You hear it all the time: “Don’t skip leg day!” I hear it even though my workout routine doesn’t include a leg-focused day just because the advice is so common.
Whether your workout routine includes a “leg day” or not, squats are one of the best-known and most effective lower-body workouts. They’re also a foundational, functional movement. Adding squats to your workout routine is a great move for overall fitness and for many specific fitness goals.
Squats Improve Functional Movement
Squatting is a functional movement—something that you can do as part of a workout that mimics real-life situations. We use the same muscles that are strengthened by squats when we bend, climb stairs, and walk. Squatting is also helpful when we need to lift something heavy.
Incorporating squats into your workout routine strengthens tendons, bones, and ligaments as well as the muscles they’re attached to. Squatting can also help improve flexibility. There’s also evidence that squats might improve bone density. Doing squats as you get older can help with maintaining fitness, strength, balance, and mobility.
Squats Work Major Muscles
Whether you’re doing bodyweight squats or one of several weighted variations, squats primarily work your quads and glutes. They’re also working and strengthening your core muscles, hamstrings, calves, adductors, hip flexors, and lower back.
By working these major muscles, you’re burning calories and improving overall fitness as well as strengthening the specific muscles. If you’re an athlete, squats can also help improve sports performance. The muscle groups strengthened by squats are essential for running and jumping.
Squats Can Be Personalized
Different squat variations let you focus more on specific muscles or muscle groups. For example, if you’re doing a back squat you can focus on quads by placing the bar higher on your back and keeping your feet a little closer together. Using a lower bar position and wider stance will shift the focus to your glutes.
When you’re adding squats to your workout routine or trying a new squat variation, you must be careful to do the squats correctly. Poor form when squatting can lead to injuries. While you can look up guides for doing squats correctly online, why not head to the gym where a fitness professional can help?
At Extreme Studio Performance, you can ask our trained staff to spot you when you’re squatting and check that you’re doing it right. For more personalized attention and advice on the best types of squats to meet your goals, you can join a group class or sign up for personal training. Contact us today for a free fitness evaluation and gym tour.