the squat and its connection in relation to standardized movement sequences: If you are sitting in the office, then you do this in a squat position. Although you are sitting, both the foot and the hip position in connection with your entire rear chain are aligned identically to the squat. The hips and knees are each in a 90° position, your back is upright and straight. So, a strong squat in the box and studio helps you “sit harder” and acts as a kind of natural postural school.Several ideas, one result!
The same can be applied if you just want to go for a long walk with your child in your arms: the squat keeps your joints busy as one of the most natural movements of the human body. When your child sits on your arm, it pulls you forward regardless of its weight. The result is clear: a hunched back and a cramped neck are inevitable. But the squat literally bends forward because your posterior chain is used to stress and external pressure. So at the end of the day, it's your child that's crawling off your arm. You are the one who spends hours galloping through forests, meadows and residential areas!Posture school made easy!
Hardly any exercise uses as many muscle groups as the squat. It is therefore often used in rehabilitation sports or for absolute beginners without any fitness to speak of. A lunge, i.e. a lunge, a normal squat or the crab walk help to "straighten" inwardly rotating knees by strengthening the connecting muscles. At the same time, you avoid herniated discs and other stress-related accidents, because a routinely performed squat flushes a kind of healthy movement pattern into your brain. Lifting the wrong way, getting up wrong and muscular imbalances are a thing of the past (at least if you listen to your coach and don't deflect. Then we can't help you anymore.)
The muscular advantages:
Haven't we philosophized enough about the squat and its tons of benefits for athletes? No! We have now looked at the "rehab benefits", outlined the movement sequence and examined the transfer to your everyday life. But what is going on muscularly? Finally, we are talking about sports.First things first: squats are a leg exercise. Enough obvious stuff. Squats claim you, almost no muscle is not affected. The hamstrings will be stressed as well as your glutes, the erector spinae will get fat as well as the adductor. So, ultimately, the entire lower half of your body is put on high alert. However, if you add weight, such as kettlebells or the well-known barbell, even more muscles are added. Your shoulders and the rest of your back stabilize the extra weight that's on them. Your biceps may also work, depending on where and how you placed the additional weight. Squats in every shape and color are therefore perfect for releasing as much power as possible in the main components of your muscles with little time and little space. This makes squats the epitome of functional fitness: through intensive units, the entire body is functionally and dynamically loaded. In less formal terms, that means: lots of volume, lots of effort, quick exhaustion!
High performance for everyone:
But another factor is also worth mentioning: Due to the high strain on your body with free weights and a large range of motion, your testosterone level increases significantly within a natural range. You can find a corresponding proof at Gannikus here . In the long run, more testosterone means more strength, better performance and possibly an elevated state of mind. More strength, more muscle and faster growth? Who can say no to that?Strengthen your mind-mind over matter!
Have you ever been tormented by sore muscles in your legs? In our opinion, there are few things that could be worse. But even during your training, whether one rep max or in an AMRAP, your legs will sound the alarm. When your leg muscles are strained, you feel the lactate production directly, the soreness comes with a delay. But basic exercises like the squat also test your bite: the amount of work your body does under the weight and during the movement causes your nervous system to fire on all cylinders, signals shoot through you at a much higher rate than with isolation exercises . In the end, it's up to you, and it's up to you alone: Do you keep going through the rest of the exercise, the rest of the sentence, or do you break off?Hopefully, after some time including squats in your training regimen, you will find that your mental strength has increased as well as your physical one. Mental strength is important because it gives you stamina in everyday situations, including when you compete with yourself outside of the box. Ultimately, after a while, you realize that you can carry a few pounds on your back and come out stronger!