Squatting is such a powerful and wonderful exercise it is literally an Olympic sport. Daily or regular squatting builds so much more than just powerful legs. The residual benefits you feel from squats are just as beneficial if not more so. If you can squat well and often, you improve your overall quality of life on a day to day basis. You can lift more, run more, and, more importantly, do more. If you aren’t squatting then here are 4 reasons why you should find out why the squat is considered the king of exercises.
Calorie burner
Squats require the largest and most powerful muscles the human body has to offer in order to perform them safely and correctly. Working larger muscles means burning more calories. You can burn some serious calories by performing repeated heavy squats time and time again. And that’s not to mention the cardio benefits from performing light-bodyweight squats either. Bodyweight squats, especially the explosive variants really jump your heart rate up. Mix them up with weights to burn those calories.
Build the lower body
By squatting often, if not every day, you can build, quite frankly, the best butt ever. Squats, especially heavy squats, build strong thighs, a strong core, and strong glutes. If you perform squats daily and perform several of the different variations you build powerful muscles. And powerful muscles will grow into the body you’ve dreamed of. There is a reason why you see the Instagram fitness influencers doing them all the time. They work!
Build the base
Following on from strengthening the lower body, the benefits that extend to other exercises and movements are numerous. Your legs are the base upon which the rest of your body resides. You strengthen them and everything else becomes easier. The strong core and glute muscles you build from repeated squats will help enormously with other exercises you may perform, as well as helping with everyday life. For Example, better squatting means you can lift more weight safely, say at work, or in the home. Build your squat, better your life.
Do them anywhere
Last but by no means least, as long as you have an area tall rough to stand in, you have somewhere that you can exercise. Squats require no equipment and with so many variations you can perform a different one for 2 each day for 2 weeks and be doing something different each day. If you want to add weight, wear a backpack with some books in them. Or if you can, get to a gym and do them with a barbell. Try squatting every day for 30 days and you will notice the difference from start to finish.
Squats truly are the king of all exercises. There is nothing more satisfying than loading up the barbell with some weight and performing rep after rep. Squats will not only build you physically but test you mentally. It takes heart to do heavy squats time and time again. Work of warning though if you do plan on doing them a lot; check out a few good tutorials or speak to someone who knows what they’re doing. Squats are good but they can be dangerous if done incorrectly. Learn the movement and stay safe.
