How To Do Squats Correctly

We understand the intricacies of such a seemingly simple exercise as the squat. How to make beautiful and healthy legs without harming your health.

The squat is a great exercise that puts stress on a large group of muscles, and it can be done anywhere. It is good for those just starting out in the sport as well as professional athletes. Today let’s look at the benefits and harms of this exercise, what types exist, and what mistakes you can make when doing it.

What muscles work?

The muscles that work during squats:

• Quadriceps;
• Great, small, and middle gluteal muscles;
• Biceps femoris;
• Adductor muscle;
• Hip flexors and calves.

Also, during the squatting work the upper part of the human body, so additional load is given to the straight, oblique and transverse abdominal muscles (abs), as well as the muscles that straighten the spine.

How to do the exercise?

Find a comfortable and spacious enough place, stand up straight and place your feet at shoulder width. To perform a standard squat, keep your back straight. Then start slowly lowering your hips until they are parallel or almost parallel to the floor.

In the lower position stop, hold the body for 1-2 seconds as you exhale and return to the starting position. The movements should resemble the movement of the body when sitting down on a chair. The weight of the body should be on the heels. The arms can be put forward to help the body keep its balance.

At the end of the exercise, it is important to feel some muscle fatigue to make sure the muscles are trained effectively. Also, make sure that:

• Knees, hips and toes point forward;
• The glutes remain above knee level;
• The knees themselves do not extend beyond the toes;
• Chest lifted and spread out, and shoulders lowered;
• The back is straight;
• The feet, like the knees, look forward;
• The abdominal muscles are slightly tensed.

Mistakes when doing squats

Mistakes when performing squats reduce their beneficial effect and can be injurious to the athlete. It is also necessary not to forget to do a warm-up of the main tendons and joints before exercising. Below are a few typical mistakes a person can make when performing the exercise.

In the initial stages, you can practice squats with a chair. Lower yourself to the level of the chair, touch the seat (without sitting down) and stand up.

Knees turned inward

Often the athlete’s knees will bend inward the deeper they go down. This puts too much stress on the knee joint.

When lowering, try to turn the knees slightly outward. The kneecaps should face in the same direction as the toes. Also, turning your knees outward will be useful if you need to use the gluteal muscles more.

Hunched back

When performing squats, the athlete’s concentration is usually on the lower part of the body, but the upper part should not be forgotten either. If performed incorrectly, it can also suffer. Incorrect positioning of the back causes strong and unnecessary tension in it.

Therefore, when performing the exercise, a person should look straight ahead and not direct his gaze downward. The chest should be spread out and the shoulders relaxed. The arms should be stretched straight out in front of you. If they fall to your knees during the squat, it means that your back is hunched over.

In the initial stages it may help to press dumbbells to your chest or any objects that do not burden you while squatting. Try squatting with the object close to your chest. If the bottom of the dumbbells moves away from your chest during the squat, there is likely too much forward lean.

You can hold on to a wall or door in the first stages. Squat while keeping your upper body upright. Practice holding the correct back position at different heights.

Heels off the floor

One of the causes of heel pullback during the squat may be low ankle mobility and the elasticity of the posterior thigh muscles. Before performing the exercise, give these parts of the body a good warm-up. In the starting stages, try lowering the body to the maximum level, where there is no breakaway yet.

You can also practice squats with support at first and try to sit as low as possible. Sometimes trainers advise to put heel rests under your heels and start doing exercises with them, but you can also place the rests (in the gym they can be small weighted discs (pancakes)) under your toes and try to go down without tearing your heels off.

The benefits of squats

Strengthen the muscles

The main muscles in the middle of the human body, such as: oblique muscles, rectus abdominis, gluteal muscles, back extensors, thigh biceps, and others. Having strong and trained muscles in this group facilitates everyday movements such as turning, bending, and balancing when walking and keeping your body level. They also help keep a straight posture.

A 2018 study published in the Journal of Human Kinetics showed that when squats are performed correctly, even with low weights, some core muscles are activated more than when the classic plank is performed. Researchers recommended that trained athletes use squats more often in their workouts to improve their performance.

Low probability of injury

Strong lower-body muscles promote better movement of the entire body and allow the athlete to maintain excellent form, balance, mobility and posture. The American sports organization ACE recommends incorporating weightless squats into your overall training regimen to strengthen tendons, ligaments and bones, which, in turn, can reduce the risk of injury.

Helps you lose weight

During squatting, a large group of muscles works, and this causes the human body to consume a lot of energy, and consequently, a large number of calories are burned.

Studies conducted by Harvard Medical School show that a person who weighs 154 pounds can burn about 220-230 kilocalories by doing 30 minutes of quality strength training, such as squats.

Strengthen the muscles of the legs

Our lower body contains some of our largest and strongest muscles. We use them every day to get out of bed, sit on a chair, and lift heavy things. Squats will help strengthen and tone this entire muscle group. When they are in excellent and tightened condition, the body can move around more comfortably and perform various movements with less pain and tension.

Squat variations

Different variations of squats, such as barbell squats or jumping jacks, will help provide additional exercise and develop other muscle groups. For better results, combine squats with cardio exercises and other strength exercises. You can also use additional equipment, such as:

• Dumbbells, barbells and weights;
• Medicine ball;
• Elastic band;
• Yoga ball.

Squats with weights

As described above, squats with your own weight are quite safe for the athlete. When using barbells, dumbbells and other weights, consult your trainer and physician about the usefulness and necessity of this type of exercise. Beginners should do this type of squat with an empty bar.

The squat with a barbell on the shoulders with a medium leg position is a classic type of this exercise with additional weight. The barbell must be held at the level of the trapezoids with both hands. The hands themselves are a little wider than the shoulders. The barbell’s barbell handle should not be placed on the neck and lowered to the shoulder blades. During the squat it is necessary to keep a slight flexion in the lumbar area. Otherwise, the technique remains as in the classic squat without weight.

Squats with a jump on the box

With this type of squatting, the athlete will also receive additional cardio exercise. Depending on the pace and height of the box, you can effectively load your leg muscles and develop your strength and endurance.

1. Stand in front of a box or any other firmly placed obstacle in front of you;
2. Jump up with both feet and land on the box;
3. Do a squat;
4. Step down and repeat the exercise.

Bulgarian split squats

This one-leg exercise is a great way to load your abs, trunk stabilizers, and leg muscles. For an additional load, you can take dumbbells in each hand or put a barbell on your back.

1. Stand with your back to the bench and place one foot on it. The distance between the bench and your body should be 5.91 inches or more.
2. Squat smoothly until the thigh of the leading leg is parallel to the floor. The knee of the second leg may touch the floor slightly (depending on the height of the bench and the degree of exertion). Keep the body straight.
3. At the bottom point, pause for 1-2 seconds, then return the body to the initial position. You can do 8-10 repetitions at the start.

Because of the large number of variations of the exercise and the degree of exertion, squats are a great exercise to keep you motivated. Try different types – this will help keep you in a great mood for each new workout.

The harm of squats

If the athlete has not warmed up the main joints and tendons before training, as well as does not follow safety techniques when working with additional equipment and weights, the exercise can be traumatic and put an excessive load on the knee joints and spine.

Contraindications

• Injuries and diseases of the legs;
• Varicose veins;
• Lower and mid-body joint problems and diseases;
• Injuries and diseases of the spine;
• Problems with the cardiovascular system;
• Recovery period after surgery;
• The first two months after childbirth.

If you have these contraindications, you should consult your doctor before starting squatting exercises. He will give you the necessary information about your health and help you to adjust the degree of strain during exercise and specific exercises. Otherwise there is a great risk of harming your health. Sometimes if the doctor or trainer does not recommend an athlete to perform squats specifically, they may suggest replacing them with certain exercises on an exercise machine.