Bore Da, hello, namaste. Dai Squats here, aka Andy or David Davies, son of David Davies. Welcome to my ‘Definitive Guide to….’ series of exercise explanations and excitement.
Here you’ll find information about a set of common exercises I use in my personal training sessions. Not just how to do them correctly, but what you use the muscles for and the benefits gained from loving your lunges or smashing your squats.
And let’s start right there with the humble squat of the bodyweight variety.
What is a squat?
One of my favourite exercises, the squat is:
“The movement if lowering your hips below your knees from a standing position and raising them back up again.”
If you’re looking for an exercise to increase the strength and size of your lower body muscles and develop core strength and hip flexibility, this little gem is the one for you.
Think sitting down in your favourite chair and standing up again without using the arms for support and you’ve got the squat pattern. 👍
What are the benefits of squats?
Ah, I could bore you for hours with the benefits of squats on your body. My name is Dai Squats, after all. Instead, I’ll outline what I consider to be the main reasons the squat is a winner and we’ll go from there:
- Strengthening your lower body and core muscles will help you move up and down unaided when you’re older. No electric lounge chair for you, my friends. Well, not for a while, anyway.
- Muscles of steel will hold up your bottom rather than jeans from Marks & Spencer, with reinforced panels around the buttock area.
- Building up your lower body muscles with squats improves your posture and balance. They also help strengthen tendons and ligaments, reducing the chance of picking up niggles or injuries.
- You can do these bad boys anywhere. It’s like having your own portable gym at your disposal, but without the mirrors.
- There are loads of cool names for variations of squats that you can impress your friends with. Imagine popping into the pub after a session at the gym and dropping into the conversation that you’ve been banging out the Bulgarian split squats. Or sets of Cossack squats with an overhead press thrown in for good measure.
How do I squat properly?
The squat is a thing of simple beauty, HOWEVER, proper form, as they say in the trade, is essential. And proper form means:
- Standing with your feet slightly wider than your hips
- Push your hips back and bend your knees, keeping your torso straight
- Your weight should be on your heels
- Push down into a sitting position, keeping your shoulders back (a good way to do this is to look upwards)
- Hold the position for a couple of seconds before moving back up to your starting position
Squats are usually done in sets, for example, three sets of ten, with a rest in between each set.
What muscles do I use when I squat?
You’re using more muscles than players in a football team when you get your squat on. Squats are a compound movement, and we use multiple muscle groups and joints every time we do one.
The primary muscles you use are:
Lower body:
- gluteus maximus
- gluteus minimus
- medius (buttocks)
- quadriceps
- hamstrings
- adductor
- hip flexors
- calves
The core:
- rectus abdominis
- obliques
- transverse abdominis
- erector spinae
Make them easier
If you find performing ten reps with good form a challenge, try these variations to help you get started:
- Squat to chair
- Squat using a door frame, table or sturdy chair for support
- TRX squat
Make them harder
For something a bit more challenging:
- Single leg squat to chair
- Jump Squat
- Pistol Squat
- Add some weight: Goblet Squat, Use a Barbell for Front Squat, Back Squat or Overhead Squat
Are you interested in booking some personal training sessions? Or looking for some motivation to get your fitness journey back on track? Then contact me using the button below and we can chat through some options.