Squats, the Exercise of All Exercises - A NUBODYZ Publication

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Seattle, Washington 10/01/2009

Whether you are a woman looking to form a firmer more shapely figure, or a man who is aspiring to develop a more sculpted athletic physique, there is no one exercise more important than squats. Squats are the exercise of all exercises for total body development; yes, they do much much more than simply work your legs. Additionally, squats are more complicated than people realize. There is more to them than simply bobbing up and down. They are a challenging exercise to perfect and there exist many approaches and techniques applied which produce very different results. After we examine the benefits of squats I will leave you with a detailed description of how you should be performing them to produce your intended results.

Let me begin by explain just why squats are the supreme exercise. Yes, you would obviously expect executing squats to produce leg development; most likely you didn’t need me to write this article to tell you that. Beyond this, however, squats strengthen your lower back, your abs, and the muscles around your joints giving you added protection and help prevent injuries. Additionally, your legs are the largest muscle group and since squats incorporate so many additional muscles your body you will burn more calories performing squats, and recovering from them, than anything else you have ever done in the same amount of time. More calories burned will lead to more fat being burned.

To add another layer, squats also help your upper body develop as well since your body wants to stay in proportion. Yes guys, if you are only training the beach muscles, bi’s, tri’s, and chest and you neglect your legs your upper body progress will suffer without question; and you’ll have bird legs and look just plain goofy. To supplement this, squats also force your body to release higher amounts of important anabolic hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone. For us men, these hormones are like Popeye’s spinach to us! They are absolutely essential in producing results and will help your entire body develop.

Women, do not be fearful. I know when I bring up He-Man sounding words like “anabolic hormone” or “testosterone” you begin to fret. Well, do not worry your body will simply not be able to secrete enough of these hormones to produce any bulky muscles or size. You will only succeed in firming, toning, and shaping your body. Yes, squats are for you too! As a matter of fact, women religiously ask me how they can firm, lift, and tighten their butt and thighs and my answer is always “squats, squats, squats, and more squats!” To improve these areas, NOTHING else comes close.

Now all of this stuff is fine and dandy, but only having the aforementioned information won’t produce any of those fancy results we just went over if you don’t actually apply it. So you probably want to know how you should perform a squat correctly. Firstly, it is important to mention that performed in a correct manner there is no danger to the knees. However, if you do have a history of hip or knee problems I strongly recommend consulting a professional before your proceed. If you are simply knew to squats, I would suggest starting with lighter weight. It is vital that you concentrate on developing the skill and form before you worry about the amount resistance.

The most basic form of squat is used with a barbell resting across the back of your shoulders and neck, although dumbbells and smith-machines can be used as well. Feet are shoulder width apart and toes are ever so slightly pointed outward. At all times during your squat, your head should be pulled back and you should be looking slightly up (never look down). Your chest should be slightly raised and you should have a slight arch in your lower back. Take a deep breath and begin to make a smooth controlled descent as if you were sitting in a chair behind you while keeping your feet flat on the ground. At first this may seem awkward but you will get better and better the more reps you perform. If you feel comfortable, try to go down to where your knees are at least at a 90 degree angle. Make sure your knees do not bow inward and do not bounce up at the bottom.

Hold your breath and begin to push up. As you push, try to keep your feet flat and primarily push off your heels; do not push off your toes. Often times many people feel as though they will fall backwards when keep their weight on their heels. However, with time you will be able to execute this with ease. Immediately after you begin to push up start exhaling. At first, exhaling when you push up might seem counterintuitive but your body will get used to this and proper breathing will greatly increase your performance. A common mistake for people is for them to hold their breath during the entire ascension; never ever do this. Only hold your breath for a brief second at the bottom. Do not lock your knees out when you come up, inhale and go immediately back down for your second rep without pausing.

As I mentioned earlier, different approaches will produce different results. For some women, they seek to have a more curvaceous “J-Lo-esc” frame if you will. As such, taking a wider stance (feet a little bit beyond shoulder width with your toes pointed a little further outward) will enhance the volume of your glutes. For men, taking this stance enables you to move more weight and will allow you to develop greater leg strength and power. An inverse approach taken by men and women which includes taking a stance where your feet are closer than shoulder width apart and your feet are directly straight forward will incorporate more of the quads and less of the glutes. Performed in this style, expect to use less resistance.

Hopefully now you understand the important and effectiveness of squats. They are a physically demanding and technically challenging exercise to execute. You really have to bite the bullet and include them in your routine. For most people, including myself, your relationships with squats may begin as a bitter one; but the more you do them the more you learn to love them and the results they produce. As I stated before, they are “they exercise of all exercises.”