There are some exercises, which are absolutely crucial to the success of any exercise program, no matter your goals. If you are not doing them then you are seriously missing out and probably very misinformed.
by Elektra Paviou | 6th July 2013
One of these extremely crucial exercises is the squat. For the purposes of this article I will be referring to the standard powerlifting squat shown in the video below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47yIUEXCgfE
What is the Powerlifting squat?
This movement requires you to stand up tall, chest up, shoulders and elbows braced back, a small drive back with the hips is needed to initiate, and a ‘sitting back’ into the squat position… followed by a drive up, applying force through the heels and back to the starting position.
From my experience, the most crucial part of this lift is the initiation of the hips. If you don’t get that first drive back, then you will struggle with the rest of the movements that follow. With most of my clients, who are learning this move for the first time there is a very big need to simply squat down to the ground, which subsequently causes the heels to rise of the floor. Have a look in the mirror at your squatting technique. If your toes are doing all the work then pause at the top, drive back first with your hips and sit into the squat as if you are going to the toilet at 90’. It is important that you don’t take your heels out of the equation because this is where the most force is generated. Simply speaking, you can lift a heck of a lot more on your heels than you can on your toes.
So why all the fuss?
For starters, it is a compound exercise, which uses multiple joints and muscles around the body (not just in the legs). The more muscles called upon in a movement the more energy is needed the more FAT you will burn.
Many people believe that the CORE is where your power originates from and so the stronger the core the stronger you will be. I do believe the CORE is very important for weight lifting but if you are an experienced lifter, there is only so much CORE work you can do and it is the LEGS that should become the focus of ones attention. The stronger your legs the stronger the rest of your body is likely to be (this is true for other powerlifting exercises too).
For women, no! You will not bulk up… there is a huge myth out there in the fitness industry telling women that if they lift heavy weights or squat then they will get bigger in the hips and thighs, and they believe it! I have even had women tell me they used to do squats but it made them bigger so they stopped. Now, if you are starting an exercise program, then some people’s systems will react to the new workouts by becoming inflamed and somewhat swollen, sometimes the stiff muscles after a workout can be misconstrued as bigger muscles. Certainly in the hours after a workout people do feel swollen, but both of these scenarios subside.
What squats are responsible for are shredding body fat and sculpting and lifting of the gluteus muscles as well as your hamstrings, some of your quadriceps and calf muscles. It also helps with the strength in your back muscles, more specifically the multifidus, which is the muscle that wraps itself around your spine. In addition to your legs, bums and backs, your core is definitely activated in pretty much the entire squatting motion.
For men specifically, the more you squat the more growth hormone and testosterone flows through your body. So… if your goal is to get #hench then you honestly need to get on to those squats.
In conclusion, both men and women, need to be adding the Back Squat into their routines for better results. If you have fat loss goals then you are looking at 4-5 sets of 15-20 repetitions. If you are trying to add muscle then go very heavy and do 2-3 sets of 5-6 repetitions.
* The Leg Press is great but it is not a replacement for the squat.
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