Squats are well known in fitness, especially for the lower body. They come in many forms, each with some benefits and helping to reach specific goals. So today we'll introduce you to the squat exercise in detail and all its variations, and how to perform it correctly to avoid injuries.
Targeted muscles
Most squat forms target specific muscles, with different focus on each. The muscles are:
- Thigh muscles (quadiceps).
- Hamstrings.
- Glute muscles (glutes).
- Abdominal muscles (abdominals).
- Calf muscle (calves).
There are some tweaks you can add to the squat to make it tougher and more effective like jumping and carrying weights, and jumping can boost heart muscle strength, plus the squat exercise helps you perform some daily tasks for yourself, like carrying heavy weights, bending down to get some stuff.
How to do the squat exercise for beginners
Steps to do the basic squat exercise are:
- Stand with your feet wider than your hips.
- Point your toes slightly outward.
- Tighten your body muscles, especially your chest muscles.
- Lower yourself like you're sitting down.
- Keep going down until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
- Your feet should stay flat on the floor.
- Your knee shouldn't go past your foot's top.
- Push yourself upward.
- Do 15 reps, 2 sets.
Modifications Squat exercise
Like we said before, there are many squat variations. Each one depends on your needs, goals, and level. For example, squats with a barbell help you focus on these muscles:
- Hips.
- Knees.
- Upper and lower back.
- Leg muscles.
Exercise: Jump squat
Target muscles: Glutes, thighs, hips, legs.
How to do the exercise:
- Do the beginner squat.
- Stop when your thighs are parallel to the ground.
- Keep going down until your middle reaches halfway down your shin.
- Push yourself up high.
- Repeat the exercise at least 12 times, 2 sets.
Exercise: Squats with weights
Target muscles: Lower back, legs, and hips.
How to do the exercise:
- Start with the bar on the rack or machine.
- Place it right at shoulder height.
- Stand so the bar is right behind the top of your back.
- You might need to take a step back to hold the bar.
- Keep your feet hip-width apart.
- Do the squat until your hips are below your knees.
- Press your foot hard into the ground.
- Then push your hips up.
- Do 5 reps of the exercise.
- The weight should not be more than you can handle.
Exercise: Sumo Squat
Target muscles: Inner thighs, glutes
How to do the exercise:
- Start by placing your feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lower down until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Squeeze your glutes and push yourself back up.
- Do at least 10 reps, 2 sets.
Adding squats to your workout routine
Squats are a tough and effective exercise that targets a big part of your body muscles, one of its perks is you can do it at home without any equipment And also in gyms, to add it to your routine you should start with the basic form several times a week, for example 3 days a week, and don’t go below 10 reps.
If your goal is to lose weight or improve your overall fitness you should add cardio workouts along with squats like running, swimming, and cycling, several times a week. You can also try some other strength exercises with squats like lunges And others you will find in detail on the Fitness Garage blog. Share o
