Squatting is one of the best exercises you can perform. From joint mobility to core activation to digestive help, people were born to squat. Remember when you were a kid and you always played with your toys? Most of the time, it was in a squat. Parents – did you ever notice that when your little one was able to stand on their own, they were also able to squat? We’re wired to squat from birth, but as we get older and more sedentary, our ability to perform this simple action becomes challenging. Children have some of the best squat form in the world! You know why? They aren’t sitting at a desk all freaking day. They don’t sit when they drive to work. They don’t sit when they eat (they’re likely standing and throwing their food everywhere, beside the point) and they don’t sit when they watch TV. Think about it – we’re sitting like 90% of day (most of us). Poor posture, low back pain, muscular imbalance and weakness all come with sitting, and it’s time to put a stop to it!
Squatting daily doesn’t mean you have to hit the gym. Quite the opposite, actually. We are just looking to improve your joint health and postures for your daily living. When we say you should squat daily, what we really mean is that you should spend time in the bottom position of a squat for a few minutes every day. Grab a pole, or your desk, or something that will allow you to grab a hold of, and sit down in the bottom of a squat for 30 seconds. Repeat that 10 times. This is going to help to open up your joints, and you are going to feel less restricted because of it.
Bored with your squat routine in your gyms in Allentown PA? Or want to graduate from holding the bottom of a squat? Let go of the assistance and sit at the bottom on your own. There are also so many different types of squats out there, you should almost never get bored! Utilizing different forms of squats will keep your workouts interesting and keep your muscles from getting used to that one squat style. A few examples we use at our club include a single leg squats, split squats, touchdown squats, and goblet squats. All of these can be performed with little to no weight, and you’ll still benefit greatly from the movements.
Here are three great reasons we think everyone should squat on a daily basis:
1. It can help to reduce low back pain caused by sitting all day. Sitting causes the muscles in the front of your hips to become shortened and muscles of your low back to lengthen, in turn causing pain in the lower back. Squatting(especially extended time in a squat) can help to loosen those muscles in the front of the hip and strengthen the muscles in the lower back. Potentially leading to reduced low back pain.
2. Increased strength in your legs. As you age your strength begins to decrease, but including a variation of a squat in your daily routine will help to slow down the effects of aging. It should even increase the strength in your legs, regardless of age!
3. Burn more calories. Squatting utilizes some of the largest muscles in your body, and uses them in conjunction with one another. What the heck does that mean? Your body becomes an inferno to burn calories! Using all of these muscle groups trains them to grow, which will increase the number of calories you burn at rest. Not to mention when you start adding resistance to those squats – you can imagine how many calories you’ll be burning with each set and rep of an exercise during your personal trainer Allentown PA.
There you have it folks. Do yourself a favor, and go sit down in a squat. Your body will thank you for it!
Comments